Don Toliver has been able to maintain a consistent level of popularity since his breakout moment in 2018. It came through a guest verse of Travis Scott’s “Can’t Say” from his Astroworld album. Two years later, the Houston native returned in 2020 with his sophomore album Heaven Or Hell, which boosted his stock and proved that he was very capable of making a strong and cohesive body of work. Toliver looks to showcase that once again with his newly-released third album Life Of A Don.
The 16-track effort is spotlight by Toliver and Travis Scott’s reunion on “Flocky Flocky.” The track is carried by woozy synths and a head-bobbing bass that fits right in the pocket the rappers thrive in. It’s the duo’s first track together since “Euphoria” from Toliver’s Heaven Or Hell project. As for the rest of Life Of A Don, the project features the previously released singles “What You Need” and “Drugs N Hella Melodies” along with guest appearances from Kali Uchis, Baby Keem, HVN, and Sofaygo.
Prior to the album’s release, Toliver connected with Skrillex and Justin Bieber for “Don’t Go” and Scott confirmed that he and Kylie Jenner are expecting a second child together
You can listen to “Flocky Flocky” in the video above.
Life Of A Don is out now via Cactus Jack/WeRunIt Entertainment/Atlantic Records. Get it here.
Don Toliver is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Baby Keem is weird, but that’s not a bad thing at all. Many of today’s rappers are, and this often triggering adjective for some is not meant to be disrespectful to the 20-year-old Vegas rapper or any of his contemporaries. Keem is part of a generation of hip-hop that prides itself on going against the grain. “Rules” were broken, torn up, and disregarded, and rightfully so. Abiding by them for too long hinders the chance for evolution and change as a whole to occur. Kid Cudi, who Keem has cited as an inspiration on multiple occasions, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, and many more, are clear-cut examples. With that being said, while the openness to all that is “weird” is clear nowadays, there are also limits to how funky, unique, and unorthodox things can get.
That’s something that Baby Keem’s major-label debut album The Melodic Blue understands. Comprised of 16 songs with help from stars like Kendrick Lamar, Don Toliver, and Travis Scott, the Vegas rapper dulls the loud colors and sonics just enough to deliver his version of a mellow atmosphere without sounding monotone or robotic. It’s a sharp contrast compared to his 2019 breakout project, Die For My B*tch — an erratic and chaotic release inspired by a failed relationship. That body of work promotes screaming and mosh-pitting your anger out as opposed to healthier and less-fun habits like meditation or therapy.
The Melodic Blue is Baby Keem’s attempt to balance his individuality with a reduced dose of his trademarked chaotic energy, something he tries to harness on the project. “Trademark USA” is a sucker punch to start the album that would also invite Gen-Zers all over the world to the mosh pit at the risk of their once-clean sneakers. Kendrick Lamar contributes to the raucousness of “Family Ties” and “Vent.” The former is by far the rowdiest track on the album thanks to Lamar’s proclamation of “smoking on your top five” rappers, while the latter invites aggression from all corners with the knowledge that Keem and Lamar can handle it all. The remaining majority of The Melodic Blue is occupied by records that show a more tender and reserved side of Keem.
An early example arrives on “Issues,” a spacious track that lays life’s most harrowing conflicts down like a deck of cards. Airy production uplifted by climatic drums adds to the whirlwind of unsolved issues in Keem’s life. It’s a song that the rapper says “means a lot to him” and with lyrics like, “I knew since we first got evicted out our roof / My new since rehab, I was six, tryna see you,” the weight of the track becomes clear. “Scars” is similar in the sense that Keem dips into the same pain-driven lyrics with conquering production. Even trap-leaning tracks like “First Order Of Business” and skeletal efforts like “Scapegoats” are superior for the things Keem says rather than for their sounds. It’s clear that Keem had a lot to get off his chest on The Melodic Blue, and in addition to crafting the appropriate lyrics to get that done, the rapper also placed himself in a sonic landscape that would accentuate the impact of his words. The best songs on the project, however, come when the rapper doesn’t sacrifice too much production to accomplish his goals for the album.
“Gorgeous” is a personal favorite from The Melodic Blue as it showcases the rapper’s unwavering love for his pattern with the help of heavy synths, ratting piano keys, and drawn out bass kicks. “Lost Souls” supplies the same airy production of “Issues” and “Scars,” but the addition of drums and a steady hi-hat bring it closer to a more familiar home for Keem. Even the banger that is “Durag Activity” with Travis Scott is laced with a verse from an extremely timid and near-mumbling Baby Keem. Along with additional examples like “Booman,” it becomes more and more obvious that residing as close to the middle on the spectrum of calm to chaotic was Keem’s goal for this project.
Personally, the toughest aspect of The Melodic Blue is letting go of prior expectations for the project to properly accept and digest the work Baby Keem offered to the world. Preference lies with the chaotic energy of Die For My B*tch, but truthfully speaking, that project is at the very most a strong collection of songs. The Melodic Blue aims to craft a cohesive album, and for what it’s worth, Keem succeeds at that. The rapper delivers just enough to accomplish that, but there are moments where a bit more could’ve been done to make this achievement undeniable. Whether it be extending “Scapegoats” into a full song or slashing the excessive and unnecessary second half of “Range Brothers,” The Melodic Blueundoubtedly has its rough edges. However, the album’s rawness elsewhere is also what makes it enjoyable, and in total, Baby Keem gets it done with his major-label debut album.
The Melodic Blue is out now via PgLang/Columbia. Get it here.
