Hide your exes, hide your tears, cause Drake’s making everyone feel up in here. Views has finally arrived, in an equally morose and grandiose fashion that’s come to be expected of Mr. OVOXO. Views continues 2016’s string of high octane hip-hop paragons releasing long awaited records – Yeezy, RiRi, Queen Bey – by “surprising” means, though the disarmingly pensive Champagne Papi manages to distinguish his opus from his hip-hop compatriots.
Outside of the obvious tonal differences – sullen, brooding rap from Drizzy versus empowered gotcha hip-hop from Beyonce – Francisco Mandarin is the only super-surprise release of 2016 not to debut on that godforsaken streaming service of the stars, TIDAL. Instead, Views’ exclusive release on iTunes acts as an analogue for Aubrey Graham’s atypical, enigmatic hip-hop presence – a rap demigod (supposedly) relegated to chasing reminiscent thoughts, rather than indulging in the more expressive pleasures of an ascribed deity of hip-hop.
It’s a magnificent modus operandi that Aubrey Graham has managed to carve out in the opulence applauded era of hip-hop – muted, restrained, atmospheric – all the while managing to remind hip-hop heads every once in a while that Wheelchair Jimmy can still beat the shit out of Meek Mill and turn around to consult the Toronto Raptors on their newest jersey design. I know DJ Khaled owns the airspace surrounding “Mogul Talk,” but mogul talk is something Shopping Bag Drizzy does better than the next wave – those following Ye, Jay, and Bey - of hip-hop. So keeping with the theme of atypical presences in hip-hop, music etc (and because the album is 20 tracks deep), I intend to take a slightly different approach to this review than reviews past (apologies to any devoted readers, and congratulations to the haters – you won). So without further ado, lets draw the blinds as we silently sip Moet from our Grammy award while wearing our favorite Prada robe and contemplate texting our exes – existent or not.
“Keep the Family Close”
Toronto is cold in the winter; meteorologically, that is a fact, but Drake wants you to know that its even chillier when you go from playing up on Degrassi to “Mr. He Ain’t Coppin That is He?”. The track is totally atmospheric, bringing the listener into a trance of undue disconnect that Drake has suffered amongst lovers. It’s a “blood runs thicker than water” concept by orchestral means – quivering strings, brash timpani and brass hits – all subverted by Young Frankie Geechi Liberace on his unabashed opener. “Keep the Family Close” takes the 50-60-person guest list to your birthday party and slices and dices it down to one.
“9”
This is one of those beats that hints at Heartbreak Drake’s ability to morph into The LeBron James of the Rap Game – it goes hard, but we only get glints of mixtape Drake; a Views Easter-Egg of sorts. Drake opines his only true purpose in life – as a bastion to Toronto – and how things in Toronto are beginning to get so out of hand. A rap game Robert Frost, he’s left at a benefactor’s crossroad – stop the handouts or give his entire self to the city. Guess which path the 6god chose… “Turned the 6 upside down / It’s a 9 now / I made a decision last night that I would die for it.” [INSERT TEARDROP EMOJI HERE] He truly is October’s Very Own.
“U With Me?”
A seamless transition from “9” into “U With Me?” shifts the third tracks predecessor into a sort of Toronto call to arms, for the best of the city – Daniel Caesar, The Weekend, Tory Lanez, Kardinal Offishall, and Roy Wood$ - to assume their place at the right hand of the 6god. Ironically enough, “U With Me?” was co-produced by Kanye West, despite the 6 related pride, but then again, when you get a chance to have Yeezy cut a track, why would anyone ever say no? Yeezy and 40 Shebib’s decision to sample DMX’s “How’s It Goin Down” is incredible when considering the muted call to action of the entire track from Mr. CTV himself.
“Feel No Ways”
Ah, well this is different, I suppose – a sensuous moody track that doesn’t go much of anywhere, wholly devoid of any and all rap bravado – in other words, a Drake track through and through. The production is spacey and saccharine, with the only startling standout being one of the most 80s-fi snares in recent Majid Jordan memory. Realistically, the song itself is as passive as the name implies - whether or not that works to Bottega Don’s benefit is less than likely. It feels like filler. Being as unassertive a track as it is, it might be within the listeners’ best interest to wait for the inevitable string of covers that will surely stem from such a distinctly un-6man track (I suggest listening to Vicktor Taiwo’s excellent rendition).
