{"id":1915576,"date":"2026-04-30T15:30:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1915576"},"modified":"2026-04-30T15:30:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:30:42","slug":"don-tolivers-love-for-cars-didnt-start-with-octane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1915576","title":{"rendered":"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With \u2018Octane\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-X-Card.jpg?w=1080&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-post-body col\">\n<div class=\"row post-body\">\n<aside class=\"post-body-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-upper\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-category d-none d-lg-block\">\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine\n                                                                                                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-published d-none d-lg-block\">\n                                                                                                                    <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<ul class=\"post-body-sidebar-hype-comments-container list-unstyled d-none d-lg-block\">\n<li>\n<p>                <span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             632<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\">\n                    <span>Views<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n                                                                                                                                <span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span class=\"icon icon-comment\"><\/span><span>2<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-sm-inline text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>            <span class=\"bookmark-icon\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"bookmark-svg\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p>        <span class=\"author-name\">Madrell Stinney<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-credentials d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"credential\">\n<h6>Photographer<\/h6>\n<p>                    <span>Ryley Paskal<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<article class=\"post-body-article\">\n<div class=\"post-gallery-container small inner-media\">\n<div class=\"gallery-container post-gallery-contain\">\n<div class=\"hb-gallery before-booted full-screen-enabled only-one-cell \" data-images=\"[{&quot;image&quot;:{&quot;description&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_caption&quot;:null,&quot;small&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=480&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;medium&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=720&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;large&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1080&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;xlarge&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1440&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;full&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1440&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;},&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/hypebeast.com\/image\/2026\/04\/29\/How-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Don Toliveru2019s Love for Cars Didnu2019t Start With 'Octane'&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:3000,&quot;height&quot;:2000,&quot;credit&quot;:null,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;creditKey&quot;:&quot;general&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;annotations&quot;:null,&quot;shop&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Shop Now&quot;}}]\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell landscape\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell-inner-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell-image-wrapper annotation-container fixed-ratio-3-2\">\n<p>                                                                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"carousel-cell-image\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?q=75&amp;w=800&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\"><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"sprite-gallery-expand\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery-meta-container credit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\">\n                                                    <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><br \/>\n                                                                <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p>\n<p>                                                    <\/span>\n          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class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>T<em>his post is in support of our Don Toliver cover story from Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue. To order a copy, visit HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don Toliver loves cars. That much is obvious. But with <em>Octane<\/em>, that obsession becomes something more deliberate, even a guiding ethos surging through the entire project\u2019s DNA. The album itself plays like a pedal-smashing love letter to Group B rally racing and high-performance fuel. It even opens with \u201cE85,\u201d an ode to high-octane fuel blend used in flex-fuel vehicles. From the start, it\u2019s clear: where 2024\u2019s Hardstone Psycho saw the Houston musician building a full musical and visual world around motorcycle culture, <em>Octane<\/em> finds Toliver making music for the velocity and adrenaline rush of rallying racing.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inner-container\">\n<div class=\"inner-content\">\n<div class=\"adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"in-content-ad-outer\">\n<p><!-- Tag ID: HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"adunit in-content lazy-load no-init\" data-freestar-ad=\"__300x250\" data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"ros\",\"article\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"music\",\"automotive\",\"hypebeast-magazine\",\"cars\",\"don-toliver\",\"octane\",\"hypebeast-magazine-37\",\"the-architects-issue\",\"lifestyle\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"HBArticle\":6712899,\"HBBlacklist\":\"1\"}'><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack,\u201d he tells Hypebeast. \u201cI kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>Concept albums aren\u2019t new for Toliver, but <em>Octane<\/em> doesn\u2019t feel like a one-off theme. It comes across more like an extension of something that\u2019s always been there, a long-standing fixation on motors, motion, and the environments that surround both. Just days before our cover shoot, Toliver was in Montana for the FAT Ice Race in Big Sky as a guest of Porsche Cars North America, swerving in his personal Porsche 911 Dakar through winding roads of the snowy mountain terrain. For the album itself, he connected with West Coast Customs to rework an Audi Coupe GT into a Group B-style rally car, which would later anchor the album\u2019s creative direction around and travel across the country with on a promo run, including a stop at SXSW.