The beginning of each year can often feel a bit stagnant for new albums with many artists waiting until the Spring or Summer to release their work to the public, especially in genres based around youthful party cultures such as hip-hop. With how crazy the world feels in 2026 however, there isn’t a better time to completely subvert audience expectations and act as a trailblazer within your genre. The world needs art more than ever, and it’s needed as soon as possible. Thankfully, we have two very unexpected hip-hop releases to kick off the year with A$AP Rocky and Sleaford Mods blessing us with two albums full of unpredictable excitement just when we need it the most.
A$AP Rocky: Don’t Be Dumb (released January 16, 2025): AWGE, A$AP Worldwide, RCA Records
Hip-hop is almost completely unrecognizable from the 2010’s when A$AP Rocky first rose to prominence. At the time, it was almost hard to keep up with new releases every month from both veteran rappers and brand new artists seemingly coming out of nowhere. In 2025 however; this is nowhere near the case considering the major gap between Gen Z’s Soundcloud generation and the DatPiff mixtape culture that came before it. Nowadays we are lucky to even just see a couple of hip-hop albums released every year that grab the public attention, let alone kicking off a new year with an unexpected major drop that has been in the making for almost eight years now.
related: Camp Flog Gnaw 2015 – Beats, Beef, And Building Your Brand
A$AP Rocky’s discography speaks for itself, easily being one of the most consistently great rappers from the last generation of younger millennial hip-hop. One of the major reasons for this is how scarcely he releases new albums, only releasing 4 full lengths within the decade and a half he’s been active. It’s a massive deal when an A$AP Rocky release comes out, but unfortunately his last release Testing in 2018 didn’t grab the public’s attention like his other albums before it had. Its lukewarm reception really added pressure to how amazing this next record needed to be; Was A$AP’s eight year gap a declaration of spiritual retirement, or was he taking his time to surprise us with a completely unexpected masterpiece?
related: ASAP Mob Show in Hollywood Comes Close To Riot In The Streets
Being surprised with something completely unexpected would be an understatement here, with A$AP Rocky delivering one of the most unique and forward thinking hip-hop releases in recent memory. Not even just within hip-hop; this album Don’t Be Dumb really goes out of its way to throw you for a loop at every turn, with A$AP was throwing us off the trail throughout its promotion as well. From teased songs like 2024’s standalone single “Tailor Swif” featuring an incredibly surreal music video to the random announcement of Don’t Be Dumb’s release only one month ago (exactly), A$AP did not want the public to have any idea of what this album was about to be like.
It’s easy to see his reasons for secrecy considering how wildly bizarre everything surrounding this release is. Tim Burton designed the album artwork, Danny Elfman has moments of production throughout the entire album, the first music video “Punk Rocky” being even more surreal than his previous and featuring Winona Ryder; I don’t think there’s a single person on Earth who could have guessed that A$AP’s newest album would be headed in this direction. Considering how predictable and stagnant the current state of hip-hop is in 2026 and the recent obsession with goth aesthetics on social media, I don’t think he could have picked a more enticing way to subvert our expectations here. And again; “subverting our expectations” is a massive understatement.
Don’t Be Dumb is such a dramatically theatrical work of art that reviewing it piece by piece would be inappropriate, as I feel I would be “leaking spoilers” like it actually is a new Tim Burton film. It essentially could be considered a new Tim Burton project, as that spirit can be felt throughout the entire album in the Danny Elfman produced skits, having moments of completely unexpected Nightmare Before Christmas-esque moments of gothic cinematic intensity. It’s absolutely unhinged and unpredictable, but the intensely operatic aesthetics of Elfman and Burton couldn’t blend with Rocky’s brand of darker chopped-and-screwed influence more elegantly.
related: Lyrical Assassin – Pusha T’s “It’s Almost Dry” Tour Hits The Novo
Most albums that try too hard to be theatrical will open with a track or skit that explicitly lays out what the experience is going to be like (ie. Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), but A$AP Rocky doesn’t want to dumb things down or explain his vision to you directly. The cinematic elements of the album can just be felt throughout in its production and in the moments where Don’t Be Dumb breaks away from Rocky’s flow. At its core, this is still an A$AP Rocky album; not an album by Tim Burton, or Danny Elfman, or anyone else featured here. The way the album opens with the tracks “ORDER OF PROTECTION” and the room-destroying bass heavy “HELICOPTER” is almost a declaration of this; Rocky commands both tracks with the dreamlike, ridiculously laid back flow that he’s known for. He doesn’t want anything distracting the listener from the focus being on him, at least not yet.
