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From the first time I heard Tory Lanez’ “Say It,” I was sure it was going to be big. Then when I met the artist behind the song, I knew we had someone special in the building. The MC was confident but not cocky, explaining his musical upbringing and what he plans to do to the game. And it seems that’s the same vibe Rolling Stone got from the Canadian artist, including him in their newly-published “10 New Artists to Know” article:

via Rolling Stone:

Why You Should Pay Attention: Originally born and raised in Toronto, the Miami-based rapper, singer and producer got his start after being discovered by Sean Kingston in 2010, and has since worked with Meek Mill, G-Eazy, YG and more. After a prolific string of well-received mixtapes, including 2014’s Lost Cause and this year’sCruel Intentions (a collaboration EP with producers from boundary-pushing Los Angeles-based electronic label Wedidit), the versatile Lanez signed to Benny Blanco’s Mad Love Records and is set to release his debut album in early 2016. His latest single “Say It” was recently covered by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, and you can catch the Canadian triple threat on a headlining North American tour starting next month.

He Says: Lanez describes his personal style as “swavey.” “Swavey is a musical genre that I came up with to describe artists who are too talented to stay in a box with their music,” he explains. “This is for artists who fuse one genre with another genre or how many genres they want but they make it their own.”

Hear for Yourself: The soulful “Say It,” which samples Brownstone’s 1995 R&B hit “If You Love Me,” has topped 5 million YouTube views.

Check out the exclusive conversation he and I had when he visited 97.9 The Beat!