A$AP Rocky Reveals 'DON'T BE DUMB' Updates

Drake is officially the first artist across all genres to surpass 110 billion streams on Spotify. In other news: 

• Billboard Hot 100 📈 

• A$AP Rocky wants to finally drop the album 💿️ 

• Snoop Dogg is tired of dealing with Spotify 💸

• Industry Insights 🔎 

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Billboard Hot 100

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking for this week. The Hot 100 ranks songs based on streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

“Luther,” the collaboration from Kendrick Lamar and SZA, continues to own the number one spot as K. Dot’s Grammy-winning track “Not Like Us” makes its way down the chart. Meanwhile, Drake’s “NOKIA” is also losing momentum and has fallen out of the top ten.

The DON’T BE DUMB Wait Might Finally Be Over

A$AP Rocky’s life has been moving at full speed. On February 18, he secured a not-guilty verdict in the trial stemming from a 2021 altercation with former friend and A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli. From there, the wins kept coming—Rocky was announced as the first-ever creative director for Ray-Ban and landed a role in an upcoming Spike Lee film.

Despite all the career moves, fans are focused on one thing: DON'T BE DUMB. The long-awaited album has been teased for years, but Rocky finally has some answers.

We need the new album A$AP

In his first interview since the trial, Rocky sat down with GQ during Milan Fashion Week to discuss his new role at Ray-Ban. His vision for the brand includes remixing classic designs with a futuristic touch, including “a pair of wraparounds that glowed bright orange under an overhead UV light.”

But, of course, the conversation turned to music. When asked about DON'T BE DUMB, Rocky gave a refreshingly honest update, acknowledging his fans’ frustrations. 

“The project is in the mixing and mastering realm of it, but I think quite frankly, people are tired of hearing about updates about the album,” he admitted. “They just ready to get this shit … I don’t think anybody wants to hear where I’m at with it, how far along it is, and all that. They just want to hear some shit to see where I’m at. And I promise I got some new shit in store.”

For those fearing yet another delay—don’t worry. Rocky confirmed in the interview that the album is done.

“I don’t want to keep saying what I’m going to do. I want to give people what I’ve been promising them for a long-ass f****** time,” he said.

With everything going on in his life and career, Rocky is grateful for the moment.

"I feel blessed. I feel so lucky to even be here talking to you in Milan at a launch for my Ray-Ban creative directorship. Honestly, I do, man. You know, feeling like there was a chance that your freedom would be taken away from you, and then like a week later to be launching your creative direction announcement in Milan, Italy. I have a big duty and big responsibility…" he stated. 

Fans have been waiting for Rocky to return to his music bag for what feels like forever. But if his words hold true, 2025 is shaping up to be the year he finally delivers—across industries.

Snoop Dogg Wants His Spotify Checks

Snoop Dogg has been dropping hits for decades, with his music available on platforms like YouTube and Spotify to set the vibe anywhere—for now. Despite boasting nearly 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the rap icon is making a major shift. 

He’s teaming up with Tune.FM, a Web3 streaming platform powered by blockchain technology, to move his catalog—including material from his Death Row Records days—exclusively to their site.

Snoop wants more control 

The announcement comes alongside his new single, “Spaceship Party,” released on February 28. This move follows Snoop’s criticism of Spotify’s payment structure just three months ago.

Speaking on the Business Untitled podcast last December, Snoop revealed he earned less than $45,000 despite accumulating over one billion streams on the platform.

“They just sent me some shit from Spotify where I got a billion streams. My publisher hit me. I said, ‘Break that down, how much money is that?’ That shit wasn’t even $45,000,” he said. 

Tune.FM, however, offers a different approach. The platform provides instant per-second payouts and uses JAM—their official cryptocurrency built on the Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR) network—to ensure artists receive fair and timely compensation.

Spotify responded to Snoop’s claims in a statement to TMZ Hip Hop on February 27, pushing back on the payout figures.

“We can’t speak to endorsement deals for Web3 companies, but… $45K for a billion streams? It’s well documented that a billion streams on Spotify generates millions of dollars for rights holders. It’s unfortunate to hear that Spotify’s payments didn’t make it through to Snoop. Snoop’s a legend, and hopefully, now that he owns Death Row Records, he’s seeing more of that money.”

According to a spokesperson for Snoop, his music is still available on digital streaming platforms, but that won’t be the case for much longer.

Beyond just streaming, Snoop’s partnership with Tune.FM will include “fan experiences, VIP giveaways, exclusive events, and merchandise drops.” The rapper is making power moves—and this time, he’s making sure he gets the payout he deserves.

• Notorious B.I.G. is involved in a big sale. The rapper’s catalog is reportedly close to being acquired by the company Primary Wave for potentially up to $150 million USD. 

• Lil Yachty is stepping into the beverage world. He officially launched his own tequila seltzer called Yacht Water on February 27th. 

• Usher has a very important gig coming up. He will deliver the commencement speech at Emory University's 2025 Graduation Ceremony and will also receive an “honorary doctor of humane letters degree.” 

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