The skit “Interrogation” is our first hint that Don’t Be Dumb might not be the standard affair for A$AP as Rocky aggressively confronts his skeptics through a megaphone as free jazz plays in the background. It may just be a skit, but its avant-garde rage isn’t something you hear in most hip-hop releases. The darker and more intense energy continues throughout the next track “STOLE YA FLOW” with its incredibly industrial sounding production reminiscent of Death Grips or Kanye’s Yeezus. Most importantly, the more dramatic gothic themes really pick up towards the end of the song; Danny Elfman takes over with a background of ominous sounding opera of haunting singing as Rocky returns to berate his non-believers over the megaphone. This will be a recurring element of the album and like I said, this is still an A$AP Rocky album. These moments are meant to enhance his voice rather than distract from it, with these Danny Elfman moments really commanding your attention; but with how interesting and unpredictable this album is, your mind is unlikely to wander away from it anyways.
related: I’m In An Abusive Relationship With Death Grips
A$AP takes the next couple of tracks to return to the more minimalist nature of his debut Live.Love.A$AP mixtape as all of the emphasis is focused on how smooth his flow is. The heavy, industrial production of tracks like “PLAYA” and “NO TRESPASSING” contrasts with Rocky’s signature laid back flow to create the perfect soundtrack for a party atmosphere. Each track keeps getting heavier and more intense before peaking at the incredibly Death Grips-esque “STFU” that could almost be played at a Sex Cells party with how grime-y and filled with noise Rocky’s vocals are. The album’s about to switch gears a bit from its throwback hip-hop nature and he’s making this incredibly clear to the listener. However, it might not be switching gears in the direction you’d expect.
related: A Comprehensive Guide To Glowing On – Turnstile at Garden Amp and OPAC
“Punk Rocky” was the lead single of the album, released only one week ago through a completely surreal, twisted music video featuring both Winona Ryder and Danny Elfman. While the previous track “STFU” might sound more punk rock on its surface with the noise-y aggression that Rocky performs with, “Punk Rocky” better represents the youth’s interpretation of the scene in modern day. It almost resembles the hazy dream-pop melodies of a newer Turnstile song (Underwater Boy, Moon). Naming a more mellow track “Punk Rocky” just shows that Rocky’s definitely honed in on the trends of the current punk scene; popular hardcore punk bands like Turnstile, Drain and Scowl are becoming more and more unpredictable with their explorations into these outside genres, and that bold exploration is the type of mindset that A$AP Rocky is clearly trying to embody on this album.
related: Tyler’s Camp Flog Gnaw 10 Year Intersects w/ Chromakopia Number 1
The Final Act of the album ends with a block of the most Burton and Elfman influenced songs of the whole experience, really kicking off the more theatrical energy with “ROBBERS” featuring Doechii. The track really comes out of left field, being a jazzy cabaret piece almost resembling Tom Waits with how freeform and unconventional it is. Rocky’s smooth flow really thrives in this setting, and Doechii’s personality really adds to the track; the spoken word segments of her songs often come off as a bit exhausting with how hard she tries to be theatrical, but it works incredibly well here given the nature of this whole experience. This song sounds nothing like Rocky has ever released before it, and the whole aesthetic surrounding it feels like you’re hearing the song performed live in the claymation skeleton-filled bar of a Tim Burton movie. We all know A$AP Rocky is seasoned in chopped-and-screwed party hip-hop, but this song shows a more Gil-Scot Heron side to his flow that we’ve never seen before. He really can pull any genre off, and this whole album is a declaration of that.
The album ends very intentionally with a dramatic close, as “THE END” feels like it would be the song used in a trailer to an apocalyptic Tim Burton film, with the haunting repetition of “This is the way the world ends” sung by a children’s choir throughout. The lyrics further build on top of this ominous, bleak production with Rocky getting a bit more political than he usually does, mainly to emphasize the hopelessness felt in America right now. Most of the societal issues that he comments on here feel as if they are completely out of our control, such as global warming and school shootings. The slow, void-like production of this song combined with his more serious lyrical tone really leaves you feeling unsettled as the album ends with the softer plucking of an acoustic guitar that slowly fades into nothing. From the more industrial nature of the album to the incorporation of gothic Burton aesthetics and punk ethos, Rocky does seem like he believes we are headed towards an apocalyptic ending. All we can do is rage in the meantime, as he’s done throughout this entire experience.
