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Don Toliver is a rapper/singer from Texas, US. "Octane" is an album that is very interesting. Don Toliver is a part of Travis Scott's Cactus Jack crew, he's a Rolling Loud veteran, and he is very proudly "a sketchy individual". Despite that, this album is more emotional than "Hurry Up Tomorrow" and "Swag 2". The production is emotional, but his melodies keep up with it. You just can't fake that kind of sincerity. The lyrics are very ordinary hip hop, but while there are no love songs, the vibe is borderline emo. Don't get it twisted, the album is very good, it just clashes with his image. He talks about his questionable background, the lyrics are at best about hookups, the imagery and videos target male audiences exclusively, but he really is very vulnerable on this album, and for some reason, it works.
Asap Rocky's infamously long-teased comeback is finally here. Asap Rocky is an authentic person, and unlike most rappers, his persona is branded on the scale of a mainstream artist. His name weighs as much as his music if not tremendously more so this release is in the shadow of his acting, clothing, modeling, and relationship with Rihanna. That doesn't mean it's bad, it's just a little scattered. He plays around with punk, club, and a few other genres in a way that seems a little too playful and experimental; rather than confident and intentional. The quality of the rap is consistently good. There's a surprise collaboration with Tyler, The Creator at the end that feels very satisfying and high-energy. His target audience seems to be relatively young skaters, rather than hip hop heads, or yuppies, but it successfully captures the angsty style of 2026 adolescent music. One painfully disappointing missed opportunity would be a feature from... Rihanna!
In the age of technology, people have seen almost everything. And while the older generation seems to under-estimate the capacity of cultures to explore new ideas, maybe the younger generation over-estimates it a little. Is there any argument that can be made for someone who has already committed to an idea passionately? You don't want to give up too easily, but maybe you would be more productive to assume the passionate stance and just plan around it.
Indie rap's appeal has always been primarily the hope and expectation of improving equality. Because thug rappers have been there for so long, we know that our infrastructure can endure whatever they can dish out. However, for the hipster rappers, the trajectory was a wild card both functionally and socially.
However, changing perspectives is something that some people simply choose not to do, and we've seen simply how far exclusion and bullying can take you. They have changed the projection of the future to be exactly the same, if not worse ethically. Without the belief in change, indie rap has no real purpose. I challenge every rapper and producer to make people believe in change again.
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