Canadian rapper and singer Tory Lanez took some time off Instagram Live to drop a new album. Tory’s lane has always been in the autotune, trap/ R&B sound. but he has also been known for more than just his music. Whether it’s controversy, fighting, or his now-famous Quarantine Radio on IG live, something always precedes the music. Personally, his albums and other releases haven’t stuck with me outside of a few tracks. There are times where he is blatantly ripping off other artists’ sound and that’s my biggest issue with him. Tory’s originality is lack-luster throughout all of his projects and I didn’t expect that to be any different here.
The New Toronto 3 is Tory Lanez’s best project to date in almost every aspect. It’s his smoothest running album as every track flows nicely. It’s also his most original project. He stuck to one sound and, above all else, he told his story. When you think of Tory and content, the two usually don’t mix. He has always been super braggadocious about his wealth, the girls he can get and the way he lives his life. But this was an introspective side that I have never heard from him. Of course, he has his moments of flexing his Saint Laurent and his cribs coming with another fine woman in it like “Pricey & Spicey” and “Stupid Again”. Or how he’ll always be rich and how the diamonds on his neck make him look like a chameleon on “Broke in a Minute”, all of which are hits. But he gave us moments of reflection here too.
Recently Tory has gone independent and explains the transition in-depth on “Letter to the City 2”. Here he tells us his label did not give him a real chance to shine at Interscope. Tory expresses anger toward Benny Blanco on a Drake type flow that you could have thought was a loosie dropped on Soundcloud. It was raw emotion, and it seemed more of an ode to Drake than a copy. “Adidas” is Tory giving us his struggle of dealing with violence all his life, where he spits non-stop for three-and-a-half minutes. Even on tracks like “Dope Boy’s Diary” and “PAIN” he talks about certain situations in his life that hurt him but made him better in the end. Those tracks didn’t stick with me as much, but I appreciate them while he is at his most vulnerable.
The production on this album is top-notch as well with standout tracks like “Coldest Playboy”, which may be his hardest track in a bit. “Accidents Happen” featuring Lil Tjay gives off a passion of life that only these two can do where they tell us their fame isn’t an accident and that they were born for stardom. There are just so many hits placed to choose from, where he is being himself in his own voice. Tory finally seems comfortable with himself and he celebrates it on “Back in Business” and “D.N.D.”
The last track “MSG 4 GODS CHILDREN” he speaks on learning to love himself and the people around him. “This is gods purpose” Tory says, “I know the devil wanna scratch me off surface, but every attempt he tryin is worthless, that boy will never get me.” That is the biggest takeaway from this: Tory is being himself. He isn’t trying to be Travis Scott or the next trendy thing. He is making music his way and it sounds like he is free from whatever was holding him back before. Whether that was his label situation or a mental lockdown, Tory Lanez broke through it. The New Toronto 3 is his most complete work to date, he shown and proved on this one.
Score: 8.0/10