With the fifth installment in his Chixtape series, Tory Lanez has refined his formula, and expounded upon it, bringing in a stacked list of features
Over the course of the decade, Tory Lanez has been carefully crafting a fan-favourite collection of R&B mixtapes with the Chixtape series. Sampling some of the genre’s biggest hits from the late 90s and early 2000s, Lanez has created a sound that seamlessly blends the new and the old. With the fifth installment, Lanez takes the formula that he’s familiarized fans with, and expounds on it.
On Chixtape 5, Lanez and producer Play Picasso have put a tremendous amount of care into updating these classics to fit contemporary R&B conventions, while maintaining what makes them classics. The instrumentals range from slightly enhanced versions of the originals to completely new songs based around the samples. This is the first installment to include the original artists on a majority of these tracks, and it helps to take the series to the next level.
For the most part, these featured artists enhance the songs they’re on, but they don’t all connect as they should. For example, Ludacris’ verse on “The Fargo Splash” is extremely underwhelming, and while it’s not enough to ruin the song, it could’ve been left off.
Overall, Lanez has delivered a nice ode to the classic R&B sound of the early 2000s. The production is consistently fantastic throughout, and while Lanez himself isn’t saying much of substance, his melodies and energetic presence make up for it. Chixtape 5 might not reinvent the wheel, but it builds on the foundation laid by its predecessors, taking the series to new heights.
7.8/10
Trial Track: “Jerry Sprunger”
Star Bar:
“I know dropout Rovers, pop out sofas
Was with me when I wasn’t eatin’, we would pop out Stouffer’s
You see, that’s why I’m still f***in’ with you
Head down, ten toes, still thuggin’ with you” (Lanez on “A Fool’s Tale (Running Back)”)
