Drake will surpass Beyoncé this week on the iTunes’ charts by selling over 630,000 copies of his latest project, Views. The album was released at a time when Drake used perfect marketing over the past 10 months to create a significant buzz. His monumental diss record, “Back to Back,” against Meek Mill and collaboration album with Future, What a Time to be Alive, made Views one of the most anticipated albums of 2016.
From a production standpoint, Views is superior as Drake’s producers incorporate a variety of sounds and styles. And Drake does an exceptional job of being reflective and creating catchy hooks for songs that will likely become radio hits (i.e. “Too Good” feat. Rihanna).
There are a few other good moments. But overall, Views is an uninspiring album that proves that Drake has yet to take his artistry to another level. Here are five things that would have saved Drake’s overly emotional Views.
By offering an album that forces dialogue
One week before Drake released Views, Beyoncé released the earth-shattering Lemonade. Beyoncé completely went against the grain by offering a project that suggested Jay Z’s infidelity. Whether it was a true story or not can be debated, but Lemonade created a firestorm on social media and blogs and it forced everyone to pay attention. Drake’s Views fails to have a similar impact. Besides a few subtle jabs at Meek Mill and his duet with Rihanna, there’s nothing said or done that will make people want to care about it next week.
By giving fans an actual view of the 6
Drake said that Views was set up to mirror the two seasons of Toronto (summer and winter). However, it would have been more interesting if he would have actually taken fans to Toronto through song. Some of the best rap albums offer unique looks at certain cities and neighborhoods. Kendrick Lamar took fans to Compton, California with GKMC and J. Cole gave Fayetteville, North Carolina a voice with 2014 Forest Hills Drive. But Drake has yet to properly introduce Toronto with an album that highlights the culture and mood of the city.
By not playing the scorned role
Drake falls in love, he falls out of love and he then finds a way to blame the woman for his continuous heartbreak. On “Keep The Family Close,” Drake sings “All of my ‘let’s be friends’ are friends I don’t have anymore, how do you not check on me when things go wrong?” Some believe it’s a jab at Nicki Minaj. With maturity, we all learn that some relationships just won’t work and we have to move on in life. Drake appears as if he has yet to mature when it comes to dealing with matters of the heart. His boyish approach to past relationships is getting old.
By allowing his ex-girlfriends to move on in life
Again, Drake’s unwillingness to move on from past relationships should be troubling at this point. It’s a common theme on Views. On “Redemption” Drake sings, “You seeing someone that loves you, and I don’t want you to see no one else.” How could he fight a restraining order with lines like that? Again, Drake’s obsession with making women feel bad for leaving him is a tired routine that he should abandon.
By giving fans more hip-hop and less heartbreak
Drake often shines when he raps on Views. “Grammys” with Future and “Faithful,” which features a verse from Pimp C, are highlights. However, the majority of the album features songs of heartbreak and scorn. Fans want Drake to be Drake, but at this point he’s walking the line of becoming a cliché of himself.