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712950\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-02.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p>That same car became a central character in the album\u2019s visual world. It first appears in <em>Octane<\/em>\u2019s trailer, where Toliver pulls up as roadside aid to a crashed-out vixen before racing through the California hills. The scene shifts to Mount Wilson Observatory, where he takes on a Dr. Frankenstein-like role, resurrecting her through sound pulled from the \u201ccosmic void.\u201d The narrative carries into videos like \u201cATM\u201d and \u201cTiramisu,\u201d where his personal collection continues to blur the line between prop and protagonist, including the Porsche 911 Dakar featured in the latter.\n<\/p>\n<p>For our magazine cover shoot in Los Angeles, we asked Toliver to bring a car or two. He showed up in a Lamborghini Revuelto, with his Porsche 911 Dakar and Honda NSX in tow, followed by staff in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, later swapped for a cream-colored Rolls-Royce Phantom. It wasn\u2019t excess for the sake of it; this is just what his world looks like when the doors open.\n<\/p>\n<p>His relationship with cars runs deeper than a surface-level stunt. Where most artists might collect cars for status, Toliver engages with the design itself. \u201cI just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place,\u201d he says. That mindset extends beyond the studio, too. When asked about bringing that world closer to fans, he\u2019s already thinking ahead. \u201cI\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>To understand how that obsession translated into <em>Octane<\/em>, we pulled key moments from our <em>Hypebeast Magazine Issue 37<\/em> cover story, tracing how Toliver\u2019s love for cars became the backbone of his first No. 1 album. Buckle up.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712962\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-07.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve spoken before about your love of cars. Where did the idea for <em>Octane<\/em> come from?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The idea for the project stemmed from my love for motorsports, cars, and everything in that world. Coming off Hardstone, which was about Harleys, baggers, and all those bikes I brought to the table. But this one was geared more around Group B rally racing.\n<\/p>\n<p>I got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack. I kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage. When things are going as crazy as they can get and the fans are just turned up, out of control in their own world, it feels like the same thing. You\u2019re racing down there and you\u2019ve got fans with cameras, all rowdy, and the engines are insane. It\u2019s like you\u2019re performing in front of them.\n<\/p>\n<p>I just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place. So I wanted to introduce that into my life and the music. Then the next step was finding a home for it all. I wanted to build my own installations, maybe a giant geodesic dome, but I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money and a lot of time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>I ended up stumbling across Mount Wilson and started doing a lot of research on it, what it stood for, what [astronomy pioneer Edwin] Hubble did there. I started my own journey as an amateur astronomer while making music. I got to make music there, spend time there, do a lot of photography and videography there. I blended all of that together to create this album.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>I saw you were in Montana recently for the FAT Ice Race, how was that?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The race in Montana was just a demonstration of what\u2019s to come. That race was incredible. I was able to bring my car out there, showcase it, drive it. We won big and I had so much fun.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Switching gears, do you think car culture is better in Houston or LA?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great question. The car culture in Houston is definitely crazy. Car culture in Texas is insane. But LA has this crazy sci-fi feeling to it. If you play video games like Need for Speed and Midnight Club, it has that kind of feeling. As a driver, LA is beautiful.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you ever done a car meetup, or is that something you\u2019d want to do more of?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> Of course. I\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city. Just to see what\u2019s going on and what the kids have out there.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media bypass\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DXuLPpsBWl7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Read our full cover story on Don Toliver here, and order the Houston hitmaker\u2019s cover of Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue on HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"related-stories-main-wrapper\">\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"stories-container\" data-layer-list-name=\"related_stories\" data-layer-list-offset=\"0\" data-layer-list-child-selector=\".story-item\">\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6714054\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Slawn and Opake\u2019s \u201cSuper Toy\u201d Pop-Up Doubles as a Hypebeast Magazine Celebration\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6712897\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad&#8217;s Return, North West&#8217;s Debut: Everything We Loved in Music This Week\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713582\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad Returns After Five Years With an Instant Classic: &#8216;IT&#8217;S BEEN AWFUL&#8217; Is Here\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-email-signup-wrapper impression-tracker\">\n<h3>We got you covered. 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Architects Issue\n                                                            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"teads-adcall\"><\/div>\n<div data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_BTF_POLL\" class=\"adunit ad-poll\" data-freestar-ad=\"__1x1 __2x2\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"category\",\"ros\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"don-tolivers-love-for-cars-didnt-start-with-octane\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"adPosition\":[\"bottom\"],\"sortable\":\"false\"}'><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"sponsored-content row\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-clipper\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-inner\">\n            <!