A$AP Rocky Abandons Planned Reddit AMA Ahead of Don’t Be Dumb Release
A$AP Rocky has abruptly scrapped plans to host a Reddit Ask Me Anything session ahead of the release of his long-awaited fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, after technical issues prevented moderators from approving his account in time.
The rapper made his frustration public on Monday in a now-deleted post within the Q&A thread. “WAS GON DO AMA, FUK IT NOW,” Rocky wrote. “YALL MODS ARE CLOWNS.”
Shortly after the post went live, moderators from the subreddit issued a public apology, taking responsibility for the mishap and explaining that the problem stemmed from internal approval errors rather than any action on Rocky’s part. According to the moderators, Rocky’s account was flagged by Reddit’s automated spam filters despite having been manually approved, preventing him from properly accessing the page.
“We messed up,” one moderator wrote in a follow-up message. “S*it got caught in the Reddit spam filter even though we approved your account. We sent you a mod invite so this doesn’t happen again.” The moderators also invited users to criticize their handling of the situation, adding that no one would be penalized for doing so.
The aborted AMA comes during a crucial moment in Rocky’s album rollout. Don’t Be Dumb, his first full-length project since 2018’s Testing, is set for release on Friday, marking the end of an unusually long gap between studio albums. In the years since , Rocky has remained culturally visible through fashion, high-profile collaborations, and appearances, but new solo music has arrived sporadically.
Earlier this month, Rocky released the album’s lead single, “Punk Rocky,” accompanied by a surreal music video featuring appearances from Winona Ryder, Thundercat, and Danny Elfman. The visual signaled a darker, more theatrical direction, which has continued with the release of a second single, “Helicopter,” whose video leaned further into chaotic imagery and narrative abstraction.
The album is a collaboration with filmmaker Tim Burton, who contributed to portions of the cover art and directed a companion film intended to accompany the record. Burton’s involvement has fueled expectations that Don’t Be Dumb will function as a broader visual and conceptual project rather than a traditional album rollout.
In recent interviews, Rocky has spoken candidly about why it took nearly eight years to release a follow-up to Testing. Speaking to Perfect magazine, he described a deliberate resistance to rushing material simply to maintain visibility. “That’s why I’m not so eager to just drop, drop, drop,” he said. “I don’t do things to stay relevant. I try to do natural, creative, ambitious things that actually satisfy me.”
While the failed Reddit AMA was intended to offer fans direct access ahead of the album’s release, its cancellation appears unlikely to derail momentum around the project. Still, the incident underscores the challenges of navigating informal digital spaces at a time when album releases are increasingly accompanied by real-time fan engagement.