“Hype”
Hey! This might be a Meek Mill diss track – because the name says hype – oh man! This is what everyone was waiting for! Eh… not quite, just a general blanket statement diss, it appears. Throughout the track, the OVO Don Dada honors Rihanna, Michael Jackson, and (possibly) Goofy of Disney fame. The track hits the expected rap bravado as the Young Money Millionaire counts his money, assures his detractors that Views is already a classic, and that he’s done all he could possibly do as Hookah Papi, with effortless flow. The ominous beat sounds reminiscent of “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt.2,” and if you listen closely, you might hear Desiigner whisper "I’ve got broads in Atlanta…"
“Weston Road Flows”
Drizzy Drake Rogers is kind enough to inform the listener that “Weston Road Flows” is in fact "one of them ones," a true hip-hop throwback to the days of Biggie and Pac, looking back upon The Kid with the Motor Mouth’s body of work. The track is the first Easter Egg laden track when it comes to pop culture references, alluding to everyone’s favorite sneaker subversion meme, Eddie Murphy, TLC, Kevin Durant, Mo’Nique, and Vince Carter. The sample is straight '90s – literally – coming from Mary J. Blige’s “Mary’s Joint,” as we see Drakkardnoir at his most nostalgic while revisiting his 6-side hometown. Best line of the album thus far, "I’m happiest when I can buy what I want / Get high when I want" is so simple, and yet so indicative of Drake’s preferred economic standing.
“Redemption”
Judging from the song title, I would imagine this is going to be a slow burn. Luckily, it's more “Weston Road Flows” than it is “Feel No Ways,” with Frostbite Drizzy doing what he best when it comes to reassessing the past to win back some unnamed lover. He slips in and out of rapping and singing about the pettiness of ex-lovers moving on. Sometimes the track ventures into a creepily misogynistic possessor of women realm, and then proceeds to call out three women by name, geez, Drake, I know you’re super successful, but get over that shit dude. And before you know it, the track is poignant once more – "Who’s going to save me when I need saving? / Since Take Care, I’ve been caretaking." Okay, to this point, “Redemption” is by far and away the realest and most dynamic track of Views.
“With You (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)”
Oh no. Not PARTYNEXTDOOR. Everything about them is seemingly insufferable, ever since “Tuesday,” but as the track opens, things start out tastefully. Surprisingly tasteful, in fact. All of a sudden, OVO’s signing of PARTYNEXTDOOR doesn’t seem quite as ridiculous (outside of the homerism), though there are some truly cringeworthy lines – "Mixing vodka and emotions / Tapping into your emotions / Dry cause I’m hopeless." Ugh man, Young Papito, let’s steer clear of elementary metaphors about alcohol. Also, Jeremih sighting on the song’s hook.
“Faithful (feat. Pimp C & dvsn)”
Hold up, hold up, hold up – Pimp C!? This is something I can get behind. Talk about one of the more gloriously unexpected features on an OVO record. THE DIRTY SOUTH IS BACK BABY! Its really only a few bars from Pimp C, but he calls out to Bun B and thus I am content. The hook is a little, well, wimpy, as ’91 Dan Marino takes the cue from Pimp C and substantiates his love for whomever (RIHANNA, ITS RIHANNA) his muse is. The doting lyrics and sentiments further add to the Marvin’s Room vibes of the album. Except for "Let’s do the things that we say on texts" - I can’t decide if this is a great line or an awful one, but that’s The Chris Paul of this Fall for you.
“Still Here”
Alright, things are beginning to feel a little more musically malevolent, and when the bounce comes in, Aubz’s perverse intentions become apparent, but aren’t necessarily felt. He continues the (occasional) narrative braggadocio of the 6’s devotion to him and only him, as well as the astounding wealth of his compatriots. Oh to be friends with Drake, it must be lovely.
“Controlla”
If there’s one recurrent theme that I (or anyone) manages to gleam from Views, it's that when Drake is not good at expressing his admiration for women. In fact, I’m not really certain whether or not he even likes women. “Controlla” expresses not only in name but demeanor as well – Voodoo Child opens the track with "My eye just changed," only to revert his vindictive and menacing purview towards women, all under the guise of smooth bedroom talk ("I made plans with you / And I won’t let them fall through). Ack, Drake, let’s stop reminding women how much “control” your music affords you. Also, Popcaan is noticeably absent from the leaked version of the track that dropped a couple weeks ago – Caribbean musicians shed a tear.
“One Dance”
Looks like Drake is really into this Afropop trend, and will likely pay off for him in some form, but the slow build to “One Dance” almost discounts other afropop tracks from earlier in the album. The hook samples Kyla’s “Do You Mind” pretty heavily, but nothing really seems to grab the listener’s attention other than the continued quiet cooing of Young Sweet Jones, altogether continuing the dilution and confusion that is Drake’s intention on Views.
