When Ajax, Ontario-born Tyler “T-Minus” Williams was only 18-years-old, a working relationship with fellow-producer Mathew “Boi-1da” Samuels led to him prodcing one of Drake’s breakout mixtape singles, “Replacement Girl” featuring Trey Songz. Drake became the first unsigned Canadian rapper to have a music video featured on BET, and in turn, it jump-started a career south of the border for all three of these GTA talents.

Tyler started exploring his interest in musical creation at a high school in Pickering, Ontario. After a few years spent behind a drum kit, Williams, like many other aspiring hip-hop producers, downloaded FL Studio, or Fruity Loops. It wasn’t long before he was creating original beats and songs in the program, looking to collaborate with rappers, R&B singers, and other producers locally. T-Minus and Boi-1da actually went to the same high school, though Boi-1da is two years older than Tyler. They produced their own beats independently at first, but after meeting through mutual friends, they started to collaborate. T-Minus has referenced Boi-1da as an early mentor who helped him perfect and define his sound.

Co-producing Drake’s “Replacement Girl” brought both Boi-1da and T-Minus to another level. The pair flew to Atlanta to work with Trey Songz in the studio, and after it became Drake’s breakout hit, the producers were fielding requests for beats from established hip-hop and R&B artists like Plies, LeToya Luckett, and Birdman. T-Minus has maintained a strong working relationship with Drake, receiving production credits on four songs featured on Take Care. His synth-driven, melodic approach to hip-hop has given arists like Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Wale, and DJ Khaled some of their most musically-strong instrumentals in recent memory.

Let’s sample some of T-Minus’ best beats for this edition of Friday Mixtape.