A$AP Rocky recently claimed that his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Don't Be Dumb, is "never dropping." On November 3, 2025, the Harlem rapper received the Fashion Icon Award at the 2025 CFDA Awards in New York City, where he was spotted on the red carpet with his partner Rihanna. This marked the Umbrella singer's first public appearance since the birth of her third child with Rocky, a daughter named Rocki Irish Mayers.Following the event, fashion page The People Gallery took to its Instagram account to post a video of A$AP Rocky holding his award. In the video, the rapper was asked about his long-awaited album release, to which he responded:"Don't Be Dumb... never dropping."This declaration from A$AP Rocky was met with varied responses from fans on X, with one user claiming the rapper had "officially retired.""He’s officially retired."luka troncic @BowlCutBabyTronLINK@Kurrco He’s officially retiredSeveral fans seemed frustrated by A$AP Rocky taking years to release his album after teasing it.🇩🇴 @papilajaraLINK@Kurrco Bro been teasing the album for like 3 years. We don’t carecapo @hiphopscapoLINK@Kurrco Cuz his singles flopped he KNOW better not to dropDC @livelongdcLINK@Kurrco Bro, even me, as a Rocky fan since 2011 I think that at this point the situation is just cringy and unnecessary, he promised us this s**t for almost 7 years and listen to him, a grown a** man doing this type of things is simply ridiculousM🍽️SLEY @MosIIeyLINK@Kurrco Rocky think we playing about this music s**t bruh😂😂😂take his vocal chords he clearly don’t need emMeanwhile, others wondered whether the album being titled "Don't Be Dumb" was an indication that it would never be released.THEWXXDS @thewxxdsLINK@Kurrco Guys I think I understand He’s saying don’t be dumb Cuz like why would he drop He’s telling us the audience to not be dumb Yet somehow we like he’s. Gonna dropDre.noirson @DshangoResLINK@Kurrco He just doing this to keep his name in circulation now, the title “don’t be dumb” is really for us to learn from on this rollout, “don’t be dumb the album is never coming ,” Makes sense to me atp 🤷🏾‍♂️😒Nefer Sheva @ShevaAlpha2002LINK@Kurrco No wonder the upcoming Rocky album is called DON'T BE DUMB.🐐 @resinbeatzLINK@Kurrco i mean it was called Don't Be DumbA$AP Rocky said he was “a bit foolish” to announce a release date for Don't Be DumbAccording to Rolling Stone, A$AP Rocky began teasing Don't Be Dumb in 2022, revealing the album's title that December while performing at 2 Chainz’s Amazon Music Live concert. Since then, he had been performing singles from the upcoming album, including Tailor Swif and Highjack, at various music festivals.Don't Be Dumb was initially slated for release on August 30, 2024. However, on August 22, Rocky took to X to announce a postponement, citing leaks and clearance issues.“LEAKS & SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM. ITS BEEN 6 YEARS & I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT," he wrote in a post at the time.In December 2024, fans who pre-ordered his album were issued refunds and told to wait for an early 2025 release. In February 2025, A$AP Rocky was acquitted of his felony assault trial, which stemmed from A$AP Relli claiming that Rocky shot him during an altercation in 2021. THUGGERDAILY ひ @ThuggerDailyLINKNOT GUILTY A$AP ROCKY HAS BEAT HIS CASE AFTER THE JURY FINDS HIM NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGESTHE COURTROOM ERUPTED INTO CELEBRATION AS A$AP ROCKY JUMPS INTO THE THE GALLERY TO HUG RIHANNADays after the acquittal, Rocky told GQ Magazine that Don't Be Dumb was completed, adding that he wanted to give his fans "what I’ve been promising them for a long-a** f**king time.” In a May 2025 interview with Variety, he revealed that the album represented who he was as a person now, adding: "This f**king album, it represents who I am right now. It’s just I hope that it’s digestible...It’s odd because as I get older, I’m more conscious about how I view myself. Describing my life sounds very braggadocious, and I want to figure out how to say it to where it feels more humble, relatable, and sincere, as opposed to just s**tting on the next person or making the next person feel down, or just evoking negative s**t out of people.”During a September interview with Elle, A$AP Rocky seemed irate at the notion that he was not invested in his rap career, adding that it was "sacred" and he treated it with "way more spirituality." He also suggested that the album delay was partly due to his growing family. For context, Rocky and Rihanna had welcomed their third child that September, and already have two sons, RZA and Riot.Rihanna with sons Riot and RZA at the Los Angeles premiere of Smurfs (Image via Getty)Additionally, A$AP Rocky said he was "a bit foolish" to announce a release date for Don't Be Dumb when he sat down for an interview with Numéro in October, adding that he would prefer to "let the music speak for itself" instead of talking about release dates.“To be honest, I don’t want to talk about release dates anymore. I’d rather let the music speak for itself. One day, you’ll wake up and see what’s coming up. I was a bit foolish giving dates last time... Today, I want to make it clear. You’ll just have to wait and enjoy the record when [it comes] out,” he said.In other news, A$AP Rocky gushed about being a girl dad, calling it "amazing" and saying that he was "glowing" during a press interview with ExtraTV on the 2025 CFDA Awards red carpet.