Don Toliver - Life of a DON

Don Toliver’s sophomore album shows flashes of potential but is mostly a disappointing, soulless cash grab.

By: Griffin Jacobs

Don Toliver has released his second album, “Life of a DON,” and it’s a major sophomore slump. Toliver had a great lead-up to this album, with solid features on the summer smash “Lemonade” and Kanye West’s “Moon.” This felt like it should have been a coming-out party for Toliver, allowing him to distinguish himself and assert his place among hip-hop’s heavy hitters.

Instead, this feels like a lazy rip-off of Toliver’s colleagues, which lacks any semblance of an interesting or unique musical idea. There is no reason to listen to this instead of SahBabii, Gunna, Rae Sremmurd, or Toliver’s big brother Travis Scott, as Toliver cannot differentiate himself from other auto-crooners.

After listening to this for a week straight, I’ve noticed absolutely nothing memorable about this album besides a handful of repetitive hooks like on “5X” and “2 AM.” Every song seems to lie between a club anthem and a moody R&B record. The result is an album full of filler which can only be used to indicate the death of a party. It’s a nothing album, which I find more offensive than an album that dares to be terrible in an interesting way.

The album is frustrating because Toliver clearly has potential, explaining its initial hype. He shows it on unique and solid tracks like the dark, Latin-inspired intro and the bubbly and fun “Crossfaded,” although it’s clear that for the most part, “Life of a DON” puts artistry on the back burner to chase bland commercial appeal.