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Despite its more reflective tone, it was a commercial blockbuster, simultaneously becoming the biggest-selling hip-hop album of 2016 and topping Billboard’s Artist 100, Top 200 Artists, and Hot 100 charts.In a world where it's very possible that no one will ever fully agree on anything, the music industry and music fans alike can probably all agree on this one thing: Drake is the most emotional person alive. Three years later, Views remains Drake’s most “in his feelings” and enigmatic album. Outside of the few OVO appearances, the only other guest is the late rapper and Dirty South legend Pimp C. Their presence on the album almost highlights just how small Drake’s circle had become. The only major features are Future and Rihanna, two of Drizzy’s standard collaborators.
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When it finally hits, it’s less an encore than a song that plays ironically over the credits as a lone janitor sweeps up the debris.īoth thematically and production-wise, Views is a lonelier album than Drake’s usual efforts. Even Drake’s penchant for sampling contemporary artists takes a darker turn when he invokes DMX on “U With Me?” Appearing as a bonus track at the end, “Hotline Bling” feels like a world away. The project’s most upbeat moments, on both “Controlla” and “One Dance,” sound more like a respite than a celebration. On Views, nostalgia feels more akin to lament past relationships feel more bitter than bittersweet. The album cover pictures him sitting, perched atop Toronto’s CN Tower, while storm clouds gather in the background.
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For an album that dropped in the spring, it was more evocative of winter, with the sound of rain scattered about. Upon release, Drake explained how the album’s emotional shifts were tied to Toronto’s bitter weather patterns. The dance-friendly singles were contrasted by the kind of cabin fever you get from being stuck inside all winter – or, in Drake’s case, experiencing the trappings of fame. Upon its release, it was clear that the feud had affected Drake and his songwriting process more than it had his devoted fanbase. Drake’s popularity was so great that the portion of his audience who cared about them was colossally overshadowed by the portion that did not. Meek’s accusations didn’t kill Drake’s momentum as intended because, for the most part, they weren’t relevant. Amid Meek’s ghostwriting accusations – the significance of which varied depending on who you asked – “Hotline Bling” became another smash single for Drake, while “One Dance” became even bigger. When Views eventually dropped, on Ap(10 months to the day after Meek’s Dreams Worth More Than Money), a feud between the two had threatened to derail both their careers and overshadowed Views’ release almost entirely. On Twitter, Drake called the intro to Meek’s “Dreams And Nightmares” one of “the best rap moments of our generation.” It was strange, then, if not shocking, that the Philly rapper subsequently accused his former collaborator of ghostwriting his verse for “RICO.” The resulting rap beef was a serpentine maze of allegations, diss tracks, and Twitter rants. The two had collaborated before and their respective labels had a long and successful relationship. Allegations, diss tracks, and Twitter rantsĭrake and Meek Mill dropped their collaboration “RICO” on June 29, 2015, and Drake’s Views ad libs are the first words you hear on the song.