A$AP Rocky Talks Disc 2 of ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ and Grammy Season: ‘I Got to Take Something Home, Man’

A$AP Rocky, seen lately on flame-lit arena stages holding a megaphone as a mic, is speaking a little more quietly than usual. “I was going dummy,” A$AP Rocky says with a strained voice, crediting his vocal ailment to hyping up a crowd in Athens on his final Don’t Be Dumb tour stop in Europe a couple days earlier.

The Harlem rapper chose 2026, after a few teases and false starts, to end an eight-year gap in his discography. He released the chart-topping Don’t Be Dumb in January, and ever since, it felt like Pretty Flacko was everywhere all at once: awards shows, Chanel fashion shows, his own 6,000-plus-attendee AWGE fashion show, magazine covers, and in the streets of Manhattan (security detail be damned) telling the world that he, himself, is a New York Knick .

Calling from Paris, admittedly a bit homesick after all of the traveling, A$AP Rocky gives Rolling Stone his progress report for the year, talking about his record-breaking fashion show, why he’s dyed his hair red, and inviting Riot, his three-year-old son with Rihanna , onstage in Copenhagen. He says he’s gearing up for a mysterious “next chapter” and one more Don’t Be Dumb tour leg across Australia and New Zealand in December. “We gonna go dumb again. That’s the name of that tour,” he says. “I wish I could have hit South America and Africa, but that’s gonna have to be next.” And he teases Disc 2 , an upcoming project he calls “an extension” of Don’t Be Dumb .

Your arena tour has hit nearly 50 dates across several countries. How’s it been? It is a blessing. When I tell you the demographics, it just varies from 11-year-olds to people in their late sixties. I’ve even met people in their early seventies. All in attendance. You know, people bringing little siblings, TikTok users bringing older siblings. I met and connected with a lot of communities, and to be just reconnected with my fanbase and new people, new faces, it was just a blessing, yo.

You told me you’re homesick, but I just read that you announced more dates for December. You know, third time’s a charm. We’re gonna go dumb again. I got to. It’s gonna be so great. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Something I noticed is that you changed your hair color a little bit. What was the decision to go red? That’s for the next chapter.

Next chapter like Disc 2 ? Nah, Disc 2 is coming out now. I’m dropping something on Friday, and Disc 2 is just about to drop — that’s just an extension of Don’t Be Dumb . The next chapter is, you know, I don’t really want to get too far ahead of myself, but the inspiration behind it was Denzel and Spike Lee, you know, Malcolm X. I’m ready to go redhead on them, go stupid, you know.

So, a little “Detroit red” energy for whatever is next? [ Laughs. ] Getcho ass out of Harlem!

I’m actually from Memphis, so I have to ask if you’ll have the hometown producer Hitkidd (who produced Don’t Be Dumb ’s “Stop Snitchin’”) on Disc 2 ? Of course, you know that, though. It’s Hitkidd on Disc 2, its Hitkidd on the new chapters.