Life of a DON

By the time he was ready to drop Life of a DON, Houston MC Don Toliver (an alum of Apple Music’s Up Next initiative) had already notched two wins in the long-playing project column (2018’s Donny Womack and 2020’s Heaven or Hell). Still, Life of a DON meant something different for Toliver, who spoke to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the process of putting it together. “[I’m] 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,” he says. Within Life of a DON, that means very little interference from his Cactus Jack boss (Travis Scott appears on two tracks, “Flocky Flocky” and “You”) and plenty of Toliver’s distorted wail through stories about how extravagant his life has become (“Way Bigger”), what he can do for a potential lover (“What You Need”), and some of Toliver's favorite pursuits (“Drugs N Hella Melodies”). He sounds plenty in touch with his vices across the project, but maybe more pertinent is how frequently he volunteers that living fast and chasing women has changed his perspective on the world, expecting nothing in return for his efforts. “You'll hear all type of emotions, and different little stories or renditions throughout this album,” Toliver says. “Life of a DON is just me giving you whatever I can possibly give you for my life in 16 songs, and whatever you take from it is what you take from it.”