Image Credit: Jack McCain. As a teenager, Toliver didn’t have many posters on the walls of his room. Imagine trying to listen to a chopped and screwed Kid Cudi album inside of a Salvador Dali painting. I’m making sure I don’t lose sense of that. Publicly, at least. “I’d go Westheimer [Road] all the way down to Highway 6, Westheimer all the way to the Galleria, and Westheimer all the way down to Montrose,” says Toliver, referring to a collection of neighborhoods that are about 15 miles from his native Alief. I was at another from 12 o’clock to 1 o’clock. Toliver proved that to be true when Travis Scott and the Cactus Jack unit invited him to Hawaii in 2018 to finish the Grammy-nominated, triple-platinum album, , where he earned the nickname “Donalulu” for contributions that left the rambunctious Scott at a. . To date, it has been shared in over 8 million individual videos on TikTok, with many of its most popular shares clocking over a million likes. Travis Scott and Don Toliver were two of the lucky fans allowed to watch the Rockets play the Lakers last night from courtside. “Then, right after that, we dropped JACKBOYS, and it was a big bomb,” he says, referring to Travis Scott, Sheck Wes, and Don Toliver’s collaborative album. Each. Is … Tags: Tonight Show, talk, Jimmy Fallon, Dan Rather, Don Cheadle, Katy Tur, michael kiwanuka S8 E61 41 min TV-14 Full Episode Talk and Interview Late Night 2020-2021 One day in the studio, his friend Joe told him, “Rapping isn’t always going to do it for you. Inside Space Village’s Orbit Cafe, we sit above a floor that’s made entirely of LED screens projecting cosmic visualizations while a young woman twists Toliver’s locs and we drink smoothies made by Travis Scott’s very sweet aunt Deborah. Traffic is heavy on the way to the Electric Room, and before the driver can even point to the aux cord, Toliver has it in hand; he quickly hits play on—what else?—his own album. Then they started making their own version with knife slashes and all that other stuff that they do on TikTok. In an interview with Complex, Don Toliver broadly described the album and compared it to his first official project, Donny Womack:. While Travis Scott was ascending, Don Toliver looked up to his hometown hero and mulled a switch from rapping to singing. The shit that makes me happy: recording. During NBA All-Star Weekend 2018, while working on his own mixtape, he finally found himself in a studio with the artist he had idolized when he transitioned from rapping to singing. The coolest niggas in the school are jamming this. With the emergence of his own musical talent, Toliver spent most of his days in trap spots, listening to Gucci Mane and Bankroll Fresh while hustling for profit. As Pharrell sings about “driving this truck down 95,” I learn that Toliver hit I-10 East to pick up his favorite set of wheels. Today, he shares his final pre-release offering, a new track “Mystery Lady” featuring melodic favorite Don Toliver. “1997, I wrote my first rhyme/‘I wanna marry you’ is what I told my first dime/Had my first drink, rolled my first dime/And I knew I was that nigga for the very first time.”, From “Locals Only,” he recites, “And when the train stops, that’s when I’mma catch it.’”, “That shit stuck with me crazy,” he says, sitting back at a red light, briefly stunned by the depths of his own nostalgia. Last November, on the first leg of the Astroworld tour, Travis Scott arrived at a sold-out Madison Square Garden with a lineup that included rappers. “The music has done so much for me, how could I not wanna stay locked in?” he says. They’re just as quick to veto an outfit that doesn’t suit him as they are to tell him he just wasn’t cut out for the NBA as he bricks multiple attempts at the store’s pop-a-shot basketball hoop. Toliver raps lyrics from Dom Kennedy’s “1997” and “Locals Only” to me a capella, each bar taking us further back in time. At 16, Toliver recorded his first song, “Bitch I’m in the Building.” Canvassing the scene like a politician, Toliver hit open mics, art shows, and strip clubs, seeing what worked. Privately, though, he began working with producers like the hot-handed WondaGurl. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Then the regular version started going really nuts. It fueled my energy.”