Don Toliver In 5 Songs: Getting To Know The Houston Rapper With Vocal Range
In just a few years, Houston rapper Don Toliver has crafted one of the most distinguishable sounds in hip hop.
With features from Nas (“Replace Me), and Justin Bieber (“Don’t Go”) to Rico Nasty (“Don’t Like Me”) and Masego (“Mystery Lady”), his patented high-pitch voice is unlike all the other melodic rappers in the game, making the 27-year- old one of the most in-demand acts
Although Toliver’s first digital release was his 2017 mixtape, Playa Familia, Travis Scott's “Can't Stay” record off of his 2018 masterpiece, Astroworld, brought his name to an international audience.
After signing to Cactus Jack Records in 2018, the Travis Scott protégé would go on to release his debut mixtape, Donny Womack, work on the collaborative label project, Jack Boys, in 2019, before dropping his critically acclaimed mixtape Heaven or Hell in 2020.
Yet, with three, going on four, “official” mixtapes out — L.O.A.D (Life of a Don) is expected to drop this year — Toliver is still arriving and largely unknown.
With the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards around the corner, here’s a look at five of the Houston rapper’s songs to acclimate with his artistry and his relevance in the game today.
'Drugs N Hella Melodies'
Don Toliver’s newest single, “Drugs N Hella Melodies” both sonically and visually peeks into where Toliver may be headed for his album, L.O.A.D.
The record shows Toliver and Kali Uchis sharing a luxurious bubble bath in a mansion on some Mafia boss vibes. Don not only offers the vocals we’ve come to know him for but shows just how diverse he is as an artist in terms of who he can work with.
'Diamonds'
“Diamonds” is a great record to review to get a sense of Don Toliver’s sound, as it’s the intro to his debut project, Donny Womack.
In the song, Toliver sheds light on his past life and common goals and can be seen visiting his childhood roots in the complimentary video —a perfect record to understanding who the Houston rapper is on a more personal level.
'No Idea'
“No Idea” is the lead single to Toliver’s critically acclaimed 2020 album Heaven or Hell. Released last year, it proves to be his most popular track, reaching number 43 on US Billboard Top 100 tracks, going viral on TikTok, with millions of individual videos using the song. It’s also sitting north of 11 million views on youtube.
Produced by Wondagurl, many will name “No Idea” when Toliver is brought up, but the melodic rapper has yet to scratch the surface.
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'Diva'
Hailing off Toliver’s Donny Womack project is his song, “Diva,” a saucy tune clearly inspired by Michael Jackson.
There are many rappers exercising the autotune function, but here, Donshows he’s in a vocal class of his own.
'Had Enough'
“Had Enough” is a perfect reference if you want to see how well Don Toliver plays with others.
Arriving as both a cut on the Cactus Jack label compilation album, Jackboys, and a separate single for Toliver, his breakout performance proved to be a stand-out on the seven-track effort as he blended his melodies with Quavo and Offset verses.
