Don Tooly
The FADER's weekly column What Rules highlights our office's new obsessions.
Who are they?
Name: Don Tooly
Style: Thugged-out, gritty, mafioso-street rap.
Location: Rochester, Minnesota.
Why should I listen?
Don Tooly is a rising talent from the burgeoning — and very eclectic — music scene bubbling out in my home state of Minnesota(!!). The first time I tuned in to Tooly's in-your-face mafioso street rap while riding around in traffic with the homies, I just felt a tinge of inspiration — like I should be working way harder at getting to this money. His witty bars packed with lines about gritty street shit — that my nerd-ass knows nothing about — make me feel like part of all the cool things about being a hustler.
Tooly raps with a low-toned, calm and collected cadence that almost makes him sound like a cool-ass horror movie villain. To me, he's a product of the cold and unpredictable environment of a lot of off-the-map cities in the country. And instead of letting that drag him down, the budding young star carries his hometown forward by painting a picture for outsiders.
His debut EP Snowfall is out now, and has all the motivational music you need for the winter — whether you're a born hustler, or a regular-ass dude surfing the net.
Where should I start?