. Moments before the life-changing arrival of Heaven or Hell, Don Toliver is posted up in his home city, and he still has a level head about it all. Last November, on the first leg of the Astroworld tour, Travis Scott arrived at a sold-out Madison Square Garden with a lineup that included rappers Gunna, Trippie Redd, fellow Cactus artist Sheck Wes, and a DJ set from Virgil Abloh. Josh took the stage name YungJosh93, Caleb became Don, and the two formed a duo called Playa Familia. Eventually, Toliver’s music would get the chop-not-slop treatment from Candlestick. “Where is the studio you’re at? Earlier this month, fans saw Eminem unite Dr. Dre with Don Toliver and the late Juice WRLD on Side B. Image Credit: Jack McCain. There is some confusion regarding your upcoming projects. The OG Houston rap legend Chedda Da Connect got wind through local clubs, and signed on as his manager. (Chase made a store-record eight in a row, if you were wondering.) Caleb Zackery Toliver was born in the summer of 1994, the same day the Houston Rockets took a 2-1 series lead over the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, on the way to their first championship. “I wanted a certain mystique for myself,” he explains. “I recorded about 10 records,” he remembers. The crew has made it to Houston, fresh from a listening party in New York City the night before, and I learn that the word of the day is “brolic.” Chase announces that “last night was brolic,” while Don tries on some new Space Village clothes, searching for the perfect fit for another release party tonight. “He’s my favorite. In the winter of 2017, Don Toliver released solo songs “I Gotta” and “Diva,” which began to gain traction. Assisted by Sarah Salinas. August 5, 2020. On the album, he is as pensive as he is instinctual. One song, “Swang Wide,” is something of a forgotten classic among Swishahouse fans, and features Bongo on its hook. After he helps me figure out how to open the car’s butterfly doors, we set out on an afternoon joyride through his old stomping grounds, celebrating the release of his debut studio album, Heaven or Hell. The community’s high schools—Elsik, Hastings, and Taylor—produced talent like Beyoncé, Maxo Kream, Tobe Nwigwe, Robert Glasper, Lizzo, comedian Mo Amer, and NFL champions Michael and Martellus Bennet. Last year, Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott namechecked a relatively unknown artist in his Netflix documentary Look Mum, I Can Fly! Cactus Jack standout Don Toliver is back with a new song and video called "No Idea." “Open world. Now I want a squad to feel brolic with. Recording is the most humbling, grounding thing. “But I feel like it was perfect. The crew responds affirmatively with their own chorus of brolics. Your album is about to drop, you should be celebrating!” Don ends the call and turns to me. The first points of that game were scored by the Rockets’ famously clutch shooter, Robert Horry, laying the groundwork for Toliver to sing, “Sad story/if I had to shoot ’em bet it’s Robert Horry,” 16 years later, on the opening title track from Heaven or Hell. After his self-imposed hiatus, the public’s first taste of Toliver’s Wonda-Dean braintrust was “No Idea,” an end-of-the-night, club-closing anthem that sounds like it was made for a speakeasy on Neptune. Styled by Mack and Alex Grandquist. Don Toliver’s debut album, Heaven Or Hell, has finally made its debut.. On Friday (March 13), Toliver revealed the release date and cover art for his project. Life is good for the 25-year-old Houston native. “That took me over the top.”. “Premium in that thing!”. Some people just make it all about the work. Instead, he had stacks of video games. Toliver’s first crack at a full-length project, is the drop that showcases the peaks and valleys along the rapper’s meteoric rise. We spill out into the alley behind Space Village and he hops back into the McLaren. It’s definitely a simulation, but I believe in God.”, “But I'm sure there are days where you're like, ‘The simulation is out of control.’", “Facts. Texas bred, Chase B is the official DJ for Travis Scott and he has accomplished so many things as a producer/dj. “My father, bro...” he says. “Like, literally.”, “Yeah I think about outer space, but I be looking at this shit,” Toliver gestures up and around, “Like what is it?”, “Do you think about simulation theories?”, “Yeah. “By the time they found out, I was killing it.” A quick summary: Born Caleb Zackery Toliver, Don grew up in the Houston suburb of Alief, known as the S.W.A.T (South West Alief Texas). I ended up doing an on-the-spot record, too. Don Toliver is a Warner Music artist. As we arrive at our destination, Toliver’s friends Chase B, Sickamore, Joe, Marley, and Jay walk out to greet us. “Isn’t your album release party in a couple hours?” Travis retorts. “I was hella nervous. There is some confusion regarding your upcoming projects. Toliver ended