Meet Don Toliver, the Travis Scott-Protégé Making Houston His Own

photos by Riot Muse.

It was November 18, the day of Astroworld Fest, as I was driving down HWY 59 listening to “Can’t Say,” but it wasn’t Travis Scott the radio DJ was yelling about – it was Don Toliver, the young Houston rapper featured on the track. Back in August, the night before the release of his chart-topping platinum album, Scott co-signed Don Toliver as the new “young Houston legend.” Toliver had caught the eye of Scott through a mutual friend and was brought out to Hawaii to work on the album with, where Toliver says he created some of the best music he’s ever made.

Days before Astroworld dropped, Don Toliver had released his own project titled Donny Womack, bringing his melodic, high energy sound together in an album inspired by R&B legends like Bobby Womack and Sade. Much like the works of his mentor, you’re sure to hear someone riding around Houston blasting Don’s “Backend” or “Diamonds” these days – something we experienced firsthand while shooting the rapper and his hometown friends outside his favorite corner store.

We caught up with Houston’s newest legend in his own little corner of the city, Southwest Alief Texas, or “The SWAT,” to talk home life versus tour life, his R&B influences, and hanging in Honolulu creating Astroworld with La Flame.