A$AP Rocky on ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ Disc 2 and the State of Rap: “Technically I’m Somewhat Responsible”

Life is good for A$AP Rocky.

He's in a committed relationship with Rihanna, is a father of three, dropped a No. 1 album, Don't Be Dumb, at the top of the year, and recently wrapped up a sold-out world tour in support of said album.

It’s a lot. And even as there are signs the work has taken a toll—during our Zoom call, I can hear how hoarse his voice is—he isn’t slowing down. On Friday, he’s dropping a new song and video, “Shroom Clouds.” He’s also readying the deluxe edition of Don’t Be Dumb, with dates in Australia and New Zealand to close out the year. But when we talk, he’s reflective, even upbeat, about the 49-date world tour he just wrapped.

“[Tour] was intense. I'm so fucking thankful. I have no complaints. I don't give a damn if I was sick with the flu. I don't care if I had a toothache. I never missed a day, and I never would want to miss a day,” Rocky said. “It was amazing. Tour was fucking sensational. Sensationally, exceptionally phenomenal.”

Despite having just traveled the world, New York is still on Rocky's mind. When I mention what a beautiful fall day it is in New York City, he can't help but feel a little jealous. “Man, I'm tired of people telling me they're in NYC, man,” he said. “I'm jealous, yo. I'm homesick.”

We caught up with Rocky briefly to talk about the tour, the new music he has on the way, his relationship with Playboi Carti, his thoughts on AI, and more.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What was your favorite guest to bring out on tour?

Ice Spice, 50 [Cent] and DaBaby in Charlotte. Ice Spice had it turnt. That girl started going crazy, and then she came out in a mosh pit. That was fire. I brought her out because I feel like she was the next generation representing New York. So it was only right. I fuck with Ice Spice heavy.

You also brought out Tyler, the Creator in Paris, obviously. That was a pretty insane moment.

LA and Paris. That's my brother right there with his stupid ass.

How long have you guys been friends?

I would say 12 or 13 years.

What do you like about Tyler so much that you've been friends for so long?

He's an idiot. He's just fucking stupid, bro. What's not to like about the dude, man? He's a dumb ass.

He just reminds me of my dumb brother that I got that just makes gay jokes all day and just does stupid shit. Sarcastic, intelligent. That's my brother.

I mean, my boy be rapping his ass off and he take his artistry serious. That's my guy right there, man. That's really my brother.

Where are we at with Disc 2 for Don't Be Dumb?

We got a single dropping Friday, “Shroom Clouds.” And Disc 2 following up right after that.

Sorry for the wait. I just needed to get off this tour so I could, you know, concentrate, do things the right way. I know people will prefer for it to be right than before it to be rushed.

Just to give you details on like what to prepare and expect for Disc 2. It's mainly all of the songs from the alter egos—from the eight year hiatus that I just took.

So for instance, like “Babushka Boi,” that will be on Disc 2, because the Babushka Boi caricature is on the cover. You know, “Sundress,” that never lived on an album, that's on Disc 2. The “Grim Freestyle” that I've been doing at like fucking shows and stuff. “Hijack,” “Trunks,” all of these songs that was in like different movies, commercials, video games and all that shit. It's all going to live on Disc 2 with new revisions to it, new verses, and a couple of new singles that people probably never heard.

Would there be any other guest features or is this more of like a solo like Rocky tape for Disc 2?

It's like two guests, but that's about it.

What track are you most excited for the fans to hear from Disc 2?

I want them to hear it as a whole so that they can finally understand the completion of Don't Be Dumb.

I remember that you were teasing a lot of stuff with Metro Boomin. Where are you guys' songs at? He was supposed to be on Don't Be Dumb, but what happened?

Man, you gotta wait. See, that's the thing. I don't want to give too much away, but that's why Disc 2 needs to hurry up and come out so that all these next moves can make sense.

What is your take on AI in music?

It depends. I feel like when guys like Flexin’ Phoenix [Fenix Flexin], whatever his name is, and Tyga—I don’t know their process of how they make it, but I know when they made it, they caught a lot of backlash and shit like that.

Me, personally, I prefer to do things myself, practically. Say if there's a song that's already out from, say, Kanye [West’s] Graduation. Let's say “Good Morning,” you want to take Kanye's lyrics off, but you want the instrumental, not that you can't just find the instrumental online, but say it was hard to find the instrumental, what you could easily do is use AI to split the stems and take away his vocals so that you could actually rap on it.