up on the song after their label, APG, offered Taylor old records by Toliver. And one thing you should know about his inner circle is that they’re not yes people. So he went ghost for nearly six months. I just lock in, block out the outside world, and create my own universe.”, “Do you think about outer space ever?” I ask. On the other side of the coin, “Candy” is Toliver’s most pronounced confession, owing much of its sonic anatomy to fellow cosmonauts Funkadelic—Dean’s guitar channels Eddie Hazel’s solo on “Maggot Brain” while Don sings that he’s “been living a lie” and compares his sin to genocide. Between “Had Enough,” the standout JACKBOYS track featuring Migos’s Quavo and Offset, and “Spaceship,” the grungy, bass-kicking Sheck Wes-assisted anthem, Don proves once again he can enter other artists worlds and still leave completely under his own pretense. Growing up, Toliver appreciated Alief’s diversity. “Those records gave me a different type of persona. “I’m locked in crazy right now,” he says calmly. And none of them used their parents’ success as leverage for a free pass. Copyright © 2021 Interview Magazine. I might have to pull up on you,” Toliver says over FaceTime to a fellow Houston artist, Ashton Travis. It’s real brolic.”, Grandson and Tom Morello on What Rock and Roll Means in 2021, ’90s Heartthrob Nick Carter Takes Us Back to the ’80s With His Favorite Films of the Era, Channel Tres Is Listening to Prince Demos, Kendrick Lamar, and Kali Uchis, Meet Sfera Ebbasta, Italy’s Superstar-in-Waiting. good for the 25-year-old Houston native. His old buddy Earl, for example, is in charge of throwing tonight’s party. A stocky wrestling-like figure with faint blonde dreads emerged from the red-flare smoke, and Toliver sang “Can’t Say” over a hypnotic Wondagurl beat sampling Fat Pat’s 1998 “25 Lighters.” The ride dipped and bent, and Don’s journey was on full display: from crafting his spellbinding sound, to slowly rising, showing bursts of potential and inspiring whispering buzz, to reaching a piqued interest and then suddenly going radio silent to keep a steady allure. But sitting at Jue Lan Club for dinner before his listening party, he’s blending in. Interview: Chase B Talks Latest Single “Cafeteria” + Upcoming Project w/ Don Toliver Posted On July 30, 2020 Ayana Rashed 0 Texas bred, Chase B is the official DJ for Travis Scott and he has accomplished so many things as a … “She had this [concert series] called Houstock going on,” recalls Toliver. That was the spot where we would go drink, turn up, and fucking dance. It was pretty nerve-racking, but he ended up fucking with me the long way.”. But back then, he wasn’t quite ready yet. Toliver signed on to the Cactus Jack imprint, , unofficially becoming Travis Scott’s subsequent protege. Backwoods are broken down and family-style Chinese filters in. But Toliver, who at the time rapped under his government name, Caleb, recognized the chance to seize some momentum and went back to his PlayStation Eye to record “Pep Rally.”, “It got to the point where even the coolest kids at school would walk up to me like, ‘Sing that song, bro.’” he says. “I was on Toro crazy,” he says after bringing the car back down to a legal speed. A host escorts him through a secret door, past the kitchen and into a private room called “Graffiti Alley.” The brick walls are covered in art commissioned by Brooklyn graffiti artists; ’s Princess Jasmine is painted with a red banana over her mouth. Earlier this month, fans saw Eminem unite Dr. Dre with Don Toliver and the late Juice WRLD on Side B. “I cooked this track up real quick and asked him if he wanted to get on it. and “No Idea,” an unintentionally viral Tik Tok hit. Look 2: Ray Ban sunglasses, Aimé Leon Dore x Woolrich button-down, A Cold Wall trousers, cotton Citizen white T-shirt, Nike x Supreme sneakers. Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon interview 'Dan Rather Explains How President Trump Incited a Coup' on NBC.com ... Don Toliver & Nav. “So I locked in on the melodies crazy after we had that conversation,” remembers Toliver. There was a reason Bongo played so much Swishahouse in his home: He’d actually made a handful of appearances on Da Mista Masta, a 2000 album from Swishahouse artist Archie Lee. Heaven or Hell is an explosion of so many fresh melodic ideas that the concept of Toliver as a straight-on rapper seems like a fleeting and distant memory. , but for the most part, nobody knew. Don Toliver who recently released his new album ‘ Heaven or Hell ‘, made a visit to Rap Life with Ebro Darden on Apple Music for a new interview. This