“Grammys (feat. Future)”
With the half-assed bedroom afropop that Drake seems hell-bent on pulling off, it sure would be nice to hear a classic rap braggadocio track, and if ever there was an instance to inject some life into a snooze inducing string of petty bedroom romps, now would be the time. Well lookie here, will Future rescue the listener from the yawn causing bedroom yarns to this point? Sort of? Drake’s verse feels like a sleepwalking microcosm of his standing in the hierarchy of rap entities – "OVO we a goldmine," and "Top five, no debating" – but it all just feels… empty. Future’s verse is preceded by his scoffing at the track’s unnamed subject of collective ire, and then proceeds to repeat “They think we done won a Grammy,” or something to that effect – as we all know, the gentleman from Atlanta is virtually indecipherable.
“Child’s Play”
The track opens with an intriguing PSA for all men about their women – "If your girlfriend is watching any season opening basketball game, best believe she’s fucking [someone] on the team…" - is it paranoid and misogynistic? Of course it is! Is it absurdly comedic? Yes! Should one condone such chauvinistic conspiracies? Probably not! Outside of the sad paranoia of the intro, the Little Nicky (To the Devils of Rap) manages to call out three corporate brands – Disney, Camry, and most humorously, Cheesecake Factory – "Why you got to fight with me at Cheesecake? / You know I love the gold here…" and "This a place for families / That go to Disney / And drive Camrys.” Oh man, oh man, Drake unwittingly let us in on his secret to extreme wealth – corporate name drops! Fun New Orleans Bounce sample if you listen close enough.
“Pop Style”
Nice! This was one of the singles – the one with Yeezy and a sliver of a Jay Z verse! Oh wait… The Throne got nixed from Views just like Popcaan. All of a sudden, Pimp C’s feature is becoming more and more impressive – Drake is not only the God of the 6, but a H-Town connoisseur it seems. Its exactly like the single, with the exception of the sans-Throne feature, so as protest, that’s all I have to say about the track.
“Too Good (feat. Rihanna)”
Here we go, this is the track where everyone finally learns the nature of Drake and Rihanna’s personal relationship! Are they lovers or just an uber-rich hip-hop hookup? Speaking of hooks, don’t expect an infectious, ensnaring, or hot one here, because there isn’t one, period. The track does continue the trend of RiRi/Light Skin Keith Sweat collabos that center on a fictional (or not-so) warring couple as Drake reminds Trinidad’s prodigal daughter that he is, in fact "way too good for you." Despite Drake’s purported assertions, it is Rihanna who is in fact too good for him, as her lovely vocals relegate the Drizzmaster to the friend zone.
“Summers Over Interlude”
It's an interlude that tries to act like The Roots meets Andra Day meets “not only is Drake a fine rapper, but he has great taste in compositions, too.” Unfortunately, it misses its mark, and just sort of agitates the winter-to summer-back to winter again transitions The King of 1st Quarter suggested as a heavy handed thematic element of Views.
“Fire & Desire”
The track title sounds like George R.R. Martin’s next novel – who are we kidding, it's never coming (Silicon Valley is better anyway; come at me) – but it turns out it’s a Brandy-sampling, triplet laden hi hat slow jam to the nth degree. This sounds like Aubrey Graham making a heartfelt apology to Nicki Minaj – their relationship has spoiled considerably, per Drake – "They throwing dirt on my old name / You don’t see the perks of this whole thing." He expresses his admiration for Nicki being a "real ass woman" as he openly questions her commitment to her current fellow. Are you trying to appeal to Nicki or further irritate her, Drake?
“Views”
Oh Lord, there’s a Winan sample, and it IS BEAUTIFUL. The former tour intro for many a VIETBRAH tour, “Question Is” makes “Views” one of the first hard hitting tracks on Views – seems ironic it’s the penultimate track. Drakestrodommus offers a thought provoking line in the first couple bars – "A lot of pent up aggression coming out of my section" – yeah, I don’t know about that, Drake. Pent up, sure. But, "aggression," not so much, more like pettiness. It's basically one final glory to the OVO track with allusions to days in The 6, and shouts out to Kobe; all in all, this should have been Views’ eponymous closer, but alas, the hubris of the Cash Money Running Back seems to have gotten the best of him.
“Hotline Bling”
Yeah, not reviewing this one. No need to. If you want my opinion on the track, just listen to Bill Burr’s take on the song:
Good gracious, Views is a long album, and at times, a monotonous one, to be perfectly honest. For all the uncertainties surrounding The Reason That We All Getting Faded’s future, and overall legacy, Views should have been the first cornerstone body of work in solidifying the 6God’s standing. Instead, it winds up revealing his truest insecurities, and own insufferable pettiness when it comes to any and everyone that crosses him. There are certainly some standout tracks on Views – “Keep the Family Close,” “Weston Road Flows,” “Faithful,” “Views” – but when the number of self-ascribed nicknames outnumbers the amount of solid tracks on your album, its certainly going to be difficult to secure one’s place amongst the gods of rap, no matter how many assertions of being the 6God incarnate one makes.