Toronto native NAV has been itching to release some new music for weeks. He admitted that quarantine had him feeling antsy, announcing his plans to release his new album Good Intentions to allete some of the madness. After a series of leaks by his manager Cash, the XO Records star has officially returned with a brand new body of work.

Spanning 50-minutes and 18 songs, the brand new NAV album Good Intentions has arrived. The title of the project directly follows his last studio album Bad Habits. He may have bad habits but, at the end of the day, NAV claims to have good intentions. 

This time around, he’s collaborating with some of the biggest stars in the music business, including Travis Scott, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Young Thug, and more. He’s even got his second collaboration with the late Pop Smoke included. Elsewhere on the tracklist, Lil Durk and Don Toliver make appearances.

This is the third studio album from Toronto rapper NAV. He has released a new album in each of the last three years, beginning with Reckless before moving onto the next two. 

Check it out below and let us know what you think! What’s the standout in your opinion?

NAV announced a few weeks back that he’s excited to release some new music and, finally, the time is nearly upon us to experience the next chapter in his career. The XO Records artist has been working hard on his new album Good Intentions and the release date is just days ahead of us, expected to drop on May 8. After teasing a number of featured guests, NAV has officially unveiled the full tracklist.

Much like with his previous full-length projects, NAV will be assisted by some of his closest friends and collaborators, including Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, Gunna, and more. The album will also include Future, Lil Durk, Don Toliver, Travis Scott, and more. Most interestingly perhaps, a posthumous verse by Pop Smoke will also be included on the song “Run It Up,” which marks their second collaboration.

C Flanigan/Getty Images

Good Intentions was executive produced by NAV himself, his manager Amir “Cash” Esmailian, and The Weeknd. 

The album was announced a one-minute trailer, showing the artist in the studio explaining the concept behind the body of work, also hopping on phone calls with Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, and others. Footage of his studio session with Pop Smoke was also included.

Will you be checking for Good Intentions on Friday?

Don Toliver is one of the most exciting new artists right now. His official debut album Heaven Or Hell has earned rave reviews and as the Houston native continues to gain traction as an artist, he is enjoying the most successful stretch of his career. Preparing to head out on tour with The Weeknd (if the summer ever arrives…), Don Toliver is getting the wheels ready to go but, this year, he’s been working like crazy on just getting his name out there. A lot of hip-hop heads finally took notice when the Cactus Jack Records signee popped up as a featured guest on Eminem‘s surprise album Music To Be Murdered By.

Speaking to Ebro Darden and Apple Music about how that feature came together, Don Toliver explained how he even ended up on Em’s radar.

“That’s one for the OGs,” says Don Toliver about the D.A. Doman produced track “No Regrets” with Marshall Mathers. “I was in the Cactus Jack studio [when I got the call] and I was recording. I think Em was already on tip with what I had going on but who really I think plugged the spot was D.A. Doman. No cap.”

Don didn’t wait to record his chorus for the song. He says that he hopped in the booth right away and had it finished within the hour, ready to be released the next day. 

Watch the interview with Ebro Darden below.

Heaven and hell are at the core, religious concepts. The idea of Heaven is synonymous with being a do-gooder. If you abide by the rules of Christianity, you will make your way to heaven. On the flip side of that, hell is reserved for those who do bad. It’s a black and white duality that people still live their lives by, to this day. Depending on your definitions of good and evil, heaven and hell can mean a multitude of different things. On Don Toliver’s debut album, Heaven Or Hell, the Houston crooner attempts to show us that Hell is just a symptom of success. A necessary evil that must be explored on a man’s journey to self-realization.

The album begins with what feels like a Rodeo-era track that makes Toliver’s debut sound Travis Scott-esque. In fact, you’ll come to notice that Scott’s sound is littered throughout the project. The intro, “Heaven Or Hell,” features a brooding and haunting instrumental with plenty of sinister synths. Meanwhile, Toliver provides vocals that showcase both his trademark pitched-up delivery and a lower register he’s not usually known for. On this track, Toliver is talking about the duality of success and how it could lead him towards two different paths. He could either become the sinner or the one who does good. As he sings “I wanna smoke some,” it becomes clear that Toliver is looking to enjoy the fruits of his labor in ways that can be destructive. Of course, we’re talking about drugs, women, excessive spending, and various other vices.

These themes are present throughout the full 12-song tracklist. The aforementioned “Can’t Feel My Legs” is a solid example of this as the Houston crooner sings about Xanax and trying to woo women from his city. Tracks like “After Party,” “Spaceship,” and “Wasted” all follow the same thematic structure except they are all presented in unique ways that keep the listener engaged all the way throughout. These three songs all provide a different vibe that showcases Toliver’s range as a vocal performer. “After Party” is more focused on uptempo, high-pitched melodies while “Spaceship” is yet another example of Travis Scott’s influence shining through. These tracks demonstrate an improvement in regards to Toliver’s songwriting compared to 2018’s Donny Womack. Toliver substitutes his incessant need for repeating hooks with bridges, more verses, and vocal harmonies that add flavor to each song.

