Tory Lanez Wants A Legacy Like Bob Marley, Says He’s Dropping A Reggae Album This Summer
Embattled Canadian rapper Tory Lanez flashed his best angles and boldest ambitions in Flaunt magazine’s April issue. Among his aspirations are his upcoming Reggae capsule album and a ceasefire legacy like the late Bob Marley’s. The crooner also talked new projects, navigating the pandemic, as well as his ornate Caribbean roots.
In an interview notably absent of any of his recent controversies, Lanez rocked full white Fendi and filled us in on all his quarantine exploits.
Tory Lanez, whose real name Daystar Peterson, is focusing on his Grammy-nominated hitmaking formula as the pandemic plays out. Despite the backlash on his releases following his involvement in Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting incident, his recently liberated R&B suite, PLAYBOY, quickly went to No. 1 on Apple Music’s R&B/Soul Music Charts.
Add to that his over 18 million monthly Spotify listeners, and it’s clear Tory Lanez is a man on a mission: “creating timeless, yet modern music that’s so catchy, you can’t help but want to listen over and over again”, according to Flaunt.
He told the outlet his ultimate goal is a larger-than-life legacy like the late Bob Marley, and it seems the Do The Most singer is well on his way to the endgame.
“You ever seen that meme of DMX on the stage performing to the whole world? He’s performing to a million people, that’s how I feel. I’m going to stop wars with my music like how Bob Marley did. I’m going to do certain things that are so above and beyond other artists,” he said.
A few of his newest features such as Buju Banton‘s 2020 Trust remix, Keznamdi’s City Lock, also in 2020, and just last month Dexta Daps’ Call Me If Remix with original Ganga Lee Louie Culture, reflect a strong Caribbean flavour that the singer is eager to keep exploring. One of his biggest hits, LUV (2016), samples Everyone Falls in Love by Tanto Metro and Devonte.
“I’ve always been very island-oriented. My mom’s from Curaçao, which is Dutch, right outside of Guyana. All the rest of my family is Guyanese. My dad’s family is from Barbados, the same place Rihanna is from. What a lot of people don’t know is my grandfather is Garfield Sobers—he’s one of the best cricket players in the world. I come from a long line of greatness that stems from the islands.”
The Say It Singer who was signed to Sean Kingston’s label when he first came out, is now an independent artist after parting ways with Interscope. Calling himself Jamaican-rooted and his music Bajan-oriented, Lanez also spoke on the importance of his background being included in his work.
“I’ve always wanted to make sure that, no matter what I do, I’m paying certain respects to my ancestors and ancestry. Showing certain love in reminding people where I come from. I’ll never forget where I come from,” Lanez said.
He continued, “The people from the islands appreciate me and understand me the most. That’s the reason I always double back and show love. It’s a root thing, it’s a cultural thing. They deserve it all. The Reggae capsule is incredible. I mixed Reggae with a lot of Afrobeats. It’s Jamaican mixed with African vibe. I have all the dope artists.”
The album is expected this summer.
He remained tight-lipped about an album title, or tracklist but says his ultimate aim is to “defy the laws of music.” I want to connect and be diverse with the African culture of sound. The music that comes from Afrobeat and the culture that comes from it, together that’s a fusion that’s not to be f—d with,” he said