-- Tag ID: HBENGLOB_BTF_AFTERCONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-article adunit sticky-post aftercontent\" data-freestar-ad=\"__300x250\" data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_BTF_AFTERCONTENT\" 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class=\"comment-dropdown-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row post-body\">\n<aside class=\"post-body-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-upper\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-category d-none d-lg-block\">\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine\n                                                                                                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-published d-none d-lg-block\">\n                                                                                                                    <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<ul class=\"post-body-sidebar-hype-comments-container list-unstyled d-none d-lg-block\">\n<li>\n<p>                <span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             632<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\">\n                    <span>Views<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n                                                                                                                                <span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span class=\"icon icon-comment\"><\/span><span>2<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-sm-inline text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>            <span class=\"bookmark-icon\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"bookmark-svg\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p>        <span class=\"author-name\">Madrell Stinney<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-credentials d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"credential\">\n<h6>Photographer<\/h6>\n<p>                    <span>Ryley Paskal<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<article class=\"post-body-article\">\n<div class=\"post-gallery-container small inner-media\">\n<div class=\"gallery-container post-gallery-contain\">\n<div class=\"hb-gallery before-booted full-screen-enabled only-one-cell \" data-images=\"[{&quot;image&quot;:{&quot;description&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_caption&quot;:null,&quot;small&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=480&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;medium&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=720&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;large&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1080&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;xlarge&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1440&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;full&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1440&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;},&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/hypebeast.com\/image\/2026\/04\/29\/How-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Don Toliveru2019s Love for Cars Didnu2019t Start With 'Octane'&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:3000,&quot;height&quot;:2000,&quot;credit&quot;:null,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;creditKey&quot;:&quot;general&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;annotations&quot;:null,&quot;shop&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Shop Now&quot;}}]\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell landscape\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell-inner-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell-image-wrapper annotation-container fixed-ratio-3-2\">\n<p>                                                                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"carousel-cell-image\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?q=75&amp;w=800&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\"><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"sprite-gallery-expand\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery-meta-container credit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\">\n                                                    <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><br \/>\n                                                                <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p>\n<p>                                                    <\/span>\n                                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \">\n<p>                <span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             632<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\">\n                    <span>Views<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                                <span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span class=\"icon icon-comment\"><\/span><span>2<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>            <span class=\"bookmark-icon\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"bookmark-svg\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>T<em>his post is in support of our Don Toliver cover story from Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue. To order a copy, visit HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don Toliver loves cars. That much is obvious. But with <em>Octane<\/em>, that obsession becomes something more deliberate, even a guiding ethos surging through the entire project\u2019s DNA. The album itself plays like a pedal-smashing love letter to Group B rally racing and high-performance fuel. It even opens with \u201cE85,\u201d an ode to high-octane fuel blend used in flex-fuel vehicles. From the start, it\u2019s clear: where 2024\u2019s Hardstone Psycho saw the Houston musician building a full musical and visual world around motorcycle culture, <em>Octane<\/em> finds Toliver making music for the velocity and adrenaline rush of rallying racing.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inner-container\">\n<div class=\"inner-content\">\n<div class=\"adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"in-content-ad-outer\">\n<p><!-- Tag ID: HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"adunit in-content lazy-load no-init\" data-freestar-ad=\"__300x250\" data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"ros\",\"article\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"music\",\"automotive\",\"hypebeast-magazine\",\"cars\",\"don-toliver\",\"octane\",\"hypebeast-magazine-37\",\"the-architects-issue\",\"lifestyle\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"HBArticle\":6712899,\"HBBlacklist\":\"1\"}'><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack,\u201d he tells Hypebeast. \u201cI kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>Concept albums aren\u2019t new for Toliver, but <em>Octane<\/em> doesn\u2019t feel like a one-off theme. It comes across more like an extension of something that\u2019s always been there, a long-standing fixation on motors, motion, and the environments that surround both. Just days before our cover shoot, Toliver was in Montana for the FAT Ice Race in Big Sky as a guest of Porsche Cars North America, swerving in his personal Porsche 911 Dakar through winding roads of the snowy mountain terrain. For the album itself, he connected with West Coast Customs to rework an Audi Coupe GT into a Group B-style rally car, which would later anchor the album\u2019s creative direction around and travel across the country with on a promo run, including a stop at SXSW.