Tory Lanez showcases his R&B skills to the world once again in “PLAYBOY.”

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TOP 5

5. DON’T WALK AWAY

I don’t love the first three and a half minutes of “Don’t Walk Away,” but I absolutely love the last three minutes of the song!

Unfortunately, for half of “Don’t Walk Away,” Tory Lanez whines more than a foreigner who can’t find a parking spot at an airport. The good news is this: The last three minutes of the song are bright (The song’s beat turns into something that sounds heartwarming), gritty (Tory hits us with raps that hit harder than your mother after she found out that you didn’t take the chicken out of the freezer like she asked you to four hours ago), and relatable (Tory opens up about the ups-and-downs that he experiences with a chick that stole his heart in his verses).

4. THE SERVE (IT) ANTHEM

If the beat decided to f**king drop on “The Serve (It) Anthem,” it would be the greatest song ever created (No cap).

Tons of people will gloss over “The Serve (It) Anthem” (Mainly because it sounds half done), but here’s why you shouldn’t: The song features effortlessly reckless/inspirational/gangsta-ass lyrics, unbelievable flows, a vocal performance that will strike a chord with you, and very hypnotizing melodies. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t feature a complete beat (I can’t wait ’til Imanbek releases a remix to this joint).

3. DISTANCE

Tory Lanez sounds mad as s**t in “Distance” (I didn’t know that rich people got angry at s**t)

“Distance” features production that would make both Ginuwine and Timbaland proud, melodies that would make every R&B star from the 90s proud, and lyrics that would make every dude that regrets putting 50% effort in the bedroom with their ex chicks peeved.

Tory Lanez sounds like he’s willing to catch COVID-20 to get his old chick back in this song.

2. FEELS

No, Tory and Chris, you cannot have my damn girl!

Throughout “Feels” (Formerly “F.E.E.L.S”), Tory Lanez & Chris Brown sing about doing some romantic, freaky, and unholy things to their lovers. While the song should only be played in sexy-ass settings, you can still bop and/or two-step to it.

I don’t think that anyone can outsing Chris on a song (Tory puts up a pretty decent fight on this song, though).

1. EXTRAVAGANT BULLSHIT//NUNCHUCKS

Tory Lanez justifies his playboy ways in “Extravagant Bullshit//Nunchucks.”

“Extravagant Bullshit//Nunchucks” has two sides: An emotional side and a bouncy side. In the emotional side of the song, Tory Lanez sings passionately about having PTSD from a few of his past relationships. In the bouncy side of the song, he talks about having two chicks that are down to do some strange things for Klondike bars. While the former side is powered by a pretty dramatic instrumental, the latter side is powered by that one instrumental that is on that song on Drake’s first album that no one likes for some odd reason (“Show Me A Good Time”).

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. AND THIS IS JUST THE INTRO (4/5)

2. EXTRAVAGANT BULLSHIT//NUNCHUCKS (4/5)

3. H.E.R.//ARE YOU DUMB (3/5)

4. DISTANCE (4/5)

5. …THE MAKE UP (3/5)

6. LADY OF NEPTUNE (4/5)

7. FEELS (4/5)

8. DECEIVING EVE (3/5)

9. Y.D.L.R. (4/5)

10. THE SERVE (IT) ANTHEM (4/5)

11. SHOOBY DOOWOOP//ONE LAST HEARTBREAK (4/5)

12. DON’T WALK AWAY (4/5)

RGM RATING

(C+)

Say what you want about Tory Lanez (Trust me, I know you want to say a lot of s**t about dude), but please don’t say that he is not talented. After releasing the testosterone-filled “LONER,” Tory decided to drop one of the R&Biest albums I’ve heard in a while.

Here are the following things that I like about PLAYBOY:

• I like how passionate Tory Lanez sounds on the album. Throughout PLAYBOY, Tory does a great job of simply getting lost in instrumentals that do everything in their power to make him feel hurt as s**t. He also does a great job of letting the world know that he is a regular degular human being that gets his heart broken, that gets booty, and that takes ego shots. On the real, the album feels more like a vent session than actual music.
• I like how Tory experiments with several different vibes on the album. Throughout PLAYBOY, Tory fearlessly plays hopscotch with all kinds of R&B beats. While some beats don’t quite fit his singing style, he does everything in his power to make you believe they do.
• I like that there is only one guest on this album. Chris Brown is the only person on this album that gets a chance to test Tory’s R&B gangsta. In an era that relies on features way too damn much, Tory found a way to keep us entertained all by his lonesome.

Here are the following things that I DON’T like about PLAYBOY:

• At times, I feel like this album is a little boring. When Tory isn’t talking about his exes, I feel like he resorts to cliche R&B lyrics. In 2021, we want nothing but juicy s**t from our R&B artists.
• Tory’s personal issues has killed his R&B charm a little. I hate mixing personal s**t with music s**t, but let’s be honest, one reason Chixtape 5 is so beloved is because, at the time of its release, Tory was viewed as a likable hood dude that knew how to make the same R&B music that we all loved during our teenage years. Nowadays, he’s public enemy number one, so folks aren’t quick to blush at his s**t. Whether you believe he’s innocent or not (Remember, he’s guilty until proven innocent), you have to admit, it’s hard to look at his music the same based on the charges against him; especially when he talks about his tumultuous relationships.
• Tory oversings a little on this album. I applaud Tory for being a f**king swiss army knife when it comes to making music, but I feel like there are times on this album in which he tries a little too hard to convince us that he is a legitimate R&B singer. When you don’t quite have the range, but you have the passion, s**t like that will happen.

All in all, I think PLAYBOY is a solid listen, but on the real, I think I like Tory when he packages his rap s**t and R&B s**t together as opposed to separating them.

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Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.