Conceived after a chance encounter at a party thrown by Drake that led to an impromptu jam session on Ty Dolla $ign’s yacht, Toronto R&B duo dvsn and the perennially underrated musical Renaissance man that is Ty Dolla $ign join forces on a collaborative mixtape. Over dvsn producer Nineteen85’s smooth and classic-sounding production, the project exhibits a newfound undeniable chemistry between Ty and dvsn vocalist Daniel Daley, while simultaneously giving the two individual moments to shine.

According to Daley, the project’s title, Cheers to the Best Memories, alludes to his longing for the pre-pandemic meetups that we took for granted, reminiscing on the days when a wild night out was the norm and translating their best memories into song. For two of today’s most notorious R&B ladies’ men, a lot of that has to do with finding late-night romance out at the clubs. Ty’s deeply soulful, gravelly cadence offsets and balances out Daley’s pure and airy tenor sound as the two are often found harmonizing over some flirtatious slow jams, as if duelling for the attention of whoever is lucky enough to be the recipient of their serenade.

Nineteen85’s production rises to the occasion and keeps up with the two powerhouses in front of him, paying loving homage to hip-hop and R&B history and slow jams past with samples from Silk, Juvenile and 70s soul quartet The Continental IV thrown into the mix, as well as some great transitions from song to song making things feel like a seamless playlist. Features from YG, Rauw Alejandro and the late Mac Miller diversify the sound further and add their own unique energy to the festivities that last until the early hours of the morning.  

Best Track: Somebody That You Don’t Know (Ft. Rauw Alejandro)