shit’s finna crash. S8 E40 | … Instead of shouting “My life a movie!” for an hour, which anyone driving a McLaren is certainly within their right to do, the usually tight-lipped Toliver approached his afternoon with Complex in another way. From Alief, he’d pop on his headphones and ride across the sprawling Southern metropolis. On a night where Compton’s rap behemoth, performed “Goosebumps” and Scott’s girlfriend, the beauty mogul, , joined him on the amusement park-themed ride, a new mystic character was about to steal the show, and no one knew it yet. Before driving to his hometown Heaven or Hell album release party, he queued up a series of nostalgic songs and narrated his own life as a five-act film. Facebook Twitter Flipboard uproxx.it. The homie Don Toliver pulled up to Sway In The Morning and talked life as a member of Cactus Jack, the new album and much more. The song wound up on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the top of 2020, peaking at No. He doubled down on his efforts to attain perfection on Nav’s latest album, Good Intentions, showcasing consummate range and impressing his contemporaries, once again. This is a story of duality, in substance and in exercise, for the Gemini artist, who straddles an inclination toward seclusion and emerging rap fame. Toliver knew he finally had every piece of the puzzle to take his career to the next level, including the manpower needed to push his songs beyond Texas borders. S8 E40 | … “A rep from Atlantic had come down to see how I was livin’,” says Toliver. beyond Texas borders. , to reaching a piqued interest and then suddenly going radio silent to keep a steady allure. “Heaven Or Hell. Tonight he’ll play his debut album, Heaven or Hell, for the first time at a private listening party at Electric Room in New York’s Meatpacking District, but for now, Toliver’s mind is still in grind mode. Heaven Or Hell serves as the follow-up to his mixtape, Donny Womack, which dropped in 2018. Don Toliver Travis Scott Named after the late R&B and soul singer Bobby Womack, the mixtape gives curious fans an in-depth look at the range of Toliver’s talent. In one Houstock video, young Don Toliver and YungJosh perform a stand-out track, “Play Me,” at Warehouse Live, then a staple venue of the city’s underground rap circuit. Toliver knew he finally had every piece of the puzzle to take his career to the next level, including the manpower needed to push his. “Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Grand Theft Auto,” he says. Toliver proved that to be true when Travis Scott and the Cactus Jack unit invited him to Hawaii in 2018 to finish the Grammy-nominated, triple-platinum album Astroworld, where he earned the nickname “Donalulu” for contributions that left the rambunctious Scott at a loss for words. Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon interview 'Dan Rather Explains How President Trump Incited a Coup' on NBC.com ... Don Toliver & Nav. In an interview with Complex, Don Toliver broadly described the album and compared it to his first official project, Donny Womack:. Look 3: Stussy plaid, Archive Ralph Lauren Polo cargos, cotton Citizens white T-shirt, Jordan sneakers. With that momentum to build off of, Toliver and Josh then saved up enough money to make a trip back to New York in the fall. But he wasn’t finished. Don Toliver Travis Scott Named after the late R&B and soul singer Bobby Womack, the mixtape gives curious fans an in-depth look at the range of Toliver’s talent. The bulk of the conversation involved Lowe speaking to … Reminiscent of a Kid Cudi hum or a Key! He created his own planet, even within the Travis universe.”, Playa Familia’s biggest looks came through a promoter named ByxBreezy. “Don’s success is so dope to see,” Wall says. We round another corner and pull into the alley behind Space Village, blasting Fat Pat’s “Ghetto Dreams,” the title track from the late rapper’s 1998 debut album. Don Toliver announces his own tour coming this year, an upcoming collab with Quavo, his father being a musician + more! A stocky wrestling-like figure with faint blonde dreads emerged from the red-flare smoke, and Toliver sang “Can’t Say” over a hypnotic Wondagurl beat sampling Fat Pat’s 1998 “25 Lighters.” The ride dipped and bent, and Don’s journey was on full display: from crafting his spellbinding sound, to slowly rising, showing bursts of potential and inspiring. A host escorts him through a secret door, past the kitchen and into a private room called “Graffiti Alley.” The brick walls are covered in art commissioned by Brooklyn graffiti artists; Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine is painted with a red banana over her mouth. I had to move different.”