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712950\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-02.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p>That same car became a central character in the album\u2019s visual world. It first appears in <em>Octane<\/em>\u2019s trailer, where Toliver pulls up as roadside aid to a crashed-out vixen before racing through the California hills. The scene shifts to Mount Wilson Observatory, where he takes on a Dr. Frankenstein-like role, resurrecting her through sound pulled from the \u201ccosmic void.\u201d The narrative carries into videos like \u201cATM\u201d and \u201cTiramisu,\u201d where his personal collection continues to blur the line between prop and protagonist, including the Porsche 911 Dakar featured in the latter.\n<\/p>\n<p>For our magazine cover shoot in Los Angeles, we asked Toliver to bring a car or two. He showed up in a Lamborghini Revuelto, with his Porsche 911 Dakar and Honda NSX in tow, followed by staff in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, later swapped for a cream-colored Rolls-Royce Phantom. It wasn\u2019t excess for the sake of it; this is just what his world looks like when the doors open.\n<\/p>\n<p>His relationship with cars runs deeper than a surface-level stunt. Where most artists might collect cars for status, Toliver engages with the design itself. \u201cI just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place,\u201d he says. That mindset extends beyond the studio, too. When asked about bringing that world closer to fans, he\u2019s already thinking ahead. \u201cI\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>To understand how that obsession translated into <em>Octane<\/em>, we pulled key moments from our <em>Hypebeast Magazine Issue 37<\/em> cover story, tracing how Toliver\u2019s love for cars became the backbone of his first No. 1 album. Buckle up.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712962\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-07.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve spoken before about your love of cars. Where did the idea for <em>Octane<\/em> come from?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The idea for the project stemmed from my love for motorsports, cars, and everything in that world. Coming off Hardstone, which was about Harleys, baggers, and all those bikes I brought to the table. But this one was geared more around Group B rally racing.\n<\/p>\n<p>I got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack. I kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage. When things are going as crazy as they can get and the fans are just turned up, out of control in their own world, it feels like the same thing. You\u2019re racing down there and you\u2019ve got fans with cameras, all rowdy, and the engines are insane. It\u2019s like you\u2019re performing in front of them.\n<\/p>\n<p>I just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place. So I wanted to introduce that into my life and the music. Then the next step was finding a home for it all. I wanted to build my own installations, maybe a giant geodesic dome, but I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money and a lot of time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>I ended up stumbling across Mount Wilson and started doing a lot of research on it, what it stood for, what [astronomy pioneer Edwin] Hubble did there. I started my own journey as an amateur astronomer while making music. I got to make music there, spend time there, do a lot of photography and videography there. I blended all of that together to create this album.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>I saw you were in Montana recently for the FAT Ice Race, how was that?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The race in Montana was just a demonstration of what\u2019s to come. That race was incredible. I was able to bring my car out there, showcase it, drive it. We won big and I had so much fun.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Switching gears, do you think car culture is better in Houston or LA?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great question. The car culture in Houston is definitely crazy. Car culture in Texas is insane. But LA has this crazy sci-fi feeling to it. If you play video games like Need for Speed and Midnight Club, it has that kind of feeling. As a driver, LA is beautiful.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you ever done a car meetup, or is that something you\u2019d want to do more of?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> Of course. I\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city. Just to see what\u2019s going on and what the kids have out there.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media bypass\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DXuLPpsBWl7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Read our full cover story on Don Toliver here, and order the Houston hitmaker\u2019s cover of Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue on HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"related-stories-main-wrapper\">\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"stories-container\" data-layer-list-name=\"related_stories\" data-layer-list-offset=\"0\" data-layer-list-child-selector=\".story-item\">\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6714054\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Slawn and Opake\u2019s \u201cSuper Toy\u201d Pop-Up Doubles as a Hypebeast Magazine Celebration\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6712897\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad&#8217;s Return, North West&#8217;s Debut: Everything We Loved in Music This Week\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713582\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad Returns After Five Years With an Instant Classic: &#8216;IT&#8217;S BEEN AWFUL&#8217; Is Here\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-email-signup-wrapper impression-tracker\">\n<h3>We got you covered. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest news by signing up for our newsletters.<\/h3>\n<div class=\"widget-newsletter-form\">\n<div class=\"hb-input-group\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"errors\">\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"terms\">By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-author d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p>        <span class=\"author-name\">Madrell Stinney<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-credentials d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<div class=\"credential\">\n<h6>Photographer<\/h6>\n<p>                    <span>Ryley Paskal<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-share d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content-tags\">\n<div class=\"body collapsed\">\n<p>    CarsHypebeast MagazineDon ToliverOCTANEhypebeast magazine 37The Architects Issue\n                                                            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"teads-adcall\"><\/div>\n<div data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_BTF_POLL\" class=\"adunit ad-poll\" data-freestar-ad=\"__1x1 __2x2\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"category\",\"ros\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"don-tolivers-love-for-cars-didnt-start-with-octane\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"adPosition\":[\"bottom\"],\"sortable\":\"false\"}'><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"sponsored-content row\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-clipper\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-inner\">\n            <!