AI has a lot of negative connotations. I don't think when it's used in certain ways that it's necessarily a right or wrong thing.

AI is supposed to be a tool in that sense. If somebody does a totally AI-generated song where all they did was prompt something, then I think that that's their thing. But who am I to say what's standard and what's not?

I'm just doing me out here and I'm doing my music practically—the right way. I'm really tapping with musicians, producers, beat makers, just to convey my sound and develop my sound.

What do you have to say about the Grammys for this year? What did you submit for them?

I submitted for a couple of categories. I mean, for Don't Be Dumb, it was just like, this is everything that I've been going through—my trials and tribulations. We're talking about songs like “SWAT TEAM” and “STOP SNITCHING” and all of this stuff. This is just me subliminally telling stories about what I've been going through in the past recent years and shit like that.

The world ends and all of these things that's happening just beyond North America, not to get too political and heavy. I think for me, I just put art first. I tapped in with one of the greatest artists of our generation and generations before us and after us, Tim Burton.

For me to kind of create a world out of German expressionism and ghetto futurism and call it ghetto expressionism and have Winona Ryder in videos and have Danny Elfman in videos and on SNL and composing music on my fucking album. It's just like we went the full way having him lending his world of just Czechoslovakia and stop motion and German expressionism. I studied this shit.

I'm a fan of it. I grew up on it. But not only that, that's my medium. That's what I'm doing. That's what I'm tapped into right now. And I'm making my own form of it. I think we did a great job at executing and conveying that message. It's still art first. And that's why it's so beautiful.

We did the characters. We did it raw. We could have claymation looking characters on the cover. I was like, nah, man. I want the sketches. I want this shit to still be raw because that's what hip hop represents. It's just still rawness.

You speak so highly of Don't Be Dumb and the aesthetic. Where do you think it ranks for you in your whole discography?

Number one at the moment, not to take away nothing from my classics, it's always going to be my classics, those are the first out. But I think sonically and I think visually and conceptually, it was the most thought out and executed in that way.

Are you worried about the future of hip hop?

No, not really. I just analyze it. I can't worry about something I have no control over. I just contribute what I can. So I can't really worry about what I have no control over.

My artist that I birthed is like the godfather of the new contemporary rage-vamp music. And he came from A$AP. He came from AWGE. He is still signed to AWGE. At the end of the day, if that's what hip hop is going and that's where it's going, then technically I'm somewhat responsible for whatever it is and whatever it turns into. So I'm more embraceful towards it, even if I don't get it, even if it's not for me.

If I wanted to listen to hip hop in a certain form, I could always go into my favorite artists' catalogs and go into that time capsule and enjoy it. That's why stuff like jazz is even prominent or just relevant today to me.

That's why Golden Era Hip Hop is Tribe Called Quest. All these guys, Kanye and Pharrell, all these guys in the R&B. We could just go into their catalogs if nobody's making something like that.

Shout out Teezo Touchdown. He's the guy pushing the bar. Myself, Tyler, Frank Ocean. It's just still people that's out there, Laila! Mos Def’s daughter. There's people that's still incredible artists that's still putting on for hip hop and R&B.

I know what's popularized more now is the rock star shit and all that other rage shit. But that's just another derivative of hip hop. So essentially, I'm not worried at all. I let nature take its course because no matter what, I'm the godfather of this shit.

What are your top three albums of the year?

Bruno Mars' album was lit, bro. Fuckin' Don Toliver album was fire. I fuck with J. Cole and Baby Keem, Ca$ino. The Fall Off and Ca$ino and Octane and Bruno Mars, [The Romantic].

So I just named everybody who I'm competing with in the Grammy categories because I'm a music lover first, bro. I'm a fan more than anything. It don't matter if I feel like everybody put me in high regards as the most confident, most swagged out.

I still give flowers where its due. And I enjoy music in that sense, you know?

We need you in the studio with Keem and Don.

I agree. I love those guys. I love Baby Keem, bro. I've been a fan since “Orange Soda.” And Don Toliver, he's crushing it right now. And it looks like he's having a great tour and a great moment with Octane. It's all in heavy rotation.