Drake’s highly anticipated album has arrived! Views is an extensive, emotional collection of tunes straight from Toronto’s OVO Sound record label. As with almost every previous work by Drake, Views (not a mixtape like If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late) is a collaboration with Noah “40” Shebib. 40’s signature minimalist, slow, and provocative beats are ubiquitous on this drop.
The powerful duo of 40 and Drake has almost created a genre of its own. Views is a stylistic continuation of Nothing Was the Same, with parallel song structure, emotionally charged lyrics, and a similarly lengthy tracklist.
Listening to an interview with Drake recorded the night of the release, I heard that the structure of the album was designed to mirror the cyclic nature of the seasons, specifically in Toronto. It starts in the winter, indicated especially by “Keep the Family Close” and “Feel No Ways,” which are almost laments. Deeper into the album, summer vibes start to surface. “Controlla” and “One Dance” are probably the most accessible tracks to new listeners. They have a truly genius island feel, showcasing Drake’s vocal capabilities. It is easy to get lost in the boasting, bragging, and luxury embedded in the album, but underneath, it is dripping with vulnerability and raw emotion. Collaboration with artists Future and Rihanna, among others, highlight the emotion in the album; Future highlights sentiments of arrogance, while Rihanna, those of romance.
The album is not without drawbacks. First of all, the tracklist is almost too long. With nearly an hour and a half of music, it is difficult to make it through the whole album. Songs like “Redemption” and “Still Here” rehash old ideas presented in Nothing Was the Same, making them arguably unnecessary. In addition, the excess of emotion and lack of risk-taking detract from Drake’s confidence and flow as a rapper. This is evident throughout the entire album except for “Hype,” which is more upbeat and aggressive than the rest of the tracks, and a couple others.
For the most part, Views also lacks innovation—it is too similar to Nothing Was the Same. Additionally, there are too many cringe-worthy lyrics that sound like cheap shots to be expected on an underdeveloped mixtape. Examples include “You toyin’ with it like Happy Meal,” “Like when Chrysler made that one car that look just like the Bentley, I always saw you for what you could have been,” “Why you gotta fight with me at Cheesecake you know I love to go there.” Nobody wants to hear about Drake at Cheesecake Factory, rapping about Happy Meals. Lastly, there is rampant classism in the track “Child’s Play.” Drake describes getting a girl out of the ghetto and then threatens to drop her back off if she doesn’t behave to his standards. These types of songs make you wonder what’s so redeeming about Drake.
Views will resonate mainly with previous Drake fans due to its stylistic similarity to his previous works. To be clear, this lack of significant change is not necessarily a bad thing. It works for his fans and has been financially successful. However, if you’re looking for innovation in the hip hop world, you should look elsewhere, perhaps to Chance the Rapper or Kendrick Lamar. These two are pushing boundaries like no others in a world in which Drake isn’t anymore.