-- Tag ID: HBENGLOB_BTF_AFTERCONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-article adunit sticky-post aftercontent\" data-freestar-ad=\"__300x250\" data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_BTF_AFTERCONTENT\" 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class=\"post-body-sidebar-hype-comments-container list-unstyled d-none d-lg-block\">\n<li>\n<p>                <span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             632<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\">\n                    <span>Views<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n                                                                                                                                <span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span class=\"icon icon-comment\"><\/span><span>2<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-sm-inline text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>            <span class=\"bookmark-icon\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"bookmark-svg\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p>        <span class=\"author-name\">Madrell Stinney<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-credentials d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"credential\">\n<h6>Photographer<\/h6>\n<p>                    <span>Ryley Paskal<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-category d-none d-lg-block\">\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine\n                                                                                                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-published d-none d-lg-block\">\n                                                                                                                    <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p>        <span class=\"author-name\">Madrell Stinney<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-credentials d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"credential\">\n<h6>Photographer<\/h6>\n<p>                    <span>Ryley Paskal<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<article class=\"post-body-article\">\n<div class=\"post-gallery-container small inner-media\">\n<div class=\"gallery-container post-gallery-contain\">\n<div class=\"hb-gallery before-booted full-screen-enabled only-one-cell \" data-images=\"[{&quot;image&quot;:{&quot;description&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_caption&quot;:null,&quot;small&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=480&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;medium&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=720&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;large&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1080&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;xlarge&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1440&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;,&quot;full&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?w=1440&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&quot;},&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/hypebeast.com\/image\/2026\/04\/29\/How-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Don Toliveru2019s Love for Cars Didnu2019t Start With 'Octane'&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:3000,&quot;height&quot;:2000,&quot;credit&quot;:null,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;creditKey&quot;:&quot;general&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;annotations&quot;:null,&quot;shop&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Shop Now&quot;}}]\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell landscape\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell-inner-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"carousel-cell-image-wrapper annotation-container fixed-ratio-3-2\">\n<p>                                                                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"carousel-cell-image\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-01-1.jpg?q=75&amp;w=800&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\"><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"sprite-gallery-expand\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery-meta-container credit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\">\n                                                    <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><br \/>\n                                                                <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p>\n<p>                                                    <\/span>\n                                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \">\n<p>                <span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             632<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\">\n                    <span>Views<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                                <span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span class=\"icon icon-comment\"><\/span><span>2<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>            <span class=\"bookmark-icon\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"bookmark-svg\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>T<em>his post is in support of our Don Toliver cover story from Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue. To order a copy, visit HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don Toliver loves cars. That much is obvious. But with <em>Octane<\/em>, that obsession becomes something more deliberate, even a guiding ethos surging through the entire project\u2019s DNA. The album itself plays like a pedal-smashing love letter to Group B rally racing and high-performance fuel. It even opens with \u201cE85,\u201d an ode to high-octane fuel blend used in flex-fuel vehicles. From the start, it\u2019s clear: where 2024\u2019s Hardstone Psycho saw the Houston musician building a full musical and visual world around motorcycle culture, <em>Octane<\/em> finds Toliver making music for the velocity and adrenaline rush of rallying racing.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inner-container\">\n<div class=\"inner-content\">\n<div class=\"adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"in-content-ad-outer\">\n<p><!