Perhaps the highlight of the entire record is the sixth track, “Candy.” With help from producers WondaGurl and CA$HPASSION, Toliver provides listeners with an auditory experience that could be chalked up to a trap version of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. Toliver repeats the lyrics “Candy couldn’t be so sweet” before delving into a refrain in which he talks about “living a lie” and how he is trying to save someone’s love. It’s as if Toliver is pleading with a woman for her love and forgiveness, except he is too drugged out of his mind to really make a substantial case for himself. As the song dies down, we are met with a gorgeous guitar solo interlude that leads into some extended notes that sound like they are being put through a feedback loop. This is when Toliver changes up his delivery and begins to sing in more of an r&b cadence. He sings “I can’t take it anymore” and “you’re so demanding.” It’s clear that he has given up.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

The angelic nature of “Candy” offers a reprieve from all of the moody beats that come before it. In the context of the album, it feels like this is the first time Toliver is trying to explore the heavenly side of his life. Instrumentally this is apparent but lyrically, his sad and lonely content completely contradicts the tone of the song. This juxtaposition creates a feeling that Toliver is failing to juggle his desire for doing good and his need to do bad. Simply put, Heaven Or Hell is the story of an artist being completely consumed by their own success.

Comparisons to Travis Scott’s Rodeo are unavoidable here. Rodeo had the same loose concept and just like his mentor, Toliver fails at going above the surface level. While the songwriting provides for catchy hooks and memorable melodies, the Houston artist leaves a bit too much to the imagination. Equally, whenever Toliver abandons his signature high-pitch delivery, he begins to sound a lot like La Flame to the point where you think it’s actually Scott singing. This is a pitfall you don’t want to succumb to on your debut album.

On a more positive note, Heaven Or Hell is a massive improvement over Toliver’s 2018 project Donny Womack. This tape was released a day before Astroworld as a way to serve fans who discovered him after hearing his uncredited appearance on “Can’t Say.” Donny Womack saw Toliver struggling to write verses. He would mostly repeat the same sticky hooks over and over again. While these hooks were memorable and fun, there was still room for amelioration. With Heaven Or Hell, Toliver strikes a balance between catchiness and musicality. The songs and ideas are more fleshed out and ultimately prove that Toliver has figured out his framework. He’s still finding his footing, but with Travis Scott as his mentor, there is still a lot to be excited for.

With so much uncertainty in the world right now, it's important to remain calm. One of the things that has been helping us in the office is the constant influx of new music. Every day, we're bombarded with new releases, and it has recently become one of the only constants in our lives. As we move to a remote work environment to promote social distancing, our talented team has mulled over all the drops to put together the first-ever quarantine edition of the TIDAL Wave playlist.

Commencing with a couple of bops selected straight off of Jay Electronica's long-awaited debut album, before we truly begin the party vibes. Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Don Toliver, Megan Thee Stallion, and more bring the vibes elsewhere, with a healthy mix of old and new school for this week's display. 

If you're not signed up for your free 30-day trial with TIDAL, you can change that here. Let us know who has your favorite picks of the week and stay safe out there! What are you listening to during your self-quarantine?

Alex Zidel (Editorial)

Lil Uzi Vert - POP
Lil Tecca - All Star (feat. Lil Tjay)
Lil Yachty & DaBaby - Oprah's Bank Account (feat. Drake)
Don Toliver - Cardigan
Don Toliver - Spaceship (feat. Sheck Wes)
Gunna - SKYBOX

Alex Cole (Editorial)

Lil Uzi Vert - Moon Relate
Lil Uzi Vert - Strawberry Peels (feat. Young Thug & Gunna)
Don Toliver - Candy
Don Toliver - After Party
Don Toliver - No Photos

Mitch Findlay (Editorial)

Guapdad 4000 - Greedy
Jadakiss & Pusha T - Huntin Season
Jay Electronica  - A.P.I.D.T.A
Rich The Kid - I Want Mo (feat. London On Da Track)
Megan Thee Stallion - Captain Hook

Paul Pirotta (Sales)

Jay Electronica - The Blinding (feat. Travis Scott)
Jay Electronica - Flux Capacitor
Jay Electronica - Ghost Of Soulja Slim
Jay Electronica - Universal Solider
Jay Electronica  - A.P.I.D.T.A

Bhaven Moorthy (Editorial)

