A$AP Rocky has revealed new cover art for his long-awaited fourth studio album Don’t Be Dumb, crediting filmmaker Tim Burton for the illustrated design and setting a release date of Jan. 16, 2026. Rocky shared the artwork on Instagram with a film-style pitch, writing, “SORRY 4 THE WAIT … THANKS TIM BURTON … COMING SOON,” framing the rollout like a movie campaign.
The cover leans into Burton’s recognizable character work, presenting multiple Rocky figures and a prominent “no” symbol wrapped around the title. Other details nod to Rocky’s recent visual iconography, including imagery that echoes the crash-dummy motif tied to his 2018 album Testing and a sketch linked by outlets to the hair rollers he wore during a recent public appearance.
Rocky has teased Don’t Be Dumb for years, first using the title publicly in late 2022, then feeding the rollout through singles and one-off moments while the project stayed unreleased. Reported tracks tied to the campaign include “Highjack” (featuring Jessica Pratt), “Ruby Rosary” (featuring J. Cole), and “Pray4DaGang” (featuring KayCyy).
In interviews this year, Rocky has also connected Burton’s orbit to the music itself. In a Vanity Fair video conversation, he said Burton’s longtime collaborator Danny Elfman “scored a bunch of the songs” for the album. That detail lands amid renewed public attention on Elfman’s legal disputes tied to sexual-harassment allegations, which he has denied; reporting has noted both prior settlement-related litigation and a separate sexual-assault lawsuit that was dismissed in 2024.
Rocky’s announcement drew quick support in his comments from Rihanna, who posted, “LETS GOOOO BABY,” as fans latched onto the Jan. 16 date—an end point, at least on paper, for one of rap’s longest-running album waits.