-- Tag ID: HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"adunit in-content lazy-load no-init\" data-freestar-ad=\"__300x250\" data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"ros\",\"article\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"music\",\"automotive\",\"hypebeast-magazine\",\"cars\",\"don-toliver\",\"octane\",\"hypebeast-magazine-37\",\"the-architects-issue\",\"lifestyle\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"HBArticle\":6712899,\"HBBlacklist\":\"1\"}'><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack,\u201d he tells Hypebeast. \u201cI kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>Concept albums aren\u2019t new for Toliver, but <em>Octane<\/em> doesn\u2019t feel like a one-off theme. It comes across more like an extension of something that\u2019s always been there, a long-standing fixation on motors, motion, and the environments that surround both. Just days before our cover shoot, Toliver was in Montana for the FAT Ice Race in Big Sky as a guest of Porsche Cars North America, swerving in his personal Porsche 911 Dakar through winding roads of the snowy mountain terrain. For the album itself, he connected with West Coast Customs to rework an Audi Coupe GT into a Group B-style rally car, which would later anchor the album\u2019s creative direction around and travel across the country with on a promo run, including a stop at SXSW.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712950\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-02.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p>That same car became a central character in the album\u2019s visual world. It first appears in <em>Octane<\/em>\u2019s trailer, where Toliver pulls up as roadside aid to a crashed-out vixen before racing through the California hills. The scene shifts to Mount Wilson Observatory, where he takes on a Dr. Frankenstein-like role, resurrecting her through sound pulled from the \u201ccosmic void.\u201d The narrative carries into videos like \u201cATM\u201d and \u201cTiramisu,\u201d where his personal collection continues to blur the line between prop and protagonist, including the Porsche 911 Dakar featured in the latter.\n<\/p>\n<p>For our magazine cover shoot in Los Angeles, we asked Toliver to bring a car or two. He showed up in a Lamborghini Revuelto, with his Porsche 911 Dakar and Honda NSX in tow, followed by staff in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, later swapped for a cream-colored Rolls-Royce Phantom. It wasn\u2019t excess for the sake of it; this is just what his world looks like when the doors open.\n<\/p>\n<p>His relationship with cars runs deeper than a surface-level stunt. Where most artists might collect cars for status, Toliver engages with the design itself. \u201cI just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place,\u201d he says. That mindset extends beyond the studio, too. When asked about bringing that world closer to fans, he\u2019s already thinking ahead. \u201cI\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>To understand how that obsession translated into <em>Octane<\/em>, we pulled key moments from our <em>Hypebeast Magazine Issue 37<\/em> cover story, tracing how Toliver\u2019s love for cars became the backbone of his first No. 1 album. Buckle up.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712962\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-07.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve spoken before about your love of cars. Where did the idea for <em>Octane<\/em> come from?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The idea for the project stemmed from my love for motorsports, cars, and everything in that world. Coming off Hardstone, which was about Harleys, baggers, and all those bikes I brought to the table. But this one was geared more around Group B rally racing.\n<\/p>\n<p>I got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack. I kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage. When things are going as crazy as they can get and the fans are just turned up, out of control in their own world, it feels like the same thing. You\u2019re racing down there and you\u2019ve got fans with cameras, all rowdy, and the engines are insane. It\u2019s like you\u2019re performing in front of them.\n<\/p>\n<p>I just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place. So I wanted to introduce that into my life and the music. Then the next step was finding a home for it all. I wanted to build my own installations, maybe a giant geodesic dome, but I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money and a lot of time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>I ended up stumbling across Mount Wilson and started doing a lot of research on it, what it stood for, what [astronomy pioneer Edwin] Hubble did there. I started my own journey as an amateur astronomer while making music. I got to make music there, spend time there, do a lot of photography and videography there. I blended all of that together to create this album.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>I saw you were in Montana recently for the FAT Ice Race, how was that?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The race in Montana was just a demonstration of what\u2019s to come. That race was incredible. I was able to bring my car out there, showcase it, drive it. We won big and I had so much fun.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Switching gears, do you think car culture is better in Houston or LA?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great question. The car culture in Houston is definitely crazy. Car culture in Texas is insane. But LA has this crazy sci-fi feeling to it. If you play video games like Need for Speed and Midnight Club, it has that kind of feeling. As a driver, LA is beautiful.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you ever done a car meetup, or is that something you\u2019d want to do more of?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> Of course. I\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city. Just to see what\u2019s going on and what the kids have out there.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media bypass\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DXuLPpsBWl7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Read our full cover story on Don Toliver here, and order the Houston hitmaker\u2019s cover of Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue on HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"related-stories-main-wrapper\">\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"stories-container\" data-layer-list-name=\"related_stories\" data-layer-list-offset=\"0\" data-layer-list-child-selector=\".story-item\">\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6714054\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Slawn and Opake\u2019s \u201cSuper Toy\u201d Pop-Up Doubles as a Hypebeast Magazine Celebration\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6712897\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad&#8217;s Return, North West&#8217;s Debut: Everything We Loved in Music This Week\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713582\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad Returns After Five Years With an Instant Classic: &#8216;IT&#8217;S BEEN AWFUL&#8217; Is Here\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-email-signup-wrapper impression-tracker\">\n<h3>We got you covered. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest news by signing up for our newsletters.