Lil Uzi Vert - Yessirskiii (feat. 21 Savage)
Blueface - Obama (feat. DaBaby)
Don Toliver - Wasted
Rich The Kid - Depend On Me (feat. Lil Tjay)
Rich The Kid - Racks On (feat. Youngboy Never Broke Again)

Keenan Higgins (Editorial)

bbno$ - mememe (feat. Lentra)
THEY. - Red Light Green Light
Jay Electronica - Ghost Of Soulja Slim
Kiana Ledé - Forfeit (feat. Lucky Daye)
070 Phi - The Deep End (feat. 070 Shake)

Lynn S (Editorial)

Jay Electronica  - A.P.I.D.T.A
Don Toliver - After Party
Don Toliver - Wasted
Lil Uzi Vert - Yessirskiii (feat. 21 Savage)
Lil Uzi Vert - Wassup (feat. Future)

Cole Blake (Editorial)

Lil Uzi Vert - Myron
Lil Uzi Vert - Leaders (feat. NAV)
Lil Tecca - All Star (feat. Lil Tjay)
Jay Electronica - The Blinding (feat. Travis Scott)
Jay Electronica - Ghost of Soulja Slim

Aron A (Editorial)

Octan & Skepta - Papi Chulo 
Masego - King's Rant
Smiley_61st - Organization
Jay Electronica - The Blinding
Lil Yachty & DaBaby - Oprah's Bank Account (feat. Drake)

After making the fans wait for approximately two years, Lil Uzi Vert finally released Eternal Atake, which debuted at the Number One spot on the Billboard 200. With the arrival of the deluxe edition (which was packed alongside LUV Vs. The World 2), the Philadelphia rapper is looking set to enjoy another week at the top spot.

In the latest tally of sales projections, Lil Uzi Vert looks to have no legitimate competition as he is eyeing a second week at the pole position of the charts. With an estimated 255,000 equivalent album units moved on the deluxe, Baby Pluto will have the strongest debut of the week for a second straight campaign.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Following him up directly is Lil Baby, who is still experiencing a surge from his My Turn album. The Atlanta star will move an additional 90,000 copies of the project.

As for the full-fledged debuts on this week’s sales projection report, Don Toliver and Jay Electronica find themselves lower on the list. Houston-bred Don Toliver is set to debut at approximately the seventh position on the charts, enjoying a whopping 47,000 equivalent album units moved. Jay Electronica’s first-ever studio album, a collaboration with Jay-Z, arrives at the sixteenth spot with 28,000 sales.

Elsewhere on the list, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Youngboy Never Broke Again, Post Malone, and others are still performing well from their recent releases. 

Which album were you jamming to this weekend?

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Cactus Jack is ramping up to claim their stake in the rap game. Travis Scott‘s the head honcho of the program but the release of Jackboys put an even bigger spotlight on the talent that he’s been grooming. Under the wing of Travis Scott, Don Toliver’s been bubbling heavily as the dedicated Travis Scott fans await the arrival of his debut album. The wait won’t be much longer. Toliver hit the ‘Gram earlier today to announce the release of his forthcoming project, Heaven Or Hell, his official debut album.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

In the last few years, Don Toliver’s become one of the hottest young artists to emerge with many banking on his promising future. The rapper’s single, “No Idea” became a viral hit before the release of his debut major label tape Donny Womack. In the midst of that, he delivered a stand-out performance on Travis Scott’s Astroworld, “Can’t Say.” More recently, he appeared on Eminem‘s Music To Be Murdered By.

The announcement of his new project comes a few weeks after The Weeknd announced the Cactus Jack artist would be appearing on The After Hours North American dates with Sabrina Claudia. 

Check the album art for Don Toliver’s forthcoming project, Heaven Or Hell due out this Friday.

He’s worked hard to get to where he is, but Don Toliver certainly hasn’t reached the goal of where he wants to be. The rapper is an artist to watch on the hip hop scene and recently his acclaimed collaboration with the JackBoys earned him even more recognition. Next, Toliver will be releasing his anticipated project Heaven or Hell that’s expected to drop March 13 so he chatted with Sway Calloway about his career.

Dia Dipasupil / Staff / Getty Images

Don Toliver revisited those stories from his past as an artist traveling from city to city in an effort to get his music heard by anyone with influence. Toliver revealed that years ago he was even able to slide his CD Sway’s way when they happened to have met in Houston. Toliver shared that his main goal was to get his music out and unlike many others, he really didn’t think through making millions or stacking his bank account. He just wanted to get away from the street life and be a respected artist.

The rapper also talked about initially knowing Travis Scott by name and reputation but said he didn’t officially meet the Astroworld artist until 2017. “I was [nervous],” Toliver admitted. “He was my idol. He’s from Houston, all that. It was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life, to be honest. He was just real. It was just crazy to me. At that point, I was already signed on my own thing, whatever, but I still didn’t believe the stuff that I was like, really trying to achieve was happening the way it was happening.”