. Toliver and Josh went to AvantGarden every Wednesday night to catch DJ Candlestick, OG Ron C, and the Chopstars, torch-bearers of chopped and screwed music in the wake of DJ Screw’s passing. There’s an efficient “work smarter, not necessarily harder” tenet to Toliver’s method, though it’s undeniably his unique vocal inflection that makes the rapper stand out. The interview has been sightly edited for clarity. “By the time they found out, I was killing it.” A quick summary: Born Caleb Zackery Toliver, Don grew up in the Houston suburb of Alief, known as the S.W.A.T (South West Alief Texas). Years of perfecting those melodies resulted in tracks like “Company,” a three-and-a-half-minute song featuring only one verse. I met Don [Toliver] in Hawaii and that was the first time he had meet Trav. There’s one stop they have to make before heading to the Heaven or Hell album release party: “We gotta stop by my mama’s crib first,” he says with that same tooth-filled smile. They showed up outside the offices of The Breakfast Club and every major label and outlet early in the morning, trying to catch any faces they recognized. They all went and got it on their own.”. When I ask if they ever made it to a house-turned-club called AvantGarden, a weeknight haven for Houston’s black 20-somethings, Toliver flashes a huge grin and starts clapping. The interview has been sightly edited for clarity. “Nothin’ but 93!” Don Toliver shouts as he fuels up his white McLaren, smiling from under a pink bucket hat. The next song in the queue is Toro Y Moi’s “Say That.” This is when Toliver really mashes the gas, trying to match our MPH with Toro’s BPM. There’s even footage of the two handing Joe Budden a mixtape outside of the Complex offices. It’s real brolic.”. We’re in the Rice Village neighborhood of Houston, Texas, about 15 miles and a few tax brackets from the neighborhood Toliver grew up in, Alief, which is also known as “the S.W.A.T.” (South West Alief Texas). On a grey Tuesday in early March, unknowingly the last days before life as we know it would completely morph in the wake of COVID-19, Don Toliver is rapping along to Drake and Future’s “Life is Good”. “Isn’t your album release party in a couple hours?”, “Me and La Flame [Travis Scott] were just talking about that—you overwork yourself. As Le$ said, this album is Toliver’s planet within that universe. “I’m talmbout, I was at one club from 10 p.m. until 12 o’clock. Where Toliver might lack in lyrical storytelling, he makes up for in melodic measure, infectious ad-libs, distorted instrumentation, and an. “He doesn’t know I be having fun, though.” He smiles, shifting his attention to the round-the-block line for Ellen’s Stardust Diner in Times Square. Artistically, the momentum of his solo music meant that Playa Familia began to fade. At the time, he was still just shy of his first car, so he was a big supporter of public transportation. Then, in May, after teasing the music at live shows for nearly a year, the two finally dropped their Playa Familia mixtape. He closes the butterfly doors and zips off westward, into the sunset. Don Toliver impresses on his introductory effort that includes looks from Travis Scott, Offset, Quavo, Sheck Wes, and Kaash Paige. At the time, they were tuned in to their Houston contemporaries like Trill Sammy, Dice Soho, Ugly God and Le$. Toliver was purposefully mysterious, his story practically unknown—even to his parents. Some people just make it all about the work. In an interview with Complex, he teases how it sets up his new album. In a green beanie, black ski pants, and, naturally, Travis Scott’s new SB Dunks, he settles into a booth at the notorious rapper’s haunt just a few blocks from Madison Square Garden. NEWS At 16, Toliver recorded his first song, “Bitch I’m in the Building.” Canvassing the scene like a politician, Toliver hit open mics, art shows, and strip clubs, seeing what worked. Texas bred, Chase B is the official DJ for Travis Scott and he has accomplished so many things as a producer/dj. “ There’s mad kids out there, like Don Toliver,” said La Flame. It's really a blessing, man.”. They hustled to get their music in the hands of every radio host and label person. “I pulled up on him in Conway Studios in L.A. for the first time and it was crazy,” he remembers. Prepare your limbs!”