<\/h3>\n<div class=\"widget-newsletter-form\">\n<div class=\"hb-input-group\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"errors\">\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"terms\">By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-author d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p>        <span class=\"author-name\">Madrell Stinney<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-credentials d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<div class=\"credential\">\n<h6>Photographer<\/h6>\n<p>                    <span>Ryley Paskal<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-share d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content-tags\">\n<div class=\"body collapsed\">\n<p>    CarsHypebeast MagazineDon ToliverOCTANEhypebeast magazine 37The Architects Issue\n                                                            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"teads-adcall\"><\/div>\n<div data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_BTF_POLL\" class=\"adunit ad-poll\" data-freestar-ad=\"__1x1 __2x2\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"category\",\"ros\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"don-tolivers-love-for-cars-didnt-start-with-octane\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"adPosition\":[\"bottom\"],\"sortable\":\"false\"}'><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"sponsored-content row\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-clipper\">\n<div class=\"aftercontent-inner\">\n            <!-- Tag ID: HBENGLOB_BTF_AFTERCONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-article adunit sticky-post aftercontent\" data-freestar-ad=\"__300x250\" data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_BTF_AFTERCONTENT\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"ros\",\"article\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"music\",\"automotive\",\"hypebeast-magazine\",\"cars\",\"don-toliver\",\"octane\",\"hypebeast-magazine-37\",\"the-architects-issue\",\"lifestyle\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"HBArticle\":6712899,\"HBBlacklist\":\"1\"}'><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\">\n                                                    <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><br \/>\n                                                                <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p>\n<p>                                                    <\/span>\n                                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \">\n<p>                <span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             632<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\">\n                    <span>Views<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                                <span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span class=\"icon icon-comment\"><\/span><span>2<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>            <span class=\"bookmark-icon\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"bookmark-svg\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\">\n                                                    <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><br \/>\n                                                                <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p>\n<p>                                                    <\/span>\n                                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\">\n                                                    <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Music<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Automotive<span class=\"space\">\u00a0<\/span>Hypebeast Magazine<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                <span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><br \/>\n                                                                <time>Apr 30, 2026<\/time><\/p>\n<p>                                                    <\/span>\n                                                            <\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \">\n<p>                <span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             632<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\">\n                    <span>Views<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                                <span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span class=\"icon icon-comment\"><\/span><span>2<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-arrow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>            <span class=\"bookmark-icon\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"bookmark-svg\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>T<em>his post is in support of our Don Toliver cover story from Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue. To order a copy, visit HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don Toliver loves cars. That much is obvious. But with <em>Octane<\/em>, that obsession becomes something more deliberate, even a guiding ethos surging through the entire project\u2019s DNA. The album itself plays like a pedal-smashing love letter to Group B rally racing and high-performance fuel. It even opens with \u201cE85,\u201d an ode to high-octane fuel blend used in flex-fuel vehicles. From the start, it\u2019s clear: where 2024\u2019s Hardstone Psycho saw the Houston musician building a full musical and visual world around motorcycle culture, <em>Octane<\/em> finds Toliver making music for the velocity and adrenaline rush of rallying racing.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inner-container\">\n<div class=\"inner-content\">\n<div class=\"adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"in-content-ad-outer\">\n<p><!-- Tag ID: HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"adunit in-content lazy-load no-init\" data-freestar-ad=\"__300x250\" data-adunit=\"HBENGLOB_ATF_INCONTENT\" data-targeting='{\"HBSiteLoc\":[\"ros\",\"article\"],\"HBSiteCat\":[\"music\",\"automotive\",\"hypebeast-magazine\",\"cars\",\"don-toliver\",\"octane\",\"hypebeast-magazine-37\",\"the-architects-issue\",\"lifestyle\"],\"HBSitePage\":\"0\",\"HBSiteLang\":\"en\",\"country\":\"ro\",\"region\":\"emea\",\"subRegion\":\"europe\",\"HBArticle\":6712899,\"HBBlacklist\":\"1\"}'><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack,\u201d he tells Hypebeast. \u201cI kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>Concept albums aren\u2019t new for Toliver, but <em>Octane<\/em> doesn\u2019t feel like a one-off theme. It comes across more like an extension of something that\u2019s always been there, a long-standing fixation on motors, motion, and the environments that surround both. Just days before our cover shoot, Toliver was in Montana for the FAT Ice Race in Big Sky as a guest of Porsche Cars North America, swerving in his personal Porsche 911 Dakar through winding roads of the snowy mountain terrain. For the album itself, he connected with West Coast Customs to rework an Audi Coupe GT into a Group B-style rally car, which would later anchor the album\u2019s creative direction around and travel across the country with on a promo run, including a stop at SXSW.