Tory Lanez, Memories Don’t Die | Album Review 💿

Canadian rapper/singer Tory Lanez shows improvement on Memories Don’t Die, but still lacks artistic distinction and overplays clichés.

Tory Lanez is back…yay…  Here’s the deal with Tory. The Canadian rapper/singer showed he had potential on his 2016 debut album, I Told You. On that particular effort, he excelled most as a singer.  On his sophomore album, Memories Don’t Die, he steps his rap game up, dropping more hard-nosed rhymes and a more compelling flow.  Still, despite his improvement, he still suffers from a lack of artistic distinction and overplaying clichés.

“Old Friends x New Foes”

Memories Don’t Die has its fair share of moments.  The first comes early with ✓ “Old Friends x New Foes.” Where Tory Lanez stood out more on I Told You thanks to his vocals, on this particular song, it’s his flow that stands out on the “New Foes” portion.  He steps up his game. Advanced single ✓ “Shooters” shines more in the context of the album, even if Lanez isn’t serving up anything ‘brand new.’ It’s well-produced and overall soundly executed without being triumphant per se. “4 Me” benefits from its backdrop but isn’t the most inspired effort.

The content of ✓ “Skrt Skrt” also suffers from being utterly cliché, yet the record fits the Lanez lane.  Sure, distinct, individual identity continues to be an issue with Tory Lanez, but those who enjoyed “Luv” will likely appreciate the tropical-pop vibes of “Skrt Skrt.”  The ‘soulful’ switch-up that occurs on “Benevolent” is another example of a respectable TL moment.  The first half, filled with hard rhymes isn’t too shabby either.

“Hate to Say”

Another advance single, “Real Thing” (featuring Future) is a decent banger without being game changing or transcendent.  The better record is ✓ “Hate to Say,” which features the best Tory Lanez flow to date.  The production bangs without being incredibly dynamic or overt.  The key selling point is the One Direction sample – who would’ve thought.  Here’s the problem – “Hate to Say” is at the center of a plagiarism faux pas. Sadly, it wouldn’t be the first accusations of copycatting Lanez has committed. That definitely takes away from the sheer excellence of this gem.

“B.I.D” is familiar – maybe too familiar.  Beyond its status as an advance single, it’s more of the same sex that every fuckboy male urban-contemporary/rap artist seems to spit.  “B.I.D” stands for “bust it down.” The brief number is essentially drunk sex – if that’s your cup of tea, you may be onboard. On “48 Floors,” featuring Mansa, Lanez continues to build a song around shallow things – Wraith-talk and sex-talk.  To his credit, after a low-key first verse, he’s much more energetic on the second.  Furthermore, Mansa pop-raps the third verse over a contrasting backdrop, thanks to a beat switch.

“B.B.W.W x Fake Show”

✓ “B.B.W.W x Fake Show” is another two-part joint, which finds Tory Lanez excelling at harder rhymes.  Even with the change of pace on “Fake Show,” the listener still gets a potential ‘lane’ for rapper. “Dance for Me,” featuring NAV, ends up being forgettable – “been there, done that.” “Pieces,” featuring 50 Cent,” is enjoyable, but absolutely too long.  After following the overindulgent “Dance for Me,” back-to-back cuts exceeding five minutes in duration is a lot to ask.

Memories Don’t Die continues to roll on but doesn’t bring anything truly distinct to the table.  “Connection” is both sexy and slick but doesn’t differ much from the same type of song courtesy of Drake or Chris Brown.  Call it what it is – “same shit, different day.” “Hillside,” like “Connection” is also star-studded, trading Fabolous, Davo, and Paloma Ford for Wiz Khalifa and Mansa (again).

“Hypnotized”

“Hypnotized” gives Lanez a potential urban-pop crossover hit. Perhaps it’s a bit bland and generic, but it has Top-40, pop radio potential nonetheless.  Eight-minute penultimate juggernaut “Happiness x Tell Me” follows.  Vocally, his light tenor is in full effect on “Happiness…,” ultimately a selling point. “Tell Me” is a bit more assertive but incorporates more pop-rap vibes as opposed to straight, unpitched rhymes.  “DON’T DIE” concludes Memories Don’t Die finding Lanez exuding toughness.

Final Thoughts

As aforementioned, Memories Don’t Die has its fair share of moments.  In some respects, Tory Lanez sounds more seasoned and compelling on his sophomore album compared to his debut. His rapping, something I personally criticized on I Told You, is certainly improved.  Then again, with alleged (maybe blatant the better word) plagiarism, plus the heavy influence of Drake, Lanez still doesn’t feel like he’s developed his own distinct brand as an artist.  Further hurting his cause is the length of this album.  Maybe the 70 minutes is intentional to up streams, but still, it’s too much album with more clichés.

✓ Gems: “Old Friends x New Foes,” “Shooters,” “Skrt Skrt,” “Hate to Say,” “B.B.W.W x Fake Show”

Tory Lanez • Memories Don’t Die • Interscope • Release: 3.2.18

Photo Credit: Interscope