• Tim Burton designed the new cover art for A$AP Rocky’s long-delayed album Don’t Be Dumb.
• Rocky posted the artwork on Instagram calling the project a “movie” and promising a release soon.
• Composer Danny Elfman is said to have scored several songs on the record.
• Rocky has teased the Testing follow-up since 2022 and shared new singles and film work while fans waited.
Tim Burton lends his visual style to A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky surprised fans by sharing new cover art for his forthcoming album Don’t Be Dumb — and the artist behind the image is Tim Burton. Rocky posted the artwork to Instagram with an emphatic message: “SORRY 4 THE WAIT DON’T BE DUMB FINALLY HERE! THANKS TIM BURTON FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS MOVIE! COMING SOON.”
The post frames the album as a cinematic project and leans into Burton’s distinctive aesthetic, which Rocky has long admired. The reveal intensified speculation that the long-delayed follow-up to 2018’s Testing may be arriving imminently.
What Rocky has teased about the record
Rocky first revealed the current title in late 2022 and has periodically teased music and visuals since. He released tracks connected to projects like Spike Lee’s film Highest 2 Lowest, and shared singles including the Jessica Pratt–featured “Highjack” and a quirky video for “Taylor Swif,” filmed shortly before the 2022 escalation in Ukraine.
In a Vanity Fair video interview, Rocky said that Danny Elfman — a frequent Burton collaborator — “scored a bunch of the songs” on Don’t Be Dumb. That pairing adds an unusual dimension to a hip-hop record: Elfman’s cinematic composing background and Burton’s moody, expressionistic visuals suggest Rocky is building a concept that blurs music and film.
Release window and fan reaction
Rocky used the Instagram post to push fans toward a January 16 release date — a date he previously mentioned — calling it a final confirmation after years of delays. The message’s tone and the involvement of Burton and Elfman are meant to reassure listeners that the project is moving forward.
Fan reaction has been swift on social platforms, where the announcement circulated alongside the cover art and clips from Rocky’s interviews. You can view Rocky’s Instagram post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSWBU-KjHfW. Rocky’s X post teasing the date is here: https://x.com/asvpxrocky/status/2001352537421832470. The Vanity Fair interview mentioning Elfman is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZHBGu-ahi8.
Why this matters
A$AP Rocky’s collaboration with Tim Burton is notable for crossing cultural lines between contemporary rap and the visionary film world. With Danny Elfman reportedly contributing scores, Don’t Be Dumb may unfold as a hybrid audio-visual project — a development that will interest fans of experimental pop, film-minded music, and both collaborators’ established audiences.
For now, fans will be watching Rocky’s channels for confirmation and any further visuals or release details.
Image Referance: https://pitchfork.com/news/heres-the-album-cover-tim-burton-made-for-asap-rocky/