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712950\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-02.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p>That same car became a central character in the album\u2019s visual world. It first appears in <em>Octane<\/em>\u2019s trailer, where Toliver pulls up as roadside aid to a crashed-out vixen before racing through the California hills. The scene shifts to Mount Wilson Observatory, where he takes on a Dr. Frankenstein-like role, resurrecting her through sound pulled from the \u201ccosmic void.\u201d The narrative carries into videos like \u201cATM\u201d and \u201cTiramisu,\u201d where his personal collection continues to blur the line between prop and protagonist, including the Porsche 911 Dakar featured in the latter.\n<\/p>\n<p>For our magazine cover shoot in Los Angeles, we asked Toliver to bring a car or two. He showed up in a Lamborghini Revuelto, with his Porsche 911 Dakar and Honda NSX in tow, followed by staff in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, later swapped for a cream-colored Rolls-Royce Phantom. It wasn\u2019t excess for the sake of it; this is just what his world looks like when the doors open.\n<\/p>\n<p>His relationship with cars runs deeper than a surface-level stunt. Where most artists might collect cars for status, Toliver engages with the design itself. \u201cI just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place,\u201d he says. That mindset extends beyond the studio, too. When asked about bringing that world closer to fans, he\u2019s already thinking ahead. \u201cI\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>To understand how that obsession translated into <em>Octane<\/em>, we pulled key moments from our <em>Hypebeast Magazine Issue 37<\/em> cover story, tracing how Toliver\u2019s love for cars became the backbone of his first No. 1 album. Buckle up.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6712962\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-07.jpg?w=1260&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max\" alt=\"Don Toliver\u2019s Love for Cars Didn\u2019t Start With 'Octane'\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve spoken before about your love of cars. Where did the idea for <em>Octane<\/em> come from?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The idea for the project stemmed from my love for motorsports, cars, and everything in that world. Coming off Hardstone, which was about Harleys, baggers, and all those bikes I brought to the table. But this one was geared more around Group B rally racing.\n<\/p>\n<p>I got infatuated with watching racers race and fans literally spectating right on the racetrack. I kind of felt like that was similar to how we are onstage. When things are going as crazy as they can get and the fans are just turned up, out of control in their own world, it feels like the same thing. You\u2019re racing down there and you\u2019ve got fans with cameras, all rowdy, and the engines are insane. It\u2019s like you\u2019re performing in front of them.\n<\/p>\n<p>I just love the cars, the body lines of the cars. They take me to a really cool place. So I wanted to introduce that into my life and the music. Then the next step was finding a home for it all. I wanted to build my own installations, maybe a giant geodesic dome, but I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money and a lot of time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>I ended up stumbling across Mount Wilson and started doing a lot of research on it, what it stood for, what [astronomy pioneer Edwin] Hubble did there. I started my own journey as an amateur astronomer while making music. I got to make music there, spend time there, do a lot of photography and videography there. I blended all of that together to create this album.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>I saw you were in Montana recently for the FAT Ice Race, how was that?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> The race in Montana was just a demonstration of what\u2019s to come. That race was incredible. I was able to bring my car out there, showcase it, drive it. We won big and I had so much fun.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Switching gears, do you think car culture is better in Houston or LA?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great question. The car culture in Houston is definitely crazy. Car culture in Texas is insane. But LA has this crazy sci-fi feeling to it. If you play video games like Need for Speed and Midnight Club, it has that kind of feeling. As a driver, LA is beautiful.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you ever done a car meetup, or is that something you\u2019d want to do more of?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toliver:<\/strong> Of course. I\u2019ve done some small car meetups for the album, but once I get some downtime, possibly on tour, I\u2019m going to schedule a couple. Probably in every city. Just to see what\u2019s going on and what the kids have out there.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media bypass\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DXuLPpsBWl7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Read our full cover story on Don Toliver here, and order the Houston hitmaker\u2019s cover of Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue on HBX.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-author d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p>        <span class=\"author-name\">Madrell Stinney<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-credentials d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<div class=\"credential\">\n<h6>Photographer<\/h6>\n<p>                    <span>Ryley Paskal<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-share d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content-tags\">\n<div class=\"body collapsed\">\n<p>    CarsHypebeast MagazineDon ToliverOCTANEhypebeast magazine 37The Architects Issue\n                                                            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/hypebeast.com\/2026\/4\/don-tolivers-love-for-cars-didnt-start-with-octane&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F29%2FHow-Don-Toliver-Made-Octane-X-Card.jpg?w=1080&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&#8221;] Music\u00a0Automotive\u00a0Hypebeast Magazine Apr 30, 2026 632 Views 2\u00a0Comments Comments Save Text By Madrell Stinney Photographer Ryley Paskal Share this article Music\u00a0Automotive\u00a0Hypebeast Magazine Apr 30, 2026 632 Views 2\u00a0Comments Comments Save This post is in support of our Don Toliver cover story from Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue. To order a copy, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,39],"class_list":["post-1915576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-hypebeast-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1915576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1915576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1915576\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1915576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1915576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1915576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}