Key Takeaways:
- A$AP Rocky will perform on the first “Saturday Night Live” episode of 2026, airing one day after his forthcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb, drops.
- The setlist may include a track from the highly anticipated project.
- Finn Wolfhard will host the episode, following the Season 5 finale of “Stranger Things” on Netflix.
January is shaping up to be an eventful month for A$AP Rocky. Over the weekend, “Saturday Night Live” announced the special guests for its first episode of 2026, with the Harlem rapper set to appear as a performer.
The episode will air on Jan. 17, 2026 — just one day after Don’t Be Dumb arrives — so chances are he’ll treat viewers to a performance from the project. Hosting the episode is “Stranger Things” actor Finn Wolfhard, whose appearance comes shortly after the Netflix series reaches its finale on Dec. 31.
“Yeah, Rocky is dropping that album,” someone enthusiastically wrote underneath the show’s announcement post. Another user added, “FINN AND ASAP ROCKY?? OMGG??” Take a look below.
So far, we know that Don’t Be Dumb will include 15 tracks on its standard version, plus two more on Side B. Pre-release singles like “HIGHJACK” with Jessica Pratt, “Ruby Rosary” featuring J. Cole, and “pray4dagang” could all appear on the final cut, though none have been officially confirmed yet. There may also be a Playboi Carti collaboration, judging by Rocky’s replies on Reddit.
“SORRY 4 THE WAIT, DON’T BE DUMB FINALLY HERE! THANKS, TIM BURTON, FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS MOVIE! COMING SOON,” Rocky wrote last Tuesday (Dec. 16) alongside the first of several covers. The father of three also hinted at a film or visual companion with Tim Burton involved, though he kept the details under wraps.
Don’t Be Dumb will be available on CD, vinyl, cassette and all major streaming platforms once Jan. 16 arrives. Ironically, that happens to be National Nothing Day, so we’ll see.
Since Season 51 premiered in October, “SNL” has welcomed a wide range of musical guests. Doja Cat opened the season, with Bad Bunny serving as host. After that, we’ve seen Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, Dijon, Cher and many more perform.