Vincent Johnson
      Staff Writer

In my opinion, Tory Lanez’s “Chixtape 3” was easily the best R&B project of 2015. Released in late December along with his “New Toronto” mixtape, “Chixtape 3” is a creative and soulful blend of the classic rhythm and blues of the ‘90s and 2000s, and the wildly popular trap sonic landscape of modern music. Picking up where “Chixtape 2” left off, the project plays through like an urban love story, detailing Lanez’s trials and tribulations as he juggles his romantic relationships with Jalissa and Keisha, who happen to be best friends.

Tory Lanez and frequent collaborator Play Picasso handle the bulk of the production, and as they flipped classic samples from artists like Alicia Keys, Usher, Jagged Edge, Destiny’s Child and even Juvenile, they were able to develop a seductive chemistry, resulting in an album-quality concept mixtape with incredible cohesion. Lanez’s vocals are filled with passion, pleasure and pain on every record, and as he sings his heart out, the emotions he expresses are relatable, honest and down to earth.

The opening track, “Came 4 Me,” finds Tory Lanez crooning a powerful falsetto in an attempt to serenade his woman into bed. Soft, short and sweet, the brief ballad quickly transitions into the mixtape’s second song, “N.A.M.E.” This record finds Lanez singing to his woman about how he has fallen for her, and yet she doesn’t even know his name. “N.A.M.E.” which samples Alicia Key’s 2003 classic “You Don’t Know My Name,” is a passionate record about love and the desire for something deeper.

When Lanez refers to his name, he doesn’t simply mean what he is called, he is talking about his soul. The tape then transitions into “Jalissa’s Friends Pt. 2.” In this skit, we overhear a conversation between Keisha and one of her friends, and we realize that things are about to get hectic in Lanez’s love life.

“Looks,” begins directly after Jalissa gets off the phone with her friend, and it is a sensual, seductive and sexual record. As Lanez croons, “She keeps giving me looks,” over a soulful Trey Songz sample, he paints the picture of a lovely evening with a beautiful woman. Eventually the drums fade out and Lanez begins to rap about how his life has changed since achieving success through his music. With this display listeners are able to get a glimpse of the immense talent and versatility that he has as a singer, producer and rapper.

The beat on “Juvenile Freestyle,” drops as soon as “Looks” fades out, and it is a record that is full of swag, freedom and braggadocio. As Lanez skates over a flip of Juvenile’s 2003 classic “Slow Motion,” it’s easy to understand that he’s oozing with confidence. Incorporating the innovative sing-rap flow that has become a staple of Toronto hip-hop, he reminisces on relationships of the past and laughs while talking about how he has more money and women than all of his haters. “Juvenile Freestyle,” then transitions into the second skit of the tape “Niggas Talk,” where Lanez learns from one of his boys that his old love interest Keisha and her friend Tyshauna are trying to set him up.

On “S M N,” Lanez and Play Picasso flip a sample of Destiny’s Child’s 1999 hit “Say My Name,” and the results are beautiful. Production wise, “S M N” is definitely one of the tape’s stronger records, and just like the R&B classic that it samples, it focuses on the pain and mystery of relationship infidelity.

As Lanez croons, it is clear that even though he may be falling in love with Jalissa, he only trusts her about as far as he can throw her. Every lyric he sings is used to detail the situations that are making him contemplate and suspect disloyalty within his relationship.

Sonically, “S M N” flows directly into the next record on the tape. And subject matter-wise “You Got It Worse” picks up right where “S M N” left off. Lanez now knows that he has been cheated on, and as he sings about this painful discovery, Play Picasso utilizes a sample of Usher’s 2001 classic “You Got It Bad,” to create the perfect soundscape to express his heartbreak. But as Lanez croons, “I think we both cheated love,” listeners quickly learn that motivated by the heartbreak and pain of infidelity, he also cheated.

Being cheated on is a painful experience for anyone, and as Lanez sings his sorrowful ballad, it is clear that all of the pain, anger and sadness he’s expressing is real.

In 2003 Jagged Edge released the classic and legendary, “Walked Outta Heaven,” a record about the destructive pain of losing the one that you love. And although sampling such an iconic record is a bold and risky move for a rising R&B act, Tory Lanez and his producer Play Picasso managed to flip it in a way that does the record justice.

On “Walked Out,” Lanez explains how empty he has become since losing his woman in a way that is soulful and even religious. As he sings lines like, “I’m messing up what Heaven done gave to me, I can see everything clearer now,” and “So I pray that he just sheds his grace on me, and don’t you let her leave,” it illustrates that since losing his woman he feels hopeless, and all he can do is pray that a higher power brings her back to him. But before Lanez can finish his prayer, the record ends abruptly and the final song of the tape, “Save It” begins.

“Save It,” is a very interesting record. On “Save It,” Play Picasso and Sergio R. sample Ed Sheeran’s cover of Lanez’s 2015 hit “Say It,” to create an incredibly unique soundscape. When Lanez sings the raw and yet poetic line, “He can have yo sex I got yo soul,” he illustrates the entire concept of “Save It” in nine words.

Lanez knows that now that their relationship has ended his woman will move on and meet other people. But he doesn’t want her to ever fall in love anybody else, because he believes that they are meant to be.

Even though she may move on and give her body to others, Lanez wants her to save her soul for him. Overall, “Chixtape 3” is incredible both content and production-wise.

It is a fitting addition to Tory Lanez’s “Chixtape” series and is evidence that Tory Lanez is here to stay.