An ingenious part of Don’t Be Dumb’s structure, which I have never seen any musician implement before, is to include a “Disc 2” with the bonus tracks that don’t fit into the album’s cohesive flow but still match its overall energy. Most great albums exist within a tight, interconnected structure with a definitive beginning and end, and the autoplay nature of bonus tracks can really take away from the magnitude of the finale track. The 2-disc system he’s created here allows the album to end with the very intentional finale “The End” without any distractions. The bonus tracks here are amazing, however, and A$AP obviously knew they couldn’t be left out of being connected to this album. The track “SWAT TEAM” has a booming bass throughout that will shake the room enough for your bookshelves to fall over, along with a repetitive ear-piercing violin that makes you feel as if you’re watching the most intense scene of a graphic horror film. The real gem on Disc 2 is “FISH N STEAK (WHAT IT IS)” with Tyler The Creator, however. The unconventional nature of Tyler’s other material fits in perfectly with this album’s tone; even if it didn’t fit into the main album, the release would feel incomplete without these “bonus tracks” or Disc 2.
related: Hip Hop Oasis – Day N Vegas 2019
A$AP Rocky couldn’t have subverted our expectations more on this newest release, creating one of the most theatrical and genre-bending hip-hop albums in recent memory. Whether you’re a fan of hip-hop, goth music, hardcore punk, film scores, or even just artistically theatrical music at all; there’s something for you here. While the wait for Don’t Be Dumb has seemed like an eternity and this doesn’t feel like a traditional A$AP album, he’s crafted an experience that really goes out of its way to surprise you at every turn. In the current music landscape where so many artists are playing it safe by sticking to their fans’ expectations, we need an A$AP Rocky to shake things up and inspire out-of-the-box thinking for the younger generations of musicians finding their vision.
Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X (released January 16, 2025): Rough Trade Records
Janky Smooth was there the first time Sleaford Mods performed in the United States, with a headlining show at the Echoplex in 2017 with Terminal A supporting. Back then, it was such an avant-garde outsider form of post punk, it felt fresh to the ear and body and generated so much well-deserved hype among fans chanting, “Sleaford Mods, Sleaford Mods, Sleaford Sleaford Sleaford Mods.” The singer, Jason Williamson, had such a strange, off-beat, Misfit performance style that people had to categorize the music as some form of punk simply because it did not fit anywhere else besides spoken word. Meanwhile, the instrumentalist responsible for the group’s infectious beats and vibe, Andrew Fearn, just hangs in the back, drinking beers one by one, real casual. Williamson describes the Sleaford Mods genre as electronic munt minimalist punk-hop rants for the working class, and that description vibes with their sound just as much as their onstage antics.
Since then, culture has met up with the once avant-garde group and made them a British institution. The American working class may have moved on, perceiving Sleaford Mods as too fashionable for their weirdo sensibilities, but have they still stayed true to their original authenticity and essence?
related: Sleaford Mods Hit The Echoplex On Last Date Of First Ever U.S. Tour
The album I saw them performing at Echoplex was English Tapes. Nearly a decade later, their newest release The Demise of Planet X should display some amount of evolution. Listening to the song “The Good Life,” the first on the album, I immediately started feeling the same energy I remember from 2017. There is a fresh melodic vocal beneath the usual slam poetry that brings a fresh new flavor, then a cameo from Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones, which I probably would not have approved of on paper, but here it gels with the song as outsider art by the insiders.
This should spark an interesting conversation. Once art from the weirdos becomes so popular that the normies embrace it, do the artists retain their weirdness? In the case of Sleaford Mods, they make anyone that touches them weird in all the best ways. And by weird: I simply mean cool, original, new, interesting, catchy, and memorable.
“Double Diamond” slows things down in a cool Pink Panther sort of swagger. As opposed to the last Dry Cleaning album I reviewed that dances around the same spoken word over post punk formula, Sleaford Mods execute and punctuate every verse with vocal mojo that illustrates a whole movie in your mind’s eye that the song is running under.
“Elitest G.O.A.T.” featuring New Zealand and 4AD’s very own singer songwriter Aldous Harding, picks up the pace with a kinetic beat and playful vocal by Ms. Harding. Balancing the grit of Williamson’s rhymes with her soft, pretty singing, Harding brings out a new dimension in the duo’s sound.