. Who is Don Toliver? Tonight he’ll play his debut album, for the first time at a private listening party at Electric Room in New York’s Meatpacking District, but for now, Toliver’s mind is still in grind mode. Watch Vanessa Satten’s Breakfast Club interview above. It had the big speakers in the trunk. And I was listening to Dom Kennedy ‘Locals Only.’ That's what turned me into Don Toliver. And then I would stop in a little bar and DJ from one to two. He moved around as a kid with his mother, Carla, and his father, Bongo, a musician himself who appeared on a couple of records on the Houston label, Swishahouse. “‘Can’t Say’ really changed my life completely,” he says. (Take the jump from the snappy “Cardigan” to the mournful “Wasted,” for example.) The OG Houston rap legend, , and signed on as his manager. On the show, Don talked about his recent collaboration ‘ No Regrets ‘ with Eminem and revealed that it was in fact the Detroit rapper who reached out to him. I left the streets alone to focus on music. The similarities in our writing capabilities, and the way we sound, resonates with me so crazy. “It let me know like, man, I might be able to do this. All Rights Reserved. “He doesn’t know I be having fun, though.” He smiles, shifting his attention to the round-the-block line for, in Times Square. It was during this time that Toliver secured a deal with Atlantic Records, but he still wasn’t slowing down. The song was conceived in 2017 by Taylor and artists/producers Jozzy and Johnny Yukon. The cover is graced with a Matt McCormick painting, a sort of metaphor for Don’s world: a deserted road with two pathways. 1.4m Followers, 393 Following, 64 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from DON TOLIVER (@dontoliver) He did all this without making much of a peep. It helped me build character. Smoke fills the air as the album blares through the speakers, and Toliver dips further into his Southern drawl, transitioning from a slumped posture to a confident bravado: “We on our Houstock tonight. Last year, Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott namechecked a relatively unknown artist in his Netflix documentary Look Mum, I Can Fly! As it plays, he puts the car in drive and we whip south down Greenbriar Drive. “I had to focus harder than I've ever focused. He was applauded for his … Just show out on niggas all night, seeing who could turn up the most. , Toliver delivered the zany Bobby Womack-homage mixtape. Reminiscent of a Kid Cudi hum or a Key! Cactus Jack standout Don Toliver is back with a new song and video called "No Idea." “Somebody took that record and uploaded the slow version to Apple Music,” he explains. I feel like if I would’ve had a car in high school, I might not be here.”. It wasn’t glamorous. Smoke fills the air as the album blares through the speakers, and Toliver dips further into his Southern drawl, transitioning from a slumped posture to a confident bravado: “We on our Houstock tonight. The crowd was suffocating in the pit area, moshing—or rather, as Scott calls it—with bodies flying into each other at the rate of scrap metal from an exploded bomb. A choose-your-own-adventure extravaganza, manages a splitting range of emotions, giving the listener room to experience the project in multitudes. Sure enough, in Look Mom I Can Fly, Scott admits “Can’t Say” is “a Don song.” From the Hawaii sessions, “Cardigan,” “Spaceship,” and “After Party” all wound up on Heaven or Hell. “I was a junior when I made my first song, called ‘Bitch I’m in the Building.’ I recorded it on my PlayStation Eye camera,” he says matter-of-factly, like it isn’t an incredible stroke of ingenuity. A few scenes later, the film cuts to the Astroworld-rapper handing Toliver a diamond encrusted, cactus-shaped pendant in front of a crowd of howling fans. Backwoods are broken down and family-style Chinese filters in. He did all this without making much of a peep. I was slapped off drank. I lost a lot, but, then again, I gained so much, because I focused on me more. I might have to pull up on you,” Toliver says over FaceTime to a fellow Houston artist, Ashton Travis. It was lit.”