Review Summary: Reflecting to where he has been, and where he will only keep going.
If anything has taught us from the cocky, and flaunting works of albums and mix tapes from Canadian rapper Aubrey Graham, a.k.a Drake over the last ten years, it is that he is now an absolute presentation of the mainstream rap game as of now. With the overload of recycled premises of steamy sex, boring verbal disses, and pop culture references of Ubers and pandas alike (looking at you Desiigner): only has Drake been in the midst of that spectrum. Take it with the groovy, subsonic promotion "Hotline Bling", which has only been depicted into the mind of the Millennials from his unusual, artsy dance moves - only to go viral and emulated by the generation who worships him as undoubtedly hip-hop's icon of the time, along with the entertainment elite that follow via all platforms of social media. Back it up with his glitzy, glamorous OVO brand that is being eaten up by the status-hungry, aspiring generation who's yearning for it, and the glitzy label that walks along with it with recognizable names like The Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR, and it culminates in the showing that Drake is in the mountain of his prime. If his last compilation "Nothing Was The Same" was the climatic shift that elevated him to the top, then his towering hometown ode with the simply-titled "VIEWS" is the heartfelt tribute to his mentors, his collaborators, family and friends, to the listeners, and importantly, to his local city of urban Toronto to getting to this point.
Despite the dated premises in which seems too associated with hip-hop nowadays which persist in this 20-track collection, what gives this that unique feel is that it is a return to the start - the past meeting the present for Drake. With the bombastic, killer street-bangers that switches up with the first-class elegance of grandiose, polished R&B from long-time producer 40 - Graham fixates this lush account with his usual flair of smooth, flowing raps with his calm, juicy vocals to pair up an equal, fair balance of content that doesn't overwhelm but actually impresses in the process, reminiscent to his predecessors from "Thank Me Later" to the eloquence of "Take Care" and so forth. The bass-boosted, gauging "Hotline Bling", a precursor to his epic return to Toronto, lights up the match with a banger that is magnified by his slightly emotive, piercing lyricism and smooth delivery that pairs well to the harmonious, ultraviolet synth lines pursed throughout the composition. The complete opposite to the seductive and enticing "Find Your Love" from his first album, bringing back the memories of when he had brimming confidence with love in such positive light. Furnishing that connection to appease the younglings, creating signature lines like "Wonder if you're bendin' over backwards for someone else/Wonder if you're rolling up a Backwoods for someone else" gives the darkening, cold track a modern, current feel that removes any sort of "dated" label that this would be portrayed. It is also the signature touch of which gives Drake the precedent of his success, mortifyingly being emulated to no avail by manufactured, counterfeit products such as NYC rapper, Future-imposter Desiigner.
While revisiting the past is something in which he takes a trip down memory lane, showcased in vulnerability with the elastic "Weston Road Flows", this celebratory parade wouldn't be complete without the shout-outs in which persist, both positive and negatively, even comedic throughout the compilation. In the icky, hollow "Pop Style", derivative from the Jamaican slang for "showing off", places out some interestingly weird, thoughtful lines, especially in its grubbing, grimy hook like "Dropped out of school/now we dumb rich/this sounds like some forty, 301 s***". The irony that comes from it is that it feels like a mini negative calling out of Maryland rapper Logic, considering his background consisted of dropping out of high school to culminate in his eventual success, along with the fact Gaithersburg is apart of the 301 limits. This feels like the mini-response to the rapper's lyricism from the glitzy, polished "City of Stars" which quoted specifically, "cuz people who love Pac/hope that Drake get shot" - referring to those who adore not just the late legend, but those of the old-school era crying out the supposed blasphemy that yearns out from Drake. While this won't be anything like the cringeworthy, subpar rap feud of Meek Mill, this is an unusual surprise if it were to really escalate, minus the fact that it probably won't go any further than that. Stenciled in further is secretly humorous jibes at guys like Channing Tatum, however it's concealed due to the dirty, smooth delivery and flow Drake conveys as he navigates through gray-ish, cloudy synths and blackened bass lines that are hued in its condescending composition. The continuation of it endures within, as heavyweight bouts such as the motivating, exciting "Hype" fight it out as he continues to taunt and mock his contradictory opponents with only victory coming through in the end. This provokes the defining fact that only he, and only Drake himself is the leader of his craft today, not the follower or servant as the many aspiring rappers and current ones of the roster fill out.
Throughout the vantage points that persist throughout this album, this reunion within "VIEWS" is the epic coronation that is planted for Drake as a whole in his career. Looking back to the charming, silky essence that was with "Thank Me Later", to his darker, grandiose sounds in "Take Care", and then to the damning arrogance and swagger in "Nothing Was The Same", Drake does such in his socially-viral album cover as he is sitting on the CN Tower in downtown Toronto. Reflecting at the career in which he bestowed only a decade ago as a young, aspiring rapper who just came out of Degrassi, labeled as the "wheelchair boy" - with it having been already ten years, there is nothing but eternal gratitude for everyone in which has followed him through this tour of events. A reflection of looking at where has been throughout his storied career, and also looking to the future in which only more success will continue to tackle through. Whether you love or hate Drake, there is no doubting the impact and lasting legacy in which he has made on hip-hop and in music as a whole, and with this sleek, breezy return to where to it all started - it only calls to a reign that will only continue to prosper and thrive, as he is truly the king of the hip-hop throne and still the game-changer he has always been. Raise your champagne glasses to another strong ten years.
