A$AP Rocky taps into abstract European art influences in a new visual for his forthcoming, highly-anticipated album Don’t Be Dumb. The video accompanies “Highjack,” the album’s first single.
“We coming with a whole new aesthetic on everything, especially with German expressionism and the whole ghetto futurism grim thing,” the Harlem rapper said in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “Shot a visual and yeah, this is part of the new saga,” he added.
The black-and-white “Highjack” music video features clips of trippy, dancing shadows, A$AP Rocky rapping from the top of prop buildings, and scenes that flip the perspective at every moment. The art-forward visual was directed by French director and photographer Thibaut Grevet — who photographed 21 Savage for the January cover of Rolling Stone — whose work often incorporates abstract shapes and shadows.
A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb was originally set to drop on August 30 but has moved to a fall release, according to Billboard. The album will be his fourth overall and first LP since the release of 2018’s TESTING. In that time, the rapper turned to ventures in fashion and focused on his growing family with Rihanna. In his recent cover story for Billboard, A$AP Rocky spoke about his musical hiatus, saying, “At this point, I’ve been working on music for six years, but they leak my music and I get over it and say, ‘Fuck it.’”
From Rolling Stone US