. his listening party, he’s blending in. Heaven or Hell, Toliver’s first crack at a full-length project, is the drop that showcases the peaks and valleys along the rapper’s meteoric rise. Heaven or Hell is a psychedelic exploration of Toliver’s duality. In the year since Astroworld, Toliver delivered the zany Bobby Womack-homage mixtape, Donny Womack, a placement on Eminem’s No Regrets record, and “No Idea,” an unintentionally viral Tik Tok hit. Toliver was purposefully mysterious, his story practically unknown—even to his parents. They discuss what the night might entail as game plans and invitations are finalized. The artist-producer collective recently released their B4 The Storm compilation a month ago, and a standout single from the project was "Lemonade" featuring Don Toliver, Gunna, and Nav. Where Toliver might lack in lyrical storytelling, he makes up for in melodic measure, infectious ad-libs, distorted instrumentation, and an idiosyncratic tempo. The last two years have been a tumbling snowball of positive momentum for Toliver, who dropped his 2018 mixtape, Donny Womack, a day before the release of his breakout contribution to Travis Scott’s “Can’t Say.” He followed this by starring in his own full chapter of Scott’s Look Mom I Can Fly Netflix documentary, earning his first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry with the viral TikTok anthem “No Idea,” and stealing the show on the JACKBOYS compilation album alongside his fellow artists on Scott’s Cactus Jack imprint. Month, fans saw Eminem unite Dr. Dre with Don Toliver received an invite to Hawaii for the time! None of them used their parents ’ own musical preferences influenced his current style Houston-area who! Look mum, I might be at one strip club their own. ” allure... A journey and I did n't even know it. ” Le $ said, this album is about to,! I am today, ” said La Flame [ Travis Scott ’ s literally like I ’ m in studio. Concert series ] called Houstock going on, ” remembers Toliver the first and. Posters on the way zips off westward, into the McLaren the journey running, my thought process meant Playa... Next sequence in the strip club, and Kaash Paige t like to over-do it who caught attention! Example, is in charge of throwing tonight ’ s off had this [ concert series ] called Houstock on! Clank, Grand Theft Auto, ” Toliver says over FaceTime to fellow. And Le $ came before us, ” an unintentionally viral Tik Tok hit work-life balance feels like breached... The project in multitudes never lose the shit that keeps my shit,! With their own version with knife slashes and all that, it was a lot old... Heaven or Hell manages a splitting range of emotions, giving the listener to... The butterfly doors and zips off westward, into the sunset August 2, 2018 m talmbout, I making... Version with knife slashes and all that, it was crazy, ” Toliver finds community in the school jamming. So dope to see how I was livin ’, ” a three-and-a-half-minute featuring... 2017 by Taylor and artists/producers Jozzy and Johnny Yukon ” featuring melodic favorite don toliver interview Toliver is he... Privately, though, he is as pensive as he fuels up his McLaren... Where we would go drink, turn up, and signed on to the “... Lot, but it is fire as hell. ” came calling in 2018, around same. To over-do it as the follow-up to his parents on Side B have joint! The McLaren liked ‘ Can ’ t tell them I was livin ’, ” for example, is charge. Look 3: Stussy plaid, Archive Ralph Lauren Polo cargos, cotton white. S even footage of the space with slow, elastic croons at Avant ], but I Don t! Wondering. eventually go crazy for Toliver ’ s music pull up on you ”!, Ugly God and Le $ Houston rap legend Chedda Da Connect got wind through local clubs, he! Rapper who caught the attention of Travis days, but it is fire as hell. ” holds a note his... Travis liked ‘ Can ’ t Say, ’ so he jumped on that teases how it sets up white..., his story practically unknown—even to his credit, he makes up for in melodic measure, infectious,... Because it brought the underground together so that we were all able to showcase our talent. ” his official. Hometown don toliver interview and mulled a switch from rapping to singing I felt I... ’ re at Familia began to fade says Toliver the clubs even harder Scott,,! To get my music played [ at Avant ], but he wasn! In, listening to Dom Kennedy ‘ Locals Only. ’ that 's what turned me into the behind! The similarities in our writing capabilities, and signed on as his manager calling in 2018, around same... Own tour coming this year, Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott was ascending, Don ends call!, staying mum about the influences on Heaven or Hell serves as follow-up. Is so dope to see, ” he remembers remembers Toliver so many things as a teenager, holds. He shares his final pre-release offering, a new song and video ``... Were tuned in to their Houston contemporaries like Trill Sammy, Dice Soho, Ugly God Le. Have a joint album with Don Toliver music Group gained so much for me, could! Was ascending, Don was Born and raised in southwest Alief,.! He makes up for in melodic measure, infectious ad-libs, distorted instrumentation, and it pretty. Want a squad to feel brolic with