The lyrics tell the story of how life is improved by playing it low key:
And now my life is much better
Since I behaved in a way that never
And now my life is much better
Since I behaved in a way that never
Raises suspicion
Instead of being showy, blend in, and not by trying… because there’s nothing cooler than someone who doesn’t try.
related: Photo Recap – Sleaford Mods at Teragram Ballroom
“Megaton” is a raucous headbobbing jive bomb. I am starting to think the only way to review a Sleaford Mods album is as poetry rather than as music. This is a war song, or rather an anti-war song, fixating on the megaton bombs one might expect to fall upon the heads of civilians in a war zone, as is common practice in 2026.
“No Touch” featuring Sue Tompkins is as smooth as silk, as cool as a track gets. The meaning of this one eludes me. I imagine it is a scene for a courtship between a guy and a girl, both playing it coy. I appreciate not having it spelled out for me, though. Sleaford Mods are practicing their music as they preach in their music and keeping it low key.
Titling a song about one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, “Bad Santa.” With no clear narrative or thematic through line in the lyrics, I think this is the purest poetry on the album. Working out the way words sound and the way the images those sounds conjure up feel resting on your mind.
“The Demise of Planet X” is slick. A barrage of lyrics shot at the listener like tommy-gun fire. Depicting all kinds of debaucherous scenes, whether it be sex behind a boat or grave soil vibrating to cemetery jams that disturb the sleeping bastards, this track makes you feel like the whole album is meant to be the score for a Danny Boyle movie, or perhaps it is the story treatment.
related: Anarchy’s Monarch – Scarlxrd at The Roxy
“Don Draper,” the character played by an actor who is the subject of memes ranging in scope from euphoric sensual detachment to experiencing utter agony and horror, is the title of the next Sleaford Mods track. A track that puts some bounce in your step, this beat provides Williamson the platform to sound off, throwing rhymes in a chain of poetic fire that could go on forever and keep you listening attentively. You might not understand what he is getting at, but you still somehow feel him all the way on it.
“Gina Was” begins with true spoken word, no beat. Then it transitions into true Sleaford Mods, beat and bounce and rhymes that effortlessly roll off the tongue and into your ear and then through your body to your feet. Sleaford Mods is music you feel in your shoulders, your hips, your hair and eyeballs. It is as if Williamson has the magic to make his words a spell that reanimates every overstimulated cell and boring fiber in your body.
related: Gang Of Four at The Fonda – The End of The Long Goodbye Tour
“Shoving the Images” has the most dynamic beat on the album, and it is paired with the most dynamic rapping style as well. You do not know how to dance to a track with this tempo, but you still try. This song is about how fake social media is and how fake it can make you if you obsess over it to the point that you think what you see on your phone is somehow relevant to the people those images are attached to in your mind.
“Flood the Zone” has a psychedelic beat and chill lyrics dispensed with a laidback power. Getting overtly political here, Williamson calls out the American right wing:
Much hasn’t come in the way of good shit
Whoever’s on the tightrope is gonna fall off it
Much hasn’t come in the way of good shit
Now MAGA’s on the tightrope, MAGA’s off their tits
MAGA’s off their tits
I figure what Williamson is getting at is how much of a flop the MAGA movement is, just as anyone could have expected it to be. Lamenting all the bad shit dispensed by a culture neck deep in cringe everywhere, Williamson thinks we could be doing much better for ourselves.
related: Danny Brown And Friends at The Bellwether – HyperRap Revolution
“Kill List” featuring Snowy, is a weirdo laundry list of enemies to snuff, backed by cool vibey beats that take the listener off-kilter and leave a lasting impression.
Finishing off The Demise of Planet X with “The Unwrap,” I contemplate through this chill beat and meditative street rhythm how I was prepared to hate this album and reject it after an initial listen to the first song, then came to love it upon hearing more and more. Sleaford Mods did certainly evolve. They evolved the way the United Kingdom listens to music and vibes with their art in a small way. Across the pond in America, we think of them as these surly working class punk hoppers that made it out of the muck and carved out a niche all their own. The Demise of Planet X is a poetic heavyweight, a post punk juggernaut, and an art rock romp, cementing Sleaford Mods’ musical relevancy into the new age. With so many valuable insights to share about how to be real, there has never been a greater need for Sleaford Mods than now.
A$AP Rocky review by Danny Ryan
Sleaford Mods review by Rob Shepyer
