A$AP Rocky‘s Don’t Be Dumb finally appears to be around the corner — and it’s set to be a big-screen spectacle thanks to Tim Burton.
On Tuesday (December 16), the Harlem rapper revealed the artwork for his long-awaited fourth album which was designed by the legendary film director, best known for Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and the late ’80s/early ’90s Batman movies.
“SORRY 4 THE WAIT DON’T BE DUMB FINALLY HERE! THANKS TIM BURTON FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS MOVIE! COMING SOON,” Rocky wrote on social media.
The cover features several illustrations of Pretty Flacko in Burton’s distinctive style, as well as a giant “no” symbol with “Don’t Be Dumb” in the center. Burton’s name is even credited on the cover of the album.
It’s unclear if an actual Don’t Be Dumb movie is in the works or if Burton is simply directing the accompanying music videos.
A$AP Rocky has touched on Tim Burton’s involvement numerous times over the last year, telling Billboard in 2024: “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!’”
He also spoke about his admiration for the filmmaker in a sit-down with Vanity Fair earlier this 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.”
Rocky’s love for the director runs so deep that he has even recruited longtime Burton collaborator, composer Danny Elfman, to lend his musical talents to Don’t Be Dumb.
“Danny Elfman did my album with me, he scored a bunch of the songs,” he revealed to Vanity Fair. “We had [the TV] on mute and were just making music to all of the old fims, Pee-wee’s Playhouse and The Simpsons, all that.”
Other big names expected to contribute to the project include Metro Boomin, Tyler, The Creator, Busta Rhymes, The Alchemist and Morrisey.
A release date for Don’t Be Dumb has yet to be confirmed, but the album is rumored to arrive on January 16 after A$AP Rocky wore a shirt adorned with the numbers “01162026” during his headlining performance at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival last month.
