Don Toliver season has officially begun, as the Cactus Jack signee has finally released his long-awaited second studio album. Life Of A Don.
Set to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 — just behind Drake’s Certified Lover Boy — LOAD sold a total of 68,000 first-week units, the highest commercial peak for a Don Toliver project thus far.
Billboard 200: #2(new) @DonToliver, Life of a DON 68,000 [64.13 million on-demand streams | 18,000 pure sales].
— chart data (@chartdata) October 17, 2021
Featuring Travis Scott, Baby Keem, SoFaygo, Kali Uchis and HVN, Toliver’s one-of-a-kind voice sets the stage for his stratospheric leap into the unknown. Already a bonafide superstar off the back of hits in “Lemonade,” “Can’t Say,” “His & Hers,” “After Party” and a plethora of others, Toliver’s sophomore effort contains 16 seamless tracks that further define his presence as one of music’s most enigmatic entertainers.
Dropping visuals to “WAY BETTER” and most recently “Flocky Flocky” with Travis on Monday, Toliver’s latest effort debuted at No. 1 on both Apple Music and Spotify in the same week.
Wafting through his reverent emotions over the course of the LP, Don manages to stay in tune with his vices, as his newfound fast life has allowed him to take a step back and gain some perspective within it all. Sitting down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Toliver detailed how important LOAD is to him from a creative standpoint.
“Cactus Jack as a whole helped me, but with this album in particular I did a lot of creative control. Which makes me very proud of this album in particular, because I just went full-fledged Don mode and just took it upon myself to try to make this album as best as I could.”
Don Toliver via Apple Music
#DonToliver’s ‘Life Of A Don’ has earned the #CactusJack artist his highest-peaking project yet 📈🙌 #OGM
— Our Generation Music (@OGMusicCo) October 18, 2021
+ READ MORE ✍️: https://t.co/DsxleygCGr pic.twitter.com/UAhSDjyw2y
As Don’s life continues to glow up, there’s no telling what else he’ll achieve at the top of his game.
Listen to Don Toliver’s ‘Life Of A Don’ below!
Don Toliver’s ‘Life Of A Don’ set to release Oct. 8
Cactus Jack’s Don Toliver fully embodies originality in every regard.
The Houston-born singer-rapper has become a scorching hot commodity over the last several years. Along with his close affiliation to Travis Scott, his debut album, Heaven Or Hell, garnered an immense amount of hype before its release in March 2019.
Toliver, being one of the inaugural artists signed to Scott’s Cactus Jack imprint, only had one project, Donny Womack, out at the time. When HOH dropped, however, Toliver’s gifted knack for storytelling and one-of-a-kind singing talent were fully exposed to a fresh fanbase. Now, Toliver exists in a soundscape all his own — ultimately redefining what it means to be a rapper in this day and age.
I’ve Been Waiting For This Moment!!! 10/8 Life of A DON !!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/43vDzULdIW
— DON TOLIVER (@DonToliver) September 28, 2021
After releasing his 2021 breakout single “What You Need,” with Hit-Boy, all focus seemed to shift to Toliver’s next moves — and his next project. Teasing his sophomore LP, Life Of A Don, all throughout the summer, Donny finally gave fans the date they’ve been long waiting for.
Taking to social media Tuesday, Toliver posted a video of a new track accompanied by a pair of flamenco dancers on a dimly lit stage. He sat idle, staring at the stage curtains watching from afar, crooning the unheard track to offically begin LOAD’s highly-anticipated rollout.
Set to release next Friday (Oct. 8), Toliver uncannily kicked off his Life Of A Don tour Sept. 17. Announcing the tour dates back in July, fans wondered if Donny’s impending work would be heard at all of his tour stops across the United States. But that’s now not the case, as Toliver’s Oct. 8 release date sees the album coming out halfway through his Fall tour.
LIFE OF A DON TOUR ON SALE NOW https://t.co/S05Gux3pr8 🕺🏿🚨 pic.twitter.com/J9GQ9rCyqE
— DON TOLIVER (@DonToliver) August 27, 2021
While prepping for his sophomore LP, Toliver has had an extremely fruitful 2021. Appearing at multiple festivals over the summer, including headlining Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash in Chicago, Toliver touts guest spots on Justin Bieber and Skrillex’s “Don’t Go,” Maesego’s “Mystery Lady,” Internet Money’s “His & Hers,” Baby Keem’s “cocoa” as well as appearing on YSL’s collaborative mixtape “Slime Language 2”
Along with his ability to take over any track he jumps on, Toliver recruited the vibrant Kali Uchis for their woozy, R&B cut “Drugs N Hella Melodies” in June. As one of LOAD’s presumed lead singles, it’s apparent that Toliver isn’t staying in one specific lane on his upcoming project.
Don Toliver, Kali Uchis mix ‘Drugs N Hella Melodies’ on latest single
Much like his debut LP, Life Of A Don is sure to put all eyes on the Houston native once more. With Toliver finally eyeing an official release, it’s going to be a takeover long overdue for one of our generation’s most transcendent performers.
Listen to “What You Need” below!