For someone who has carved out a career singing and rapping his way to superstardom, versatility is the name of the game. Such is life for Drake, who has shown off this unique skillset en route to huge commercial and critical successes. In “Take Care,” he poured his heart out in emotionally laden songs such as the infamous “Marvin’s Room,” while in “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” he rapped over harder, more sinister tracks like “Know Yourself.”
In “Views,” though, Drake skillfully weaves in and out of these two personas. The album sees the rapper at his best, combining the gentle singing of “Take Care” and the edgy rapping of “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” Overall, his latest album serves as a victory lap for Drake’s transcendence of the hip-hop genre and also an endearing ode to his beloved hometown, Toronto.
Themes of love and relationships immediately and consistently emerge in the LP. For most other rappers, such a recurring motif would be a surprising deviation, but it is Drake’s calling card. Indeed, “Views” ranks amongst his most emotionally expressive albums, with tracks such as “Keep the Family Close,” in which Drake dejectedly sings about betrayal and heartbreak.
One standout track on the album is “Too Good” — alluringly warm production paves the way for a charming Drake and Rihanna collaboration. Once again, relationships are the main focus of this song: Drake regrets allowing his partner to take him for granted, while Rihanna echoes the sentiment in her feature.
Another recurring theme throughout the album is Drake’s unquestioned loyalty to his city, which he has affectionately given the moniker “the 6.” The inclusion of such a theme makes sense, considering the album was originally slated to be titled “Views From the 6,” and the cover features the rapper sitting on top of the unmistakeable Torontonian landmark, the CN Tower. Drake examines his contributions to his hometown with the song “9,” rapping, “I turn the six upside down, it’s a nine now.” In “Weston Road Flows,” he reflects on his childhood and growing up in Toronto.
However, for all the love crooning in “Views,” listeners will also hear the artist’s other side. He takes a more hard-nosed approach to his rapping in tracks like “Hype,” which can be described precisely by the title itself, and “Grammys,” a shameless bravado to his success. Under normal circumstances, this would create a juxtaposition of sorts, but Drake’s ability to both sing and rap effectively makes the combination work. For the most part, though, the LP is dominated by the singing tracks.
The album is ultimately anchored by the sleek production Drake’s distinct sound stems from. “One Dance,” for instance, carefully infuses an African-style beat with Caribbean influences to craft an exceedingly catchy and infectious track.
Despite some of its glowing qualifications, however, “Views” is not without its faults. It is on the lengthy side, clocking in at a total of 81 minutes — longer than some movies. Inevitably, many of the songs become repetitive, even boring to an extent. The end result shows plenty of uninspiring filler littered throughout the album, ultimately forcing listeners to search for the gems. Drake certainly would have done well to trim “Views” down a bit.
By combining gentle singing and intrepid rapping, some of his most versatile traits, Drake effectively takes listeners through a tour of his beloved city, and by extension, his life. “Views” certainly isn’t his finest work, but this effort still delivers a sense of enticing satisfaction. After all, this is the man who started from the bottom — now he’s here.
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