Houston native and Travis Scott protégé Don Toliver released his first mixtape in 2018, which was largely overshadowed by Scott’s Astroworld (on which Don Toliver was featured). However, Toliver came back strong in 2019 with collaborative project from the Cactus Jack collective called Jackboys. After that, in 2020 he released his solo debut album titled Heaven or Hell which garnered much popularity on TikTok. However, Don Toliver’s unique voice and flow pin him as much more than a TikTok trend.

 

#1 – Heaven or Hell (2018)

Toliver’s first studio album saw widespread success for many of its tracks, despite only a couple of them going viral on TikTok. “After Party” and “No Idea” both quickly became trends on the app. However, Heaven or Hell has much more depth than these two hit tracks. “Cardigan” offers a punchy, 808 heavy, warped beat. Over this, Toliver delivers bars — about a lover — which at times have a hint of vibrato. Toliver’s unique voice is the finishing touch of the track, as well as carrying much of the project. The track “Can’t Feel My Legs” ascends and descends, as Don Toliver takes the listener on a drug and alcohol ridden journey. The relaxed “Company” compliments the many amped up tracks throughout the project. On “Company“, a zoned out beat varies between video game like noises to 808s. Lyrically, Don Toliver harkens back to both Travis’ “Hell of a Night” as well as Toliver’s own “Had Enough“. “No Photos” proves the perfect track to wrap up Heaven or Hell. This track encapsulates the album as a whole: a drowned out synth beat with hefty bass and quick hi hats, Don Toliver’s unique sound and impressive flow, with the song having its highs in which Toliver is more intense, and its lows where he exhibits his ability to calm things down and reset the build up. Heaven or Hell‘s commercial success demonstrates the artist’s progression and mastery of his sound.

 

#2 – Donny Womack (2018)

Donny Womack is the first collection of music by Don Toliver that was made available. As mentioned above, this project was caught up in the release of Astroworld. However, to be fair, its successor was much more deserving of the attention. The beats on Donny Womack are much more traditional, relying on keyboard and guitar melodies. “Diva” is a good example of this; the track has a relatively unexciting beat, but Toliver adds character with his voice and flow. “Backend” features a more interesting beat, but it still is not as good as anything on Heaven or Hell. Toliver exhibits his ability to deliver quickly on the track “Bang Bang“, spitting speedy bars about betrayal. “Around” — arguably the best track on the album — contains a relatively average beat, focusing on guitar strings but adding uniqueness with shakers. Don Toliver keeps a steady flow for much of the song, until about 1:45 into the song, when he unleashes a seriously impressive, choppy delivery of a short set of bars. Overall, Donny Womack is a good album, but not even close to Toliver’s best.

 

Notable Features/Collaborations 

 

“WHAT TO DO?” (feat. Don Toliver) – JACKBOYS & Travis Scott (2019)

Entering the track with the line “I woke up on the 17th / Drunk as hell, you tellin’ me”, Toliver proves a refreshing voice to hear on the JACKBOYS’ self-titled project. While Toliver only contributes one verse, it is hard-hitting. The spacey beat matches the Houston boy almost perfectly, as he is able to deliver both quick choppy lines and slower, hazy lyrics.

 

 

“Cafeteria” (feat. Gunna) – CHASE B & Don Toliver (2020)

On “Cafeteria“, Toliver teams up with Travis Scott producer CHASE B and household name Gunna. Don Toliver provides the hook for this song, rapping about his exotic life, symbolized by the Japanese restaurant, Nobu. Again, Toliver offers both quick bars and spaced out, choppy lines. Gunna offers a nice compliment, cruising over the beat with a wavy flow.

 

 

“Lemonade” (feat. Don Toliver & NAV) – Internet Money and Gunna (2020)

Once again Don Toliver dominates TikTok with the viral track “Lemonade“. While it is attributed to the producer Internet Money and Gunna, it is Toliver who carries the song and delivers the memorable “Off the juice, codeine got me trippin'”. Don Toliver’s identifiable voice and passionate delivery propelled this song to success both on the charts and on one of the internet’s most popular sites.