Secondhand
by Don Toliver (featuring Rema)

Album: Octane (2026)
Charted: 51 29
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Secondhand" is a moody, late-night collaboration between Don Toliver and Nigerian star Rema. The track explores the ache of feeling like a "used" or undervalued lover in a world obsessed with status. Against this backdrop of excess, Toliver's soulful delivery serves as an anchor as he vows to do whatever it takes to prove he and his love interest belong together.
  • The phrase "secondhand lovers" carries a neat double meaning. On the surface, it suggests a relationship other people might view as second-tier or borrowed, the emotional equivalent of a hand-me-down in a culture that treats love as disposable. Yet Toliver and Rema come at it from the opposite direction, framing their romances as something quietly rare and mutually necessary: more in line with the late-night vulnerability you hear in Drake's "Marvin's Room" or The Weeknd's glamorous melancholy on "Call Out My Name," where devotion and self-doubt are constantly in tension.
  • 206DEREK, Gabe Shaddow, Roark Bailey and Saskia handled the production.

    206DEREK (Derek Anderson) is a Seattle-born, LA-based producer/engineer who started out engineering sessions for Don Toliver and Travis Scott, then gradually shifted into full production with Don's trust. He has become one of Toliver's go-to collaborators, with multiple placements on 2023's Love Sick and continuing work across later projects, often handling both production and mixing.

    Gabe Shaddow is a Los Angeles creative director, photographer, and music producer, active in hip-hop and streetwear culture. He has worked closely with Taylor Gang and Ty Dolla $ign, initially through photography and branding, later contributing beats (including placements on Ty Dolla $ign's Featuring Ty Dolla $ign).

    Roark Bailey is an American producer, mixer, engineer, and musician with credits across mainstream hip-hop and R&B. They include Summer Walker's "I'll Kill You" and "Playing Games" and Saweetie's "My Type."

    Saskia is a producer and background vocalist who contributed both production and the opening and recurring refrain. Her section effectively acts as the song's emotional thesis, and Don and Rema's verses answer or expand on the feeling she sets up.
  • Toliver recorded "Secondhand" for his Octane album. Sonically the track distinguishes itself from much of the record by incorporating a subtle string section performed by Cameron Stone (cello), Drew Alexander Forde (viola), and violinists Kathleen Sloan and Luanne Homzy. The arrangement adds a warm, organic undertone beneath the trap-leaning percussion and synthesizers.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?