The time has arrived, the moment that has been hyped for months on end; Views is finally here. After much talk, speculation, and hype, Drake delivers on the project that he's been promising us. Check out our exclusive track-by-track album review of Views below; and remember take everything with a grain of salt, because at the end of the day, reviews are essentially just opinions.
1. Keep the Family Close - Drake immediately starts the album off with some singing, channeling the "fake friends" concept that he loves so much. The production is pretty epic and cinematic, and Drake kills the melody, but honestly I really wanted some bars on the intro. The intro kind of sets the tone for the whole album, and right off the bat, I can see this album is not going to be the bar-fest that I really want from Drake; but to each his own. 7/10
2. 9 - Wait, maybe Drake is making me eat my own words. Track number 2 is for "the dawgs dem" 30 seconds into the track and my head is already boppin. I love the production on this, it has an eerie feel but the drums give it an upbeat vibe. Drake comes with a slow flow spitting some honest bars "I got it right now so I'm everybody's friend, If I ever lose it bet we never speak again". Seems like Drake is still playing with the concept of questioning real/fake friendship. Solid song. 8.5/10
3. U With Me - Track 3 sounds like your typical Drake song; which makes sense seeing that it's produced by 40 (and Kanye apparently). Drake is definitely in his feelings on this one as well, but what did you expect for Mr. "Make you Call your Ex at Ungodly Hours". He even makes references to text messaging, "all that gray in our conversation history" "3 dots, you thinking of a reaction still". Overall cool song, but Drake did a full-on nose dive into his feelings with no shame. 8/10
4. Feel No Ways- Now this one is different, a rather unusual tempo and a vibe we usually don't hear from Drake. It has a retro sound and I like it. Drake is talking about cutting someone off and in turn that person trying to make him feel a certain way about it. I like the concept, definitely something we can all relate to. Up to this point, Drake is staying true to his honest/truthful content, I would prefer more rapping but hey, beggars can't be choosers. 9/10
5. Hype- With a song entitled Hype I was hoping that it lived up to it, and it did. This is the Drake I like to hear, aggressive and braggadocios; I'm glad he brought some balance to the album at this point. Lot of quotables on this one "The chain to heavy to tuck it" "They always dying to mention me. They gotta go, they gotta go, they gotta die out eventually" There's also some subtle shots at his "enemies" on this Boi1da produced banger. Solid, very solid. 9/10
6. Weston Road Flows- I knew I was going to like this song before I even played it based off the title and the fact that it's solely produced by 40. We all know that when 40 and Drake get in the lab together, something great is going to happen. This is one of the those songs where Drake makes rapping seem effortless. "The most successful rapper 35 and under" 9/10
7. Redemption- So I know I've been saying I want Drake to rap more on this album, but this song is an exception. Everything about this song is dope; production, lyrics, and melody. I can see this being a favorite amongst Drake fans. The hook sounds Bryson Tillerish a little, but I guess Drake was the first to have that style anyway. There's more very honest lyrics from Drake such as, "Erika sued me and opened a business" wow Erika, really? How could you do Drake like that?! But anyway, great vibes on this song. 10/10
8. With You- Not a big fan of this one. It sounds like a Partynextdoor song that Drake just wanted to get on. That being said, its not a bad song, but if it was taken off the album I wouldn't be mad. Also, the Jeremih feature at the end of the song is random and seemed tacked on for no apparent reason. Atleast Drake stays true to his emotional bars on this one "Mixing vodka with emotions" 7/10
9. Faithful- The song begins with Pimp C's voice and a verse from the legend; I already like it. Pimp C states, "We out rapping for money, you n*ggas rapping for fun. I don't f*ck wit nobody in this sh*t but Bun" Safe to say that Pimp washed Drake on this. Either way, Drake did his thing and DVSN singing on the end is incredible. One of the best songs on the album in my opinion 10/10
10. Still Here- I knew a club banger was coming soon and this is it. I can only imagine now how many bottles are going to be popped in the club to this song as an anthem. I don't know who Daxz is but props to him and 40 on the production. And props to Drake for killing this beat. He also clarifies the satanic rumors saying "whole lotta sixes but I'm still like Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah, 6 point star Lion of the Judah" 9/10
11. Controlla- I know this song is going to get a lot of play, as there is a huge audience that would enjoy this sound. Me personally, this is not the vibe I want to hear from Drake. I think I also heard that he stole this song from someone or took someone off it at the last minute. I don't know the details but I wouldn't be surprised, especially after all of the Quinten Miller drama. All-in-all, Controlla is probably a great song for a DJ to throw on at 1am to get all the girls on the dance floor. 5/10
12. One Dance- One Dance was released a while before the album dropped and I was totally disappointed at first. Then, after awhile, something extraordinary happened, it grew on me. After being firmly against this song my opinion drastically switched; I don't know when and where it happened exactly, but it happened. Who knows maybe the same thing will happen with Controlla. 8/10
13. Grammys- I don't know what makes me more upset about this song, the fact that it had so much potential or that it completely doesn't fit on the project. I had high hopes for this Drake and Future collab but was let down, mostly because Future's part wasn't that good. This concept could've had more substance to it, but it just didn't work out. 4/10
14. Child's Play- After the underwhelming Future collab, this one is a breath of fresh air. It has an unorthodox sample with a beat switch around half way through. I really like this one, it has a great vibe to it and the hook is very catchy. I can definitely see myself replaying this one a lot. 9/10
15. Pop Style- For all the hype surrounding this song, I wasn't too impressed. Kanye and Jay-z were on the original version, but were taken off for whatever reason. Either way, Drake taking them off didn't make the song any better. It's a cool song, but Drake could've came a little harder lyrically on this one. 7/10
16. Too Good- Drake is really channeling his inner dance vibes again on this collaboration with Rihanna. This is almost like Take Care pt 2. Drake takes a step back and realizes that he's been "too good" to a particular girl. Not a huge fan of this song, but this is another one that might grow on me. 7/10
17. Summers Over Interlude- I won't rate this track since it's not an actual song, but I do like it. I'm actually kind of mad Drake teased us with this fire instrumentation and didn't rap on it. I could see this interlude making for a good sample.
18. Fire & Desire- Another typical Drake slow song. At this point in the album, it's very clear that this isn't much of a rap album, but more of an experimental R&B/Pop/hip-hop album. That being said, that's not necessarily a bad thing; it's all about preference. I like the So Far Gone vibe on it, but still not enough to make it one of my favorites. 7/10
19. Views- The intro sample on this song showed a lot of potential, but something seemed off about the vibe of the beat. Drake went off on the song though, some of the best bars on the album. The tempo on this song is the perfect tempo for Drake to spazz on. There's a nice outro feel on this one, and 40 added his little touches on the tail end of the beat to bring the album out nicely. 7/10
20. Hotline Bling- We all know this one; Some hate it, some love it. I can't deny that its a really good song. The overplay on the radio has pushed it more towards the hate list, but without being biased, Hotline Bling is a really solid song. 9/10
TOTAL: 7.86/10
Overall, Drake has a gem with Views. It's an album with a lot of good songs, a nice variety of sounds, and some solid songwriting. The production ties this project together well. Drake stays true to his sound for the most part, but has a few flukes. I would have probably appreciated a more curated project with less songs. I can think of a good 3-4 I would've taken off, but altogether its a good album. I look forward to hear what else Drake has in store in the future.
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