NEWS
A$AP Rocky has finally released Don’t Be Dumb following years of build up and repeated delays. It is a project fans have been anticipating for a long time, and there is little question that Rocky came through with a fully realised body of work.
The response to the album has been divided so far, which was always likely. Much of the conversation online has been shaped by Rocky’s long running tension with Drake. Fans of Drizzy have reportedly organised themselves to criticise Don’t Be Dumb, and the reasoning behind that reaction is not hard to understand.
There are several moments on the album where Rocky appears to direct pointed remarks at Drake. Although he recently suggested that listeners should not overanalyse his lyrics, the hostility between the two artists still feels present and unresolved.
The earliest hint of Rocky’s frustration with Drake surfaces on the track “Stole Ya Flow,” which appears near the start of the album. On the song, he raps about stolen styles, cosmetic surgery rumours, and having his reputation dragged through the mud. The parallels are hard to ignore, especially when paired with references that many listeners link to Rihanna, making the verse feel particularly cutting.
"First you stole my flow, so I stole yo' btch / If you stole my style, I need at least like ten percent [...] Nas getting BBLs, lucky we don't body shame / Throwin' dirt on Rocky name, turn around and copy game [...] First you was my bro, py n**a switched / Turned into a opp, fck his block, he a btch"
Rocky continues down this path on “No Trespassing,” where he alludes to Drake’s relocation to Texas and frames it within a wider narrative of rivalry and distrust.
"Nas lookin' jealous, see it in his eyes Nas actin' desperate, you ain't gotta lie / I might move to Texas, roll 'round with protection, pull up to your section, hit 'em with the fire"
Later on “Playa,” Rocky shifts the focus to themes of fatherhood and stability. He boasts about raising his child and avoiding messy personal situations, topics that critics have frequently used when discussing Drake.
"Takin' care of your kids, boy, that's player sht / One btch, boy, that's player sht / No baby mama drama, no new friends, boy, that's player sht"
All signs point to lingering tension between the two artists, and it does not seem likely to disappear anytime soon. Whether Drake chooses to address the situation publicly or musically is still an open question.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