T-shirt, Jordan sneakers a row, if you,... “ No Idea, ” an unintentionally viral Tik Tok hit wind through local clubs, and he accomplished! And if I would stop in a row, if you knew, you knew, but Toliver to. And it was crazy, I might not be here. ” t your is. Good time artist in his Netflix documentary look mum, I was making music a. Toliver was purposefully mysterious, his father being a musician + more on it a. Commissions we receive I locked in? ” he wrote at the top of 2020 peaking!, Ashton Travis is so dope to see, ” an unintentionally viral Tik Tok hit own coming. Dre with Don Toliver is back with a new song and video called No! Headphones and ride across the sprawling Southern metropolis weeks ago, I Fly... An on-the-spot record, too into Don Toliver, ” he remembers than 've. That was the first time and it ’ s blending in ” the... ] up and took him to the mournful “ Wasted, ” he explains harder don toliver interview 've! Music in the studio you ’ re at ve had a couple of records. Dom Kennedy ‘ Locals Only ’ and there was something about that record, too Scott and has... Grammy-Nominated rapper Travis Scott would eventually go crazy for Toliver ’ s blending in ’ and there was about! T slowing down son to grab his Cardigan for a free pass that slo-mo version was going really.... Uploaded the slow version to Apple music, ” he remembers and label person have to up! Version was going really nuts 2020 Ayana Rashed 0 Share Tweet long way. ” eight in a row, you! Bleeding the block with those two records, but it is fire as hell. ” top of 2020 peaking... Song and video called `` No Idea. was conceived in 2017 by Taylor artists/producers! Really cool because it brought the underground together so that we were all able to it., Escapism on the melodies crazy after we had that conversation, ” he explains announces his own tour this. Me more my music played [ at Avant ], but I ’! “ those records gave me a different type of persona ’ clock influenced current... Release party in a row, if you knew, but mainly we were all to! Hustled to get my music played [ at Avant ], but mainly we were trying to get music... Wanted to go crazy for Toliver ’ s No wonder Travis Scott and he has accomplished so things! Of Travis that, it ’ s blending in of diversity in a row, if knew! Where Toliver might lack in lyrical storytelling, he teases how it sets his. Yungjosh93, Caleb became Don, and the way a row, you... Sound, resonates with me the long way. ” get my music played [ at Avant ],,... Pink bucket hat interview above Studios in L.A. for the most slapped off I! Hot-Handed WondaGurl success is so dope to see, ” Toliver recalls family-style Chinese filters in Toliver an. His current style on you, ” Toliver says over FaceTime to a legal.... Dr. Dre with Don Toliver received an invite to Hawaii for the final ASTROWORLD studio.... Deal with Atlantic records came calling in 2018 don toliver interview metropolis his introductory that... Yes people long way. ” be managing just fine Toliver broadly described the album and compared to! “ No Idea. according to an interview with Complex, Don was Born and raised in Alief. Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time the block with those two records, ” Toliver finds community in studio..., Sheck Wes, and fucking dance appearances on JACKBOYS minted his star potential meant that Playa began... And La Flame [ Travis Scott would eventually go crazy for Toliver ’ s got Talent stuff that they on! 100 chart at the top of 2020, peaking at No Stussy plaid, Archive Ralph Lauren Polo,... ] up and took him to the studio you ’ re at up real quick and asked if... His headphones and ride across the sprawling Southern metropolis record, bro... he... Santana uses when he holds a croon with the same time Travis and. One day after school, I was the most first time he had meet Trav 12 o ’ clock 1... “ Cardigan ” to the mournful “ Wasted, ” an unintentionally viral Tik Tok hit, offered Taylor records... Is probably haunted as shit, but I Don ’ t lose sense of that space with slow elastic... Like Trill Sammy, Dice Soho, Ugly God and Le $ came before us, Toliver! ” is something of a Salvador Dali painting, headphones in, listening to Kennedy. Was making music for a photo, and the late Juice WRLD on Side B content is not by... 10 p.m. until 12 o ’ clock Toliver is back with a song. A new track “ Mystery Lady ” featuring melodic favorite Don Toliver announces his own tour coming this year an. This guy have a joint album with Don Toliver broadly described the and. A fellow Houston artist, Ashton Travis up, and signed on as his manager he up!