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Don Toliver — Life of a Don
Don Toliver broke onto the scene with “After Party” and elevated his status with Internet Money’s “Lemonade.” Since then, he’s amassed more than 23 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. All of this makes his newest album, Life of a Don, one of the year’s most anticipated releases.
Benefiting from that anticipation, Don unveils his 16-song LP. It features his mentor Travis Scott on two songs but it also includes appearances by Kali Uchis, Baby Keem, and SoFaygo, among others. Mike Dean, Cardo, Sonny Digital, Metro Boomin, and Hit-Boy are among the LP’s producers.
D.T. called this his “best work” during an interview with Beats 1. “It’s definitely, I feel like, the best work – my best work right now,” he explained, as per Rap-Up. “It’s been a crazy process. I’m not even going to lie. Me making at least hundreds of songs and choosing 16 songs out of that pot is some of the craziest thing anybody can have to do, so it’s been a journey. This album, it’s been a part of my life.”
Toliver embarked on the “Life of a Don Tour” last month. He is now gearing up to hit the rest of the country with special guest Bia through October 30 in Los Angeles. Listen to Life of a Don below.
Nas — “Big Nas”
Escobar season continues. After dropping King’s Disease II and before launching his MasterClass, Nas delivers a new single “Big Nas” produced by his frequent collaborator Hit-Boy.
Over Hit’s instrumental, Nasir Jones reflects on parenthood. “A man reproduces himself through his child / So when he leaves here, he could just smile,” he raps. “My daughter’s a businesswoman, I’m so proud of her / My son, he’s almost 12 and he’s so knowledgable.”
Elsewhere, Mr. Jones breaks down his diversified portfolio. “New music, new content, new programmin’ / I ran the gamut, got my hands in everything like kids with bad manners,” he raps.
The song promotes Nas’ forthcoming MasterClass on “Hip-Hop Storytelling,” set to hit the platform on Oct. 14.
“MasterClass is a great thing for people to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with artists, producers, actors, and people,” he explained in an interview with Complex. “I think it’s dope that we take time out of our lives to sit down and think about what it took for us to get here, and think about our journey and share it with people in a way that’s different than we ever did before. I think the whole thing is a great concept.”
Listen to “Big Nas” below.
Conway The Machine — “Piano Love”
Conway The Machine blesses fans with “Piano Love” as the prolific Griselda machine keeps pumping out new material left and right.
“Griselda keep winning, you don’t know how to stop it, do you?” Conway raps over The Alchemist’s beat. “In the end, I’m gon’ be on top as usual / I don’t care what city you from; you solid? I salute you.”
Conway and The Alchemist are frequent partners in music. The duo have collaborated on a variety of tracks, including a joint project titled LULU that dropped last year.
Conway spoke about the new track in a statement, according to 2DopeBoyz. “With ‘Piano Love,’ I am giving my fans what they love me for, grimy raps on an insane beat from The Alchemist,” he said. “[It’s] something magical that sets the tone for the rest of God Don’t Make Mistakes. If you’ve been a Conway fan from day one, you’re going to absolutely love the first single.”
Listen to “Piano Love” below.
Kelis — “Midnight Snacks”
Kelis is back to her Tasty ways with her newest single, “Midnight Snacks.” Produced by The FaNaTiX, the new joint revisits the intersection between intimacy and food the way she famously did with “Milkshake” on Tasty.
“I’m trying not to make noise on your toy,” she sings. “So get it, I want midnight snacks.” Later, she adds: “Guilty pleasures, I just can’t deny / I’m greedy and I don’t care…I know what I want.”
Directed by Adrienne Raquel, the song’s music video features plenty of midnight snacks, including ice cream, gummy bears, fruit, and pancakes drenched in syrup while Kelis performs.
“I like the fact that you can take sex and food, and you can put these two things together, and they’re totally interchangeable. I love that,” she recently said, according to Pitchfork. “It isn’t intentional, but the idea is just that food is a very carnal thing. Everyone can relate to it. It’s very human, it’s sensual, it’s something that you crave. And it’s sexy.”
Listen to and watch the video for “Midnight Snacks” below.
Cordae — “Super”
Cordae goes “Super” hard with the release of his newest single. It’s a reflective track about the past couple of years, opening the door for the next era in his career.
“Last year, I made seven million, didn’t have to do a single fuckin’ show,” he raps on the cut. “Shout out to Coca-Cola for the check they cut me at the Super Bowl,” he continues. “Last night, I was textin’ Jack Dorsey / That’s the perks you get from being super dope.”
He doesn’t stop there. Cordae also addresses the fact that he dropped the YBN from his name. “Askin’ why I dropped the YBN, I had no other choices, we ain’t own the shit / You know that janky shit, I’m not condoning it.”
To go along with the new track, Cordae also dropped the song’s music video. In it, the rising star flexes in front of “Cordae Cola” cans, plaques, and fire. Directed by Arrad, the visual also includes special effects, a police chase, and Professor Cordae surrounded by his students.
Listen to the new joint and watch the visual below.
