Review Summary: Defying expectations.
While 2014 was a relatively quiet year for Canadian rapper Drake, 2015 was nothing short of monumental. As the Golden State Warriors were romping through the NBA en route to their first championship in 40 years, Drake was on a similar tear through the rap game. Early in the year he dropped a surprise, record-breaking mixtape,
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late that debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 (making him the first rapper to top the Artist’s 100 chart) only to repeat the feat 6 months later with
What a Time to Be Alive – this time a collaboration with fellow superstar Future. Not to mention nonchalantly releasing the smash single of the year in “Hotline Bling”, and casually ending rapper Meek Mill’s career with just two songs in the most memorable hip-hop feud since veterans Nas and Jay-Z went at it over a decade prior. In the year where one of his rivals Kendrick Lamar released one of the most critically acclaimed records of this decade, Drake still stood out from the pack, all without even releasing a full-length album. Bolstered by a Twitter leak that claimed that
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was simply a collection of leftovers from his upcoming fourth full-length album
Views, the general feeling was that 2015 was simply an appetizer to what was to come in 2016. Naturally, expectations from fans and neutrals alike have been through the roof as Drake’s year looked to once again mirror that of his oft-referenced Golden State Warriors. “Views already a classic” exclaims Drake in his newfound Toronto inflection on the song “Hype”; simultaneously a definitive statement and a subtle lamentation of the massive expectations placed on him.
Now that
Views is finally here however, it’s clear that many of these expectations will go unrequited. Since his release of the single “0-100/The Catch-up” in 2014, Drake’s style and flow have been slowly evolving, culminating with his most recent single “Summer 16”. Curiously though,
Views is where this evolution comes to an abrupt halt, with “Summer 16” not even making the cut onto the album. A month after the release of “0-100/The Catch-up”, Drake revealed the name of his fourth album, then titled
Views from the 6, which brings me to another major expectation left largely unfulfilled. The “6” is a term popularized by the Toronto native as a nickname for his home city. Almost as if a flip has been switched inside his head, the self-styled 6 God has been making a conscious effort throughout 2015 to promote his city, with countless references to the 6 throughout his music and imagery. He even became the global ambassador and the public face of the Toronto Raptors NBA team in 2013 and was granted the key to the city in 2016.
With this in mind, as well as the (tentative, as it turned out) title of his upcoming album, many were expecting
Views from the 6 to at least be heavily influenced by Toronto, if not completely based on it and its influence on him.
Views starts out with some promise in that regard. The second track “9”, is a triumphant anthem to the city and Drake’s influence on it. “I turned the 6 upside down it’s a 9 now” is the boast, and you can’t really argue with it. “Weston Road Flows” is a similarly themed track, one that is rooted in nostalgia instead. It harks back to his early days in the city and is littered with Easter egg references such as to Tahiti Treat which was a popular soft drink in Canada in the late 90's. Drake does also drop a bit of regional slang here and there such as when he proudly proclaims “And I’m never on a waste ting shawty” on Controlla or when he remarks “you actin so extra” on “Still Here”. There are also some heavily dancehall influenced songs in “One Dance”, “Too Good” and the aforementioned “Controlla”, which is a gracious nod to the genre of choice of Toronto's inner city party scene for the past two decades . The remarkable thing about
Views however, is that even while it doesn’t live up to all of these expectations, it doesn’t crumble under their weight either and still manages to be the best album of his catalogue to date, full of some of the best moments of his career and will no doubt be the soundtrack to summer ‘16 and a car stereo staple for years to come.
Instead of being a foray into uncharted territory,
Views is essentially a reprise of his entire career up to this point; making it the definitive Drake album. When Drake brags “Most niggas with a deal couldn’t make a Greatest Hits” on “Grammys”, you almost think he’s referring to this album. The most prominent of his own influences are that of his 2011 album
Take Care. Right from the opener, “Keeping the Family Close” it’s clear that Heartbreak Drake is back in full effect and here to stay. “Faithful” channels the painstaking pining of “Marvin’s Room” while “Too Good” is almost a sequel to the title track
Take Care, once again showcasing the tremendous chemistry shared by Drake and Rihanna. The rest of the album is littered with similar melancholic odes to past lovers, a distinct shift away from the more boastful rap style Drake has been pursuing over the past year. The r&b influence which was substantial on
Take Care also permeates
Views, perhaps even more prominently than on any of his releases. The songs “Redemption” and “Fire & Desire” particularly stand out, not only on the album but among his entire catalogue. “Redemption” is a slow-burning song with heavy 90’s r&b undertones that is also very reminiscent of his excellent and overlooked “Girls Love Beyonce”. “Fire & Desire”, perhaps
the highlight of the album, is a sublimely produced baby-making cut that emanates strong vibes from his most recent full-length, 2013’s
Nothing Was the Same. “Feel No Ways”, a synth-pop banger, is also very reminiscent of the 2013 release, particularly of the hit song “Hold On We’re Going Home”, which should come as no surprise considering it was produced by Jordan Ullman of Majid Jordan, who worked on both songs. Other similar recaptures of past glories include “Views” which sounds like the spiritual successor to “6 PM in New York” and the gritty “Hype” and “Still Here” which wouldn’t sound out of place on
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Elsewhere, the trap anthem “Grammys” sounds straight out of
What a Time to Be Alive replete with a memorable Future verse. Even his mixtape era gets a few subtle nods throughout the album, showing that Drake certainly hasn't forgotten where he came from.
The production on
Views deserves a special mention. Longtime friend and collaborator Noah “40” Shebib is at the top of his game at the heart of the album’s sound supplemented by various other accomplished producers including fellow OVO-affiliated veterans Boi-1da and Nineteen85. Not content to just stick to his signature downtempo style, 40 tries his hand at a myriad of techniques, most notably on “9” with its ethereal synths and “Weston Road Flows” with its 90’s boom-bap style and smooth Mary J. Blige sample . In short,
Views sounds fantastic and the beat selection is tasteful and shows Drake's trust in his production team.
The record is not without its missteps however with “Pop Style” being the biggest offender with its meandering beat and lazy vocals. It’s perhaps the only throwaway track on the album, especially so without the Kanye West verse from the original single that was inexplicably removed. Elsewhere, his verse on “Faithful” is also somewhat lackluster, especially coming right after a sampled verse from the legendary, late Pimp C. Luckily the song is salvaged by some stellar singing by Daniel Delay of r&b up-and-comers dvsn. There are a few lazy bars here and there as well, the most memorable one being the “I got so many chains they call me Chaining Tatum” line (fittingly) on “Pop Style”. A lot of the time however, these lines are mitigated by the sheer catchiness of their respective cadences, such as on “9” where Drake breaks out singing “Keychain go jang-a-lang”. It’s a silly line yes, but one that you’d be very hard-pressed to not sing along to.
Drake has been on record as saying that he makes music “strictly for the purpose of driving at nighttime”. From that perspective,
Views is a resounding success and the ultimate realization of that ethos; being almost a double-disc’s worth of supreme cruising music. Drake can release any song (except for perhaps the interlude, “Summer’s Over”) as a single today, and it would be a smash hit, which is perhaps the biggest praise I can lay on it. "Controlla" will also no doubt be a staple at this year's Caribbana in Toronto. But those who were expecting a bonafide classic in
Views will have to wait a while as it just isn't that type of album, nor was it ever intended to be. The good news though, is that it means his best is yet to come.