Toliver added that not only does Travis give him advice, but the whole Cactus Jack team keeps each other in check. “We are a collective here to uplift each other,” he said. “We all kinda give each other advice, pointers, and Travis for sure is very hands-on when it comes to creative direction. Like, ideas I might have.” Check out what else Don Toliver had to say about Heaven or Hell and his come up in the industry below.

JMBLYA Festival will be back for its eighth run in May, and artists like A$AP Rocky, Lil Uzi Vert, and Playboi Carti will be headlining the 2020 event taking place in Dallas, Austin, and Houston. These hip-hop favourites are among good company on the traveling music festival’s stacked lineup. 2019 breakout stars like Lil Tecca, Lil Tjay, and Travis Scott‘s Cactus Jack signee, Don Toliver are among the billed artists performing at the Texas festival.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET

Fresh talent like Canadian-born bbno$, 18-year-old Dallas native Kaash Paige, and Harlem artist Delly will also be hitting up the festival’s eighth instalment to deliver some fire performances. However, some additional acts are only slotted to perform in one of the three Texan cities. Rapper Doeman will be taking the stage in Houston, while DJ and producer Joaqu.n will make an appearance in Austin, and newcomer Gwapmizzle is set to perform in Dallas.

JMBLYA will once again kick off at Fair Park in Dallas on Friday, May 1st before heading over to the Circuit of The Americas racetrack in Austin on May 2nd. The festival will be returning to Houston once again on Sunday, May 3rd after a hiatus in 2018 at the University of Houston’s TDECU Stadium Parking Lot. Tickets are available for purchase on the official JMBLYA website.

The Weeknd will be making his way around North America and Europe in support of his upcoming After Hours album, and he’ll be joined by special guests Sabrina Claudio, Don Toliver, and 88GLAM on select dates of the tour. The Weeknd’s been on an impressive music rollout ever since he dropped the first single of his new era, “Heartless,” back in November. Despite teasing an album by the name of Chapter VI for over a year now, the singer switched up on us and instead revealed last week that his next project, which will feature “Heartless” as well as his follow-up single, “Blinding Lights,” will be called After Hours. Shortly after this reveal, he amped up the hype by sharing the album’s horror-inspired artwork before releasing the title track on Wednesday. With the “After Hours” single came an official release date for the album exactly one month from today—March 20th—but what’s an album without a tour to support it?

Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images

The After Hours tour dates have officially been cemented, so once we’ve all had a chance to let the project sink in, The Weeknd will kick off the North American leg in Vancouver on June 11th. He’ll make his way around Canada and the United States with special guests Sabrina Claudio, Don Toliver, and 88GLAm on select dates. This leg of the tour concludes on September 3rd at Madison Square Garden in New York, and The Weeknd will get a little over a month to relax before he gets back on the road to take over Europe and the UK. He heads to London on October 11th to play at the O2 Arena for three nights and will make other stops around the UK as well as in Belgium, Holland, and Germany. The tour will officially come to an end in Paris at the AccorHotels Arena on November 12th. Tickets go on sale on Ticketmaster on Friday, February 28th. Check out all the tour dates below to see if The Weeknd is hitting up your city:

North American Dates

June 11 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
June 14 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
June 17 – Winnipeg, MB @ Bell MTS Place
June 22 – Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
June 24 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
June 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
Jun 27 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
June 29 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
June 30 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
July 2 – Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell
July 4 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
July 7 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
July 8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
July 11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
July 13 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
July 15 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
July 16 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
July 18 – Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena
July 21 – Orlando, FL @ Anway Center
July 23 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
July 24 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
July 25 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
July 27 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
July 29 – Salt Lake City, URT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
July 31 – Portland, OR @ Yoda Center
August 1 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
August 3 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
August 4 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center at San Jose
August 6 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
August 8 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
August 9 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego
August 11 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
August 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
August 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
August 19 – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
August 20 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
August 22 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
August 23 – Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center Omaha
August 25 – St Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
August 26 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
August 28 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
September 1 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
September 3 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

European Dates

October 11 – London, UK @ O2 Arena
October 12 – London, UK @ O2 Arena
October 13 – London, UK @ O2 Arena
October 15 – Newcastle, UK @ Metro Radio Arena
October 16 – Birmingham, UK @ Arena Birmingham
October 18 – Glasgow, UK @ SSE Hydro
October 19 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena
October 26 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportpaleis
October 27 – Amsterdam, Holland @ Ziggo Dome
October 29 – Berlin, Germany @ Mercedes-Benz Arena
October 31 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiahalle
November 8 – Hamburg, Germany @ Barclaycard Arena
November 9 – Cologne, Germany @ Lanxess Arena
November 12 – Paris, France @ AccorHotels Arena