Toosii Shares 'Boys Don't Cry: Men Do' (Deluxe)
The album was originally released in October.
By: Michael Major Nov. 11, 2022
Toosii dropped Boys Don't Cry: Men Do (Deluxe) today, just hours before he joins Rod Wave on his North American arena tour, which kicks off tonight at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Released via South Coast Music Group/Capitol Records, the new edition of his acclaimed 2022 EP, Boys Don't Cry, features five new soul-baring tracks. The expanded title underscores its central theme - that it's time to question the deeply ingrained belief that boys need to stifle their emotions in order to be strong.
On the new songs, the 22-year-old artist is haunted yet informed by the past. Numbed by the pain of hard knocks and ill-fated romances, he nonetheless finds the courage to fall head over heels in love, as shown on tracks like "City Of Love." Raised in Syracuse, New York, and Goose Creek, South Carolina, Toosii moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in his teens - and it's there that he came into his own. He recorded the new material in neighboring Cary, NC.
As direct support on Rod Wave's Beautiful Mind tour, Toosii will be playing for crowds across North America. The run includes shows at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY (November 23) and Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC (11/30). It will conclude at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA (December 21). See below for itinerary.
Toosii's lyrics have always been personal, but on Boys Don't Cry: Men Do he reveals how his journey of self-discovery was flipped on its head with the birth of his son - who can be heard on the closing bars of "Since 9th Grade." He's begun to reexamine his own life lessons and approach the world differently. Yet as he approached professional and personal milestones, Toosii found himself battling a depression so deep and disruptive that he went nearly a year between projects. The moving piano ballad "Last Song" takes fans inside that dark time. Dealing with his own mental health gave Toosii a fresh perspective on life.
"I'm just trying to learn to be the best person I can be for the people I love and for myself," Toosii says. "Growing up as a man, we were always taught to be tough, not to have emotions, and that boys don't cry. But it's just not true. It's alright as a man to tap into that emotional side."
Upon the original release of Boys Don't Cry in October, Toosii gave a powerful performance of the collection's songs, backed by a live band, on his YouTube channel. He discussed the EP on Complex's "The Daily Drift," live on Twitch.
XXL tipped Boys Don't Cry as one of the fall's highly anticipated drops and hailed "Love is..." as one of the "Best New Hip-Hop Songs." The track has amassed more than 35 million combined global streams to date The Source observed, "Toosii's ability to show vulnerability in his music has been something he's done since stepping onto the scene."
Teen Vogue said, "if you're not in his orbit yet, you need to tap in." UPROXX noted, "Toosii has never run away from difficult emotions, and offers one of his most somber records in 'Heartaches." Hip-Hop Vibe heralded Toosii as "one of the hottest rising artists in the industry."
Listen to the new single here:
Photo Credit: Julian Burgueño
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