Views

In my last Drake review, I basically got on a soapbox about how the universally-supported Mr. Graham needs to stop his unwarranted crying, and how I hope his future work is about all the love he's received. Let's entertain the other side of that argument.

We hold major musicians to the Kanye standard now. It used to be that an artist sounded a certain way, and if we liked that sound, we bought that artist's next album, expecting it to sound like it does. Now, if an artist doesn't reinvent themselves with every project we're dissappointed by the stagnation, as we are with most things. If we suppress that expectation and listen to this album in a purely reflexive context, it's really everything we want it to be. It’s effortless, and a bit unwarranted, but we listen, because we want to. We want Steph to take the half court shot at the 3rd quarter buzzer, not because it will change the game, but because it's amazing how easily and often he hits it.

So he didn't take my suggestion, should I stop liking his music? Na.

It's still technically paramount to most everyone rapping, but more than that, it fills a raw desire, and Drake knows it. Three songs in, Drake says possibly the most Drake line a Drake has ever said, and the thing that convinced me to stop comparing him to Ye: "I made a career off reminiscing." Public introversion. It lets the listener feel like they're getting an exclusive peek into the mind of someone who’s really just expressing feelings that everyone can relate to. Then build on that the subject matter of lost love and other relationship woes, and it's pretty easy to see why everyone wants to hear it. It's Scandal in audio form (probably, the extent of my Scandal knowledge comes from girls' live tweets). So that's the recipe, let's talk about the plating.

If you didn't know, Views (originally Views from the 6) is about Drake's hometown, Toronto. Having claimed it from the beginning, he’s enjoyed a local validity shared only by a rare few, and brought a sense of pride to an area that not but 5 years ago was known best for creating Justin Bieber. As a matter of fact, in addition to being given the key to the city, and being the Global Ambassador of the Raptors, Toronto's GDP has climbed an extra 1% year over year since So Far Gone was released, causation implied. What makes this album unique though, is that this is the first of his 4 he's recorded while living in the city. Until now, Aubrey's followed the money from TX to Miami to LA, but as a result of his chart reign and general critical appraise, he now has the freedom to take his talents back home. Drake co-built a state of the art recording studio, broke ground on his new permanent residence, and stayed in for the Toronto Winter. This album is his musical manifestation of the seasons, as offered by life in Southern Canada. Let’s break it down.

Mr. Graham's album intros have always set the tone for the rest of the LP: they're typically fairly long, instrumentally open, flowy numbers with multiple sections, whose lyrics set the stage for what's currently weighing on his mind the heaviest, and they usually showcase a new style. They basically just get you to vibe to the new format, so that the rest of the album can kind of weave in and out of that mood.

However. That held the least true this time around. We open by descending upon a young Drake, fumbling through his emotions, forever internally conflicted as to whether trusting people is worth the commitment of caring for them, spit over OVO's best impersonation of a Bond theme. And while the 'Toronto sound with Memphis influence' made its usual appearance, that was only about half the album. The way I see it, the track breakdown is thus:

By my count, that's 9 rap, 6 dance, 5 other. It's a trichotomy I still can't quite accept. I’ve never been one to limit a person to a genre - it simply seems deliberately one way or another, with little overlap. Yet somehow it's still what everyone wants, as proved by the platinum status. As a matter of fact, 40 said as much in an album-promoting interview with the NY Times. Emphasis on promoting, as in, before it was released, which means, if nothing else, that his brand is very calculated. That willingness to eschew what gives other rappers credibility is, I think, the underlying reason for dismissal by Drake naysayers - which brings us to the foundational question: What is a Drake?

The biggest single from this 'rap' album, that consequently scored him his first Billboard #1, was One Dance. The top 3 tracks, statistically, are One Dance, Pop Style, and Controlla, whose soundscapes basically mirror the core components of a Rihanna album. But when you search for related artists you get results like Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, and Lupe Fiasco. Should we be upset that a rapper is making dance tracks? Isn't that better than the vicarious thug vibe? Plus, plenty of artists float from hard to soft without catching nearly the flack: Gambino, Cole, even Wayne; so what's the deal? The deal is, there are distinctly 2 Drakes. Gone is the 'clearly a rapper on an intimate beat', In The Morning Drake. What we have now is the 9 Drake, and the fully-developed but completely-separately-existing, Controlla Drake. And I could be okay with that dichotomy if it weren't for the fatal flaw of this album: it’s watered down. It’s watered down to the point of dishonesty. I’m okay that both the dance and rap tracks still have the R&B nigga vibe; he's almost solely responsible for bringing that into mainstream rap. I’m not okay with him pretending “Guess I’m not in a position to deal with commitment” is a newfound revelation. He's pimping the butterfly of self-expression. I won't elaborate on that - if you read the Kendrick review you'll understand - but that's the foundational answer.

So, back to the beginning. We, the music snobs, hold everyone to the Kanye standard, and I'm trying to let that go. Some people are Spurs fans. Some people just enjoy watching robust execution of processes. That's good, we need people who don't want the flashiest version of everything. My only request to you Duncan for MVP write-in voters is that you don't forget what it was that brought you to the game. How does it make you feel?

Whatever your opinion of this album, it's pretty much universally agreed that we're either at or a little past peak Drake. It's actually been theorized that rappers decline from the mountaintop after about 5 years of establishing a legacy, past that and they either oversaturate or repeat their work. But regardless of which side of the local maximum we're on, the reality is that with every album getting more mixed, and its constituents getting further to each side, everyone from I to you can find at least one track to enjoy, however illegitimate it makes the others seem.

Concisely, Views is Becky with the good hair's 'Best of Drake' playlist; it's the Kentucky piece from McDonald's Monopoly; it's a winter watermelon. You won't hate it, but for someone who so ferverously busted into the spotlight, Drake's senior album leaves remarkably little taste in the mouth.

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Rating: 7

Favorite Song: Child's Play