His 2020 single, "Don't Need Time" received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spawned a remix featuring American rapper Lil Baby.

[5] After his release in 2018, he began further pursuing a recording career, publishing his first music video in September of that year for his song "Life of a Dog".

[2][8] He began 2020 by securing features from Stunna 4 Vegas ("4PF Like Baby") and Rylo Rodriguez ("Sick of Cell") before releasing his breakout single "Don't Need Time" on April 27.

[5] Written in memory of his recently deceased friend Wolph, the piano-driven track was notably slower-paced and more self-reflective than his previous songs.

[5] On August 25, a remix featuring Lil Baby was released along with a new music video that addressed the theme of police brutality following the killing of another one of Hotboii's friends, Salaythis Melvin, by an Orange County sheriff's deputy earlier that month.

[12] Pitchfork noted how he "came into his own by polishing his blend of painful street tales and witty punchlines" on the project,[13] while Audiomack called it "41 hyper-realistic and melodic minutes of contemporary hip-hop goodness.

"[12] After releasing further music videos, he secured a guest feature from Chicago rapper Polo G on "Goat Talk 2", a follow-up to the original which became among his most popular songs.

It contained higher-profile guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Big30, and Kodak Black, with "Nobody Special" serving as its lead single.