A$AP Rocky has ramped up his Don’t Be Dumb rollout with the release of a new single and video, “Punk Rocky.”
Produced by Ging, Zach Fogarty, Cristoforo Donadi and Rocky himself, the track finds Pretty Flacko flexing his musical range and showcasing his smooth singing voice over melodic rock production.
“I thought I fell in love, I thought she felt it too / I thought we was in love, she just another fluke / I thought you was the one, I guess you just the two / You want the last laugh, look, now the joke’s on you,” laments Rocky, whose real-life relationship with Rihanna is anything but on the rocks.
The accompanying video, co-starring Winona Ryder, strengthens Rocky’s reputation as one of hip-hop’s best visual artists. With Dutch directors Simon Beck and Folkert Verdoorn at the helm, the surreal clip features a neighborhood brawl, a stint in jail and a rooftop jam session as the Harlem rapper moves to the suburbs.
While one jacked-up neighbor makes it his mission to snuff out the fun, Winona Ryder becomes A$AP Rocky’s unlikely ally, even bailing him and his crew out of jail. The rollercoaster ride ends in an explosive shootout and ejector seat-triggered car crash.
“Punk Rocky” is set to appear on A$AP Rocky’s long-awaited fourth album Don’t Be Dumb, which will finally arrive on January 16.
According to a vinyl listing of the album, “the 15-track [project] moves through genres the way you’d move through a city — jazz, hip hop, metal, indie, R&B — each track capturing a different block, mood, or moment. It’s Rocky in full range.”
A number of high-profile names have been linked to the album, from Metro Boomin and Madlib to Playboi Carti and Westside Gunn. But one of the most fascinating contributors is Tim Burton, the legendary filmmaker behind Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and the late ’80s/early ’90s Batman movies.
Burton’s name appears on the official cover for Don’t Be Dumb while Rocky recently thanked the director for “helping me make this movie,” suggesting an accompanying film is in the works.
“I sat and I played the album for Tim Burton, and he was fucking with it heavy … He was rocking his head and was like, ‘Wow! I didn’t know you made that kind of music!’” the rapper told Billboard in 2024.
He explained his admiration for Burton in a sit-down with Vanity Fair last year, saying: “I love Tim Burton, man. I’ve been inspired by him [since] a child. I think what he does with claymation and how he transcended into live-action movies, the parallels between them and [how] he seamlessly included it from matte painting to German Expressionism. I think he’s a fucking genius.”
A$AP Rocky and Winona Ryder in a punk rock crime spree? Sure, why not. The only thing more chaotic than this video is my therapist’s take on my life. Rockin’ the suburbs like he’s got a death wish and a cameo from Tim Burton? Bro, you’re not making an album, you’re making a Netflix series with zero plot. But hey, if you’re rich and insane, go ahead, I’ll be here judging you from my couch with a bag of chips and zero respect.
This is one of the worst songs ive ever heard in my life.
can’t complain the guy bagged rihanna
Why do you care who other men that you don’t know, have sex with? Weirdo
I want to get bagged by ASAP Rocky. Teabagged I mean.
I knew it was going to be bad. Who is this song for? Black people aren’t listening to this shit and white people aren’t going to listen to this shit. Don’t be dumb, release date, never.
holy shit didn’t asap rocky say this was his most personal album or some shit and clams casino on the track?? Its just a comedy you don’t take it so seriously but thats the thing from this brother wtf
Nah, screw all the hate. Song is enjoyable, video is fun, chaos is channeled. Always appreciate Rocky’s ability to be artistic and stretch outside the box- and still kill it.
Looking forward to the album
I agree.