Don Toliver released his fifth and newest album, “OCTANE,” on Jan. 30 and immediately won over the rap industry, with the album reaching as high as number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The project also topped both the Top Streaming Albums and Top Album Sales charts in the same week.
Don Toliver broke out onto the scene in 2018 with a feature on Travis Scott’s song “Can’t Say” and evolved into a very influential artist and producer in this short time. After his two solo hits, “No Idea” and “After Party,” Toliver solidified his place in the music industry and has not looked back since.
In terms of his newest album, the song “Secondhand,” featuring Rema, appears to be the most popular on the album, with listeners liking the song’s blend of melodic trap and Afrobeat influences. There are so many big hits on this album that it feels wrong to leave any of them out, but a couple more favorites are “Sweet Home” and “OPPOSITE”.
The album has a total run time of 49 minutes and 52 seconds, being his shortest album since “Heaven or Hell” in 2020. Although it was at the bottom half of run times, no backlash came from it because the album was just that good. Almost every hook on each song was very memorable, which makes it easier for people to enjoy the album.
When long-time Don Toliver fan and ULM communication major Kam Thirkles was asked about the album, he stated, “… Sonically, it is Don Toliver’s best project yet, as an avid listener of his since 2020.”
Thirkles was also asked if he thought Toliver was on the trajectory to become as successful as his friend, Travis Scott, and he said, “I do not think so but that is okay, because he is at a level where he is satisfied.”
After this massively successful project, fans can only hope that Toliver can keep this type of production up throughout his career. In the meantime, he is going on a country-wide tour for anyone who wants to go see him at likely his highest point in the music industry to date.
