“Don’t” by Bryson Tiller
Bryson Tiller has revealed that this song (“Don’t”) is based on his real life alright – but not from the perspective he takes in the lyrics. Lyrically, he’s a guy who is pursuing someone else’s girlfriend. And that someone else, in terms of real-life inspiration, would actually be Bryson himself. In other words, Tiller came to the realization that, according to his own words, that he ‘wasn’t doing what he needed to be doing in his relationship’. So basically, he went about imagining how someone who was trying to steal his lady would use that reality, i.e. him being a less-than-ideal partner, to their advantage.
So with that in mind, what we’re basically dealing with here is your usual, hip-hop oriented your-man-isn’t-treating-you-right-so-let-me-bonk-you kinda song. Indeed as the piece progresses, the vocalist lets the addressee know that his desire for her is in large part carnal, even if the premise of his argument – that she should hook up with him instead – centers of her being mistreated by her current beau.
And it is also insinuated that the two of them may already have something going, i.e. the vocalist driving her around while simultaneously ‘gripping her thigh’.
Usually in entreaties of this nature, the guy would, at least ideally, keep his sexual intentions on the backburner. But again, this is a rap-inspired piece. So by the time “Don’t” concludes, the lyrics transforms from a guy trying to kick it to a girl to basically a no holds barred hip-hop party song, one which in “H-Town”, aka Houston, is given a prominent shoutout.
The Title (“Don’t”)
Concerning the one-word title, that is the only term to be found in the chorus. And theoretically, what it alludes to is the vocalist advising the addressee not to tolerate mistreatment from her established partner any longer.
Bryson Tiller
Bryson Tiller is a singer from Louisville, which is the largest city in (though not capital of) Kentucky. As of this writing, he is 29 years old. Furthermore, most recently he made headlines as part of the Diddy tribute at the 2022 BET Awards.
Tiller’s discography commenced in 2014, and he’s dropped three studio albums between 2015 and 2020. The early goings of his career were a lot more successful than more recent times.
“Don’t” is Tiller’s Most Successful Work
“Don’t”, which was released on 9 October 2014 as Bryon’s debut single, still stands as his most-successful song. For instance, it marks the highest he ever reached on the Billboard Hot 100, where the track peaked at number 13.
But even more importantly it proved to be a major commercial smash, having achieved RIAA septuple-platinum status as of 2021 and concurrently being a quadruple-platinum hit in Canada. And just to note, the most recent song Bryson participated on which was a comparable success was 2017’s “Wild Thoughts“, which was a collaboration with DJ Khaled and Rihanna.
More about “Don’t”
This song dates back to Bryson Tiller’s SoundCloud days, before he became a certified music star.
Amongst those to receive writing credit, besides for the singer, is one of the track’s producers, Epikh Pro, as well as the following:
- Isom Brandon Stuart
- Vory
- Johntá Austin
- Bryan-Michael Cox
- Jermaine Dupri
- Mariah Carey
The last four names on that list are acknowledged as writers because of a reason. This reason is because “Don’t” samples a 2005 track they co-wrote, which is Mariah’s Shake It Off.
The final name in the list of the producers credited with producing “Don’t” is Dope Boi Beatz.
Vory, a singer in his own right, also serves as an additional vocalist on this track. In fact it is he who recites the third verse where Houston, his hometown, is given a shoutout.
(Presumably only) the original recording of this song was done in Bryson’s own home. He reportedly recorded the track using an equipment he purchased through eBay which cost, in total, only $600.
This track is from “Trapsoul”, Bryson Tiller’s first studio album, which is a product of RCA Records.
Interesting to note is that on that project, which made it onto the top 10 of the Billboard 200, there’s another song titled “Ten Nine Fourteen”, which is an abbreviation for the release date of “Don’t”. And said piece is said to center on how the success of “Don’t” transformed Bryson’s life. It is also interesting to note that Tiller was 21 years old on said date.
According to IMDb, the director of this track’s music video is simply known as Cris.
