Inside the Rise of Don Toliver
By Sophia Hysaw – Photo by Jack McKain
Don Toliver, the 31-year-old singer, rapper, and producer from Houston, Texas, has defined what hip-hop and R&B sound like in this decade with his constantly trending genre-blending music.
Toliver’s music is most commonly labeled as psychedelic rap mixed with trap and R&B. When asked about his music style in a 2018 Billboard article, Toliver describes his mix of hip-hop and R&B as “Trap&B.” When diving into Toliver’s discography, you’ll find yourself lost in an atmospheric world, punctuated with bass-heavy 808s, and centered in introspective themes.
Toliver’s father was a rapper as well, going by the stage name Bongo Bongo and was heavily involved in the 2000’s Houston hip-hop scene. Toliver acknowledges on HOT 97’s Ebro in the Morning podcast in 2021 that his father was the one who first introduced him to music and even recorded songs with him in their home studio. Toliver began to make a name for himself in Houston by performing in underground hotspots; open mics, art scene hangouts, and strip clubs.
Best known for his 2015 viral hit “Flicka da Wrist,” Houston native Chedda Da Connect noticed Toliver’s growing success in the underground Houston music scene. By 2017, Chedda recognizing Toliver’s artistry as something that could be momentus, became his manager and signed him to We Run It Entertainment.
Not long after Toliver’s involvement with Atlantic Records came to be, He was featured in Travis’s track “Can’t Say” from the 2018 album ASTROWORLD.
As Toliver was mostly unknown to those outside of the underground Houston music scene, Travis, an already successful and well known rapper, had given him a platform and consequentially introduced his melodic, atmospheric sound to millions. To this day Toliver and Travis maintain a close friendship and creative partnership through Cactus Jack Records.
On Toliver’s 2020 debut studio album Heaven or Hell, his single “No Idea” exploded by trending on the social media app TikTok, spawning millions of videos which led to his song generating 100 million-plus streams. In todays world, TikTok has become a platform for music artists, much like YouTube used to be, and can help an artist garner widespread attention, like it did with Toliver.
As the song moved into the Hot 100, Toliver claimed #1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart. From there, Toliver’s music career took off at a ridiculously quick speed, taking him from an up and coming artist being mentored by Travis Scott to a mainstream star in his own right. While TikTok brought listeners in through “No Idea,” many stayed due to his uniquely melodic sound, and Toliver turned that viral moment into a substantial career.
As he continued to push boundaries and redefine the sound of contemporary hip-hop and R&B, he was nominated for Best New Hip-Hop Artist in 2021 at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Videos capturing Toliver’s magnetic stage presence and charismatic personality have been circulating across social media platforms like Instagram, X, and of course TikTok, aiding him in connecting with audiences beyond just concert venues.
Clips of Don Toliver enthusiastically performing and showcasing his distinctive vocals are known to gain millions of views, resulting in new listeners being introduced to his music. These viral moments exemplify not only his musical talent but his ability to establish a consistently engaging live experience.
But Toliver hasn’t always been creating his sound as a solo artist. For quite some time, Toliver has been working with a close-knit group of multi-instrumentalists and producers, Jahaan Sweet, BNYX, and JAASU.
Throughout the time that Toliver has made four more albums he increasingly produces his own music though is primarily focused on being a vocalist, writer, and executive producer.
Currently, Toliver is on an arena tour in North America performing his most recently released album of this year Octane. His anticipated Chicago stop will take place on June 11th, bringing his signature sound and stage presence to a fan-packed United Center Arena.
What establishes Toliver as such a compelling artist is not only his viral popularity and chart success, but his ability to create a musical escape for listeners while capturing emotions that many young people struggle to express themselves. Witnessing thousands of fans personally responding to his music displays how deeply his craft has connected with a generation navigating this vastly complicated world.
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Don Toliver – E85 (Official Video)
Don Toliver Tour Dates:
Mon Jun 01 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden*^+
Tue Jun 02 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena*^+
Thu Jun 04 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena*^+
Fri Jun 05 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena*^+
Sun Jun 07 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre*^+
Tue Jun 09 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena*^+
Thu Jun 11 – Chicago, IL @ United Center*^+
Sat Jun 13 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center*^+
Sun Jun 14 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center*^+
Wed Jun 17 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center*^+
Fri Jun 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Summerfest*^+#
Sat Jun 20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center*^+
Wed Jun 24 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena*^+
Thu Jun 25 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena*^+
Sat Jun 27 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena*^+
Mon Jun 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena*^+
Tue Jun 30 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego*^+
Wed Jul 01 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center*^+
Fri Jul 03 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena*^+
Sun Jul 05 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena*^+
*with SahBabii
^with SoFaygo
+with CHASE B
# Festival Headline
Don Toliver – OCTANE
1. E85
2. Body
3. Rendezvous
4. Secondhand
5. Tiramisu
6. ATM
7. Long Way To Calabasas
8. Rosary
9. All The Signs
10. Call Back
11. Tuition
12. K9
13. Excavator
14. Gemstone
15. OPPOSITE
16. TMU
17. Pleasure’s Mine
18. Sweet Home
Links:
Official: https://dontoliver.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonToliver/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontoliver/
