Don't Be Dumb

A1 Print.

This piece was created in collaboration with Sony to celebrate and promote A$AP Rocky's album, Don't Be Dumb.

Rather than recreating the album artwork, I wanted to reinterpret it through my own visual language. Drawing inspiration from both the official imagery and the dark, whimsical world of Tim Burton, I merged the two aesthetics into something that felt uniquely my own. The result echoes what A$AP Rocky has described as "ghetto futurism", a collision of high fashion, street culture, surrealism, and imagination.

As a longtime A$AP Rocky fan, authenticity was important to me. The work is layered with references to New York City, the place that shaped both the artist and his identity. From the unmistakable yellow taxi to nods to the New York Knicks, these details pay tribute to Harlem, Manhattan, where Rocky was born and where much of his creative DNA was formed.

For me, the piece is less of a portrait and more of a love letter to the world that influenced him. A city where grit and creativity coexist, and where style has always been a language of its own.

I even reached out to see if he'd like the original, offering to hand-deliver it in New York. I'm still waiting on the reply... but if nothing else, it gave me a good excuse to imagine the trip.