In the contemporary world of hip-hop and R&B, some artists appear from the unknown and in several years become popular and take over streaming services. Among them, Don Toliver is a pilot and without a doubt one of the most talented children of this year. This impressive soul singer from Houston has been an instant legend in today’s music industry, but fans and radioEveryone may wonder how this psychadelic-singing charmer was to enter into the music scene. Now it’s time to give you an insight on what can be considered the Don Toliver experience – the hits, the controversies, and everything that falls in between.
The Cloudy-Voiced Kid from Houston
Before being racked up millions of streaming numbers and legions of fans, Caleb Zacchaeus Toliver – that is his real name – was a young man from Houston, grew up in the city that has given us many great hip-hop artists. Born on June 12, 1994, Toliver grew up in the Missouri City area of Houston which gave him the music flavors of the city known for musicians like DJ Screw, UGK, and Scarface.
What immediately defines Don, however, is the voice – thick, cloudy voice, hazy auto-tune, which sounds as if it relates to some other world. At the same time, it can be described as both energetic and a bit of surreal, it is possible to say that here the elements of Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and Future are combined into a cocktail with a addition of promethazine. That particular style would go on to define him and a big reason why he would blow up almost immediately.
The Travis Scott Co-Sign That Changed Everything
We all know that being discovered and affiliated to a prominent artiste such as Travis Scott certainly played a major role in giving Don Toliver a more profound career growth. Toliver has been featured on Scott’s multi-platinum album “Astroworld” released in 2018 to deliver ‘Can’t Say’.
This was not just any feature, this was the musical equivalent of being handed the ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. “Astroworld” was released in 2018 and became one of the most popular rap albums, and people paid special attention to the unique voice of Toliver. After that, Travis signed Don to his Cactus Jack label and can be seen as establishing him as his protege.
“Heaven or Hell” and Commercial Breakthrough
Having captivated audiences with a guest appearance on his song “Astroworld”, Toliver came out with a major label debut album entitled ”Heaven or Hell” in March of 2020. It can definitely be said that the timing could not have been picked much worse – just as the whole world went into lockdowns due to the pandemic. Some may claim that people being at home more during the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have allowed them to find out about his music more easily.
The album consisted of songs like After Party and No Idea with the latter gaining immense popularity on the TikTok app (as it is the new normal now I guess). Actually, “No Idea” went viral after the formation of the dance challenge – a contemporary invention that in the context of music business is like hitting the jackpot.
The Internet Money Collective and “Lemonade”
Yet another significant chapter in the fame of the Don Toliver was through the feature on Internet Money’s ‘Lemonade’. This song, alongside featured artists Nav and Gunna also had become one of the years biggest rap tracks proving Toliver as an important figure in the contemporary hip-hop genre.
But it was with “Lemonade” that showcased that by the way, Toliver was good at crafting catchy hooks that you would listen for days. I n fact, the highlight of the song and by far the most fascinating part of Travis’ contribution to the track was this element of the song proving that he can perform incredibly well even when a track already several artistes of recognized stature. It quickly rose to #6 at the Billboard Hot 100 chart which gave Don one of the hype chart standing he had ever attained.
The “Life of a Don” Era and Artistic Growth
Thus, by the time of sophomore album “Life of a Don” out October of 2021, Toliver was no longer just “Travis Scott’s protege,” but rather his equal in many ways. The album started at the second position on the Billboard 200 with the guest appearances by Travis Scott, SoFaygo, Baby Keem, and HVN.
First of all, it is appropriate to mention that the appearance of “Life of a Don” was significant because it demonstrated how the work of Toliver reached closely to its fans while developing organically. Songs like the hit singles Flocky Flocky and What You Need displayed his potential as a composer, but at the same time maintaining his characteristic sound of the tracks that made him stand out.
Criticisms and Controversies: The Shadow of Travis Scott
It is difficult to achieve fame without being critiqued once in a while and that’s the fate that has befallen Don Toliver. The major criticism made about him is more related to the issue of copycat which is a common problem that people face. Critics have gone on to claim that his whole artistic concept is “Travis Scott Lite” in other words, a copycat of his mentor’s trap music.
However, to reduce Toliver to a mere imitation of Travis Scott is to ignore other things he offers to the plate. He himself shares this somewhat different style and he also sings more melodically than Scott is inclined to do with his rap-like delivery.
The Question of Substance vs. Style
One more criticism that has been levelled against Toliver for quite some time is that he has no materiality in his songs. However, it is worth mentioning that being mesmerizing his songs may seem superficial and, sometimes, critics are right, pointing out that the lyrics of the tracks with racism undertones do not seem too profound. Most of his tracks are all just typical issues that are related to hip hop, such as cars, women, cocaine and so on without going deep into his own experience.
Commercial Success vs. Critical Acclaim
It goes without a doubt that Don Toliver is a commercial artist insert . He and his videos garnish thousands of plays across the streaming platforms, millions at least. Nonetheless, he has not been able to attain the level of critical success as some of the players in the market today. Although the artist has been featured in reputable websites such as Pitchfork and The Fader, the consensus of the critical officials appears to be of a man who makes moods rather than challenges conventions.
Why Don Toliver Matters in Today’s Music Landscape
Of course, it’s important not to pay too much attention to these haters because in general, there is no doubt that Toliver has made a prominent niche for himself in today’s musicianship. His ascent is the archetypical tale of the new millennium: affiliated with a star and fully developing a unique sound, going viral.
The other peculiar feature that is traceable in Toliver’s work, which due to its evolution aligns with hip hop and R&B forms is… That is why one can detect that this middle ground between hip-hop and R&B has become more and more popular over the past years, and Toliver is one of its representatives. He doesn’t belong to the Layeddie or R&B genre, but he fits perfectly the generation where genre is losing importance much more than it has been gaining.
The Future: Can Don Toliver Transcend His Origins?
Now the question raises whether Don Toliver can come out into another level of the artist who doesn’t necessarily exist as “Travis Scott’s signee”. It would seem that his last kind of tracks are indicating the fact that he is going in this way, step by step the basic components of his sound that earned him popularity.
The Verdict: Fame Justified or Industry Plant?
Therefore, let us justify the fame of Don Toliver. Well, in this question, as in any other question related to music, the answer is going to be ambiguous and complex. On the one hand he undoubtedly has a rare, rather a kind of a striking timbre and has constructed an unique aural reality that has many fans across the entire world. It is hard for anybody to argue with that kind of success, although everything he does is not coincidental, he has only put out a sound that resonates with the present hip-hop and R&B scene.
Befriend him or doubt, Don Toliver is a firm part of this industry, and he will remain unchanged. His hazy voice will remain resonating in our ears, producing dreamy productions to immerse the audiences into the world of Beard Through – one melodic tune with auto-tune effect at a time.
