5 Things We Want From Tory Lanez's "Memories Don't Die"

Tory Lanez has been amping up the anticipation for his upcoming sophomore album, which he revealed on Twitter is going to be titled Memories Don't Die. The buzz hasn't been for nothing either, with singles "Shooters," and "Skrt Skrt" already in the mix and garnering tons of spins over streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. There's also a collaboration with Future called "Real Things" on the horizon as well, a song that could very well be the banger that Lanez has been searching for as of late.

All of the speculation will be put to rest by Tory when the album finally hits the open market, but the lead-up got us to thinking of the biggest things we want out of the R&B artist's follow-up to I Told You, a wildly successful piece of work that yielded the hit single "LUV," helping him to cross over into the mainstream and become a household name outside of the urban charts. From a continued use of his storytelling prowess to some (bold) feature requests, we've compiled a list of the 5 things we definitely want to see from Lanez this time around.

Check out our wishlist below.

Tory Lanez from Canada, born in Brampton, Ontario. As such, it would be awesome if he could hook up with one of his fellow red-and-white artists for a collab on this album. Whether it works out to being a melodic vocal combo with the likes of Drake or The Weeknd or perhaps a production teaming with someone like Murda Beatz, we want Lanez to showcase his roots and give us a Canadian link-up on at least one track from Memories Don't Die.

The timing couldn't be better for this either, as the Ontario hip-hop and R&B has never been bigger, with dvsn and PARTYNEXTDOOR joining Drizzy and Abel as familiar faces from Canada that would be ideal features for Lanez's smooth sound.

Lanez has long been considered an artist who is at ease shifting between different styles and tones with his music, specifically when it comes to his vocal delivery. That facet of his skill set was enhanced on I Told You, with some personal lyrics diving deep into his life and character, making his music more relatable from a fan's point of view. However, his writing could potentially extend itself a little further, which is why we want a storytelling banger next from Tory.

There's something about a layered, overarching storyline in a song that has a way of solidifying the status of the great emcees and R&B talents. We've seen that from the bygone era of G-funk greatness to the current music climate, where everyone is in search of something that gives their listeners all of the feels. Subject matter aside, Lanez needs to go deep with the lyrics on a song from Memories Don't Die.

One of the weak points of Lanez's studio offerings so far has been an over-reliance on skits, which can sometimes make his transitions in between songs more than a little jarring. The next step for him in this respect is not to ditch the skit life completely, but certainly dial it down in terms of how often he uses them and even where he positions them in the album's tracklist. With 13 skits included on I Told You, with one coming in between nearly every pair of songs, this sort of approach has got to go.

What's the right number of skits? When done well, something in the neighborhood of four or five feels right. That's not to say that one or two more would be overdoing it, but when it gets to the point where it feels like overkill, the tendency for the average listener is just to hit the "Next" button on their media player. Less skits = more time spent hearing Tory's new music.

One of the hallmarks of a great album is usually a feature that no one sees coming. Sometimes it's a current artist that no one would've guessed Tory had on his radar, but that mentality gets taken to the next level when there's an OG name involved. At this point, it's probably necessary to clarify what exactly an OG is in this instance - someone like a Nelly or a T.I. Maybe even Luda. A veteran with some undeniable street cred goes a long way to enhancing the sonic force of a younger artist's music.

Could the dial be turned back even further? It depends who you're after. Someone like Snoop Dogg, the king of effortless flow with his rhymes, could also mesh well with Lanez's established style, but the pool of all-star names from the 1990's may run dry for the Canadian soon after the Doggfather. Regardless of the decade he picks from, an OG presence on Memories Don't Die would be more than welcome.

Finally, there's the biggest want on our list: a certified club killer or dance floor filler. This is the next step for Lanez, who has the skill and the presence to transform himself into the man whose music you hear on a Friday or Saturday night, in the middle of a sweaty party scene. Not unlike the turn Chris Brown's music has taken in recent years, going from overtly poppy R&B to more trap-style hip-hop with a reggae infusion here and there, Tory's next task is to conquer the club scene with a hit song that could potentially continue to benefit him for years to come.

He even acknowledged this when we interviewed him not long ago, saying about his debut that, "my problem with it [...] when I listened back to it, it was nothing to really dance to, and when I say dance I don't mean necessarily get up and pop-lock, I mean it was nothing that made you like...Like I'll play this at a party, it was only the two singles that came out." Of Memories Don't Die, he added: "There's a lot of bars on this, for sure...It's definitely not I Told You."

It's easier said than done, to ask for a career-defining moment (at least thus far), but as was mentioned earlier, the timing has never been better for an ascent on the major charts. The banger is king these days, and if he can find his own niche in a world that gobbles up tracks like "Bodak Yellow," he'll be all set to make a real impression.