Don toliver - from an opening artist to hardstone psycho
Making his mainstream Debut on Travis Scott’s Astroworld, Don Toliver delivered a sensational feature verse on “CANT SAY” . And suddenly, had the whole world wondering who he was. Travis Scott’s swift rise to fame drew attention to Houston rappers and Don was one of the first few to be recognized. Riding this wave of popularity, Don released Heaven or Hell, a record which showed off his unique voice. His trap-flow followed by Jazzy synths were applauded by others who worked with psychedelic sounds, such as Travis Scott himself. What Scott took as inspiration from his predecessors like Kid Cudi, Don Toliver has expanded through songs like You (Feat. Travis Scott) or Last Laugh.
Don Toliver was thrusted into the mainstream as his track No Idea from Heaven or Hell started to go viral on social media. From here, he got BIG. With collaborations with Eminem, Nas, Justin Bieber, and Metro Boomin, Don seemed unstoppable. What's more, during this run of mind-blowingly star-studded features, we also got Life of a Don in 2021, a sixteen-track record which became Toliver’s second to be included in the top-ten Billboard 200 and his highest-charting album to date. This was followed by LoveSick, a record inspired by futuristic R&B and Soul sounds, which was also received well. However, nothing in my view compares to his latest project - Hardstone Psycho.
Separated into 5 discs, Hardstone Psycho channels the energy of a biker gang led by Don himself, riding their Harleys through the desert. Originally meant to be a sequel to Life Of A Don, Hardstone Psycho follows along the theme of love that seems ever present in Don’s music. The rollout for this album however, also included the announcement of Don’s firstborn child with Latin-R&B artist Kali Uchis. He announced Uchis’s pregnancy through the Deep In the Water music video, while also making references to the same in the song. The album starts off quite strong and mellows out track by track. Starting quite experimental with tracks like Tore Up, which might go down as a classic from this album, the album starts to use the rock influences quite heavily and work its way back into Don’s signature style, which is mostly seen in songs like 5 to 10.
What makes this my favourite project, however, is more than the album itself, but also the world building that Toliver invested in to accompany it. Through his collaboration with Fortnite, Don allowed us into the Hardstone Psycho world, letting us visit all the landmarks that the discs of the album are named after. Rock and punk influences are no strangers to hip hop, but the way Don has woven hard rock and trap beats, the album really does make you feel like a biker cruising through the desert. The short film released with the album is cinematically breathtaking as well. Looking at the album in itself, it is nowhere near perfect. The writing on this album is quite mediocre, despite it being a sonically-pleasing record, it leaves something to be desired from its lyrics.
Don’s writing is probably the only bit of criticism I can provide for this album. But this does not mean it is a bad album, far from it. Whilst lyricism in Hardstone Psycho could have been improved, the experimental nature of the sound of the record is enough to make it worth a listen.
For those interested in getting into his music, i would suggest starting out with his most accessible album - LoveSick, and then Hardstone Psycho before going into the deeper waters of Don Toliver world.