Some of the biggest names in the rap game went home extra happy following a memorable MTV Video Music Awards show. From Travis Scott and Lil Nas X to Bad Boy Records’ Machine Gun Kelly – the rap game shined bright following huge wins in key categories including Video of the Year. With buzz still […]
Houston rapper Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner are really expecting – no cap. The hip-hop pair have social media’s attention courtesy of new pics showing off the reality TV star’s growing tummy. Kylie Jenner Finally Reveals Baby Bump In New Pics Jenner has blessed her Instagram followers with a batch of new pics. The jaw-dropping […]
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker has had the opportunity to collaborate with a handful of rappers over the years. A prominent and relatively recent example of that is “Skeletons,” a highlight from Travis Scott’s hit 2018 album Astroworld. Earlier this week, on September 7, Tame Impala kicked off their comeback tour at the United Center in Chicago, and during the set, the band decided to perform the Scott collaboration for the first time.
In a 2018 Billboard interview, Parker spoke about how “Skeletons” came to be, saying, “[Scott’s] manager got in touch and said he was a big fan [and suggested we] meet up if I was ever in LA, so I went to a few sessions with him. We hung out and played some stuff, and he really liked what ended up being ‘Skeletons.’ That definitely got the biggest reaction out of him. I could tell he liked it. I remember going through this stuff to play to Travis, and just thought, ‘Oh, this is actually really up his alley.’ I know Travis likes his psych-rock. He likes his crusty metal guitar sound. I was struck by how much I thought it would fit Travis’ thing even though it’s not hip-hop-sounding. So much hip-hop is cycled from music that sounds like that — crusty-sounding ’70s rock. There’s so much of that, that kind of King Crimson stuff.”
In that same conversation, he talked about what it was like working with Scott, saying, “What’s cool about people like Travis is that they’re just getting a bunch of people in the room and seeing what happens. For a lot of it, I was just a team player. At some points, there were 10, 20 people in the room. You could just be there and hang out and not do anything for like an hour. And then something perks your ears up, and you can be like, ‘Oh yeah yeah, plug me in, I’ve got an idea.’ We’d go for hours, until three in the morning.”
Watch a clip of the “Skeletons” performance above.
Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is really gearing up for motherhood – again. The high-profile entertainer has confirmed recent buzz about her and boyfriend Travis Scott preparing to welcome in their second child together. Kylie Jenner Confirms Pregnancy Rumors KJ hit up her Instagram page with nearly two minutes of footage revealing the journey from […]
Towards the end of last month, rumors swirled that Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner were expecting their second child together. The news was shared byTMZ, who cited a source with “direct knowledge” to the claims. A couple of weeks later, Jenner and Scott confirmed the news with a touching video.
In it, Jenner captures the moment she informs Travis that she’s pregnant for a second time. She later shares the news with her mother Kris Jenner. The video also shows Kylie visiting the obstetrician for a check-up. Viewers can even see Stormi, the couple’s first child, excited about the news of a sibling on the way.
Kylie previously spoke about wanting to give Stormi, who is three years old, another sibling during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. She also spoke about her and Travis’ co-parenting skills. “We have such a great relationship,” she said. “We’re like best friends. We both love Stormi and want what’s best for her. We stay connected and coordinated. I think about [my parents] in situations with Stormi, what they would do. They were very hands-on with me, and I want the same for Stormi.”
The news comes after Kylie and Travis took a year off from their relationship and got back together this past spring and what was initially reported as an open relationship. However, she denied the rumors shortly later in a post to Twitter. “I’m not discrediting anyone who is in an open relationship,” she wrote. “But it’s just careless and disrespectful to throw this narrative out there without knowing what’s true.”
The world is just hours away from finally receiving the music industry’s most anticipated album: Drake’sCertified Lover Boy. It’s a project that was supposed to be released back in January before the rapper opted to delay it after knee surgery and recovering from it forced him to take time off from placing the finishing touches on it.
Finally, after eight long months, Certified Lover Boy will soon be available for everyone to press play on, but before that happens, Drake unveils the official tracklist for the album.
Drake previously revealed the cast of guest acts for the album Certified Lover Boy, but did not share how they would be paired or grouped up until now. Altogether, the rapper’s new album boasts 21 tracks with features from Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Future, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Giveon, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Durk, Yebba, Project Pat, Masego, Tems, and Kid Cudi.
You can read the full tracklist for the project below.
1. “Champagne Poetry”
2.” April’s Home”
3. “Girls Want Girls”
4. “In The Bible”
5. “Love All”
6. “Fair Trade”
7. “Way Too Sexy”
8. “TSU”
9. “N 2 Deep”
10. “Pipe Down”
11. “Yebba’s Heartbreak”
12. “No friends In The Industry”
13. “Knife Talk”
14. “7am On Bridle Path”
15. “Race My Mind”
16. “Fountains”
17. “Get Along Better”
18. “You Only Live Twice”
19. “IMY2”
20. “F*cking Fans”
21. “The Remorse”
Certified Lover Boy is out 9/3 via OVO Sound/Republic.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Two of the best to have ever done it, Travis Scott, aka Cactus Jack and Quavo of the Migos, aka Huncho stop for quick snap shot at the James Harden-hosted “JH-Town Weekend” non-profit event. All proceeds went towards Harden’s “3 The Harden Way” foundation. The celebrity studded softball game brought Team Harden up against Team […]
Houston rapper Travis Scott‘s recently launched CACTI Hard Seltzer is embracing the future. The hip-hop superstar’s alcoholic beverage brand has announced a focus on hiring college students to become ambassadors for his popular brand. Travis Scott Betting On The Youth W/ Cactic According to Team CACTI, the college ambassador program will give young adults an […]
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