Drake Views.
Have we finally reached Drake fatigue? For the past five years, Aubrey Graham has had a stranglehold on the rap game, making the world stop with the release of each album. His approach felt different; instead of going after tough-guy club bangers, his albums were super-chilled, sensitive and introspective.
Views builds on that blueprint, but it feels like we’ve heard this album before, and at 20 tracks deep, Drake his chosen excess over quality curation. He still makes quality music, but watching him repeat the same tricks ceases to amaze after a while.
Case in point: “Grammys” with Future, which is interchangeable with anything on their What a Time to Be Alive mixtape. Or the multiple times he samples ’90s R&B—Ray J on “Redemption,” Mary J. Blige on “Weston Road Flows.” It was innovative when he did it with Aaliyah some years ago, but hardly shocking this time around.
Views does have its moments. “Still Here,” “Pop Style” and “Hype” will be the go-to club cuts, and previously released infectious grooves “Controlla” and “One Dance” will be this year’s “Hotline Bling.” “Too Good” with Rihanna is another easy win. So Drake clearly knows what buttons to press and notes to hit to please his adoring audience. Unfortunately he sounds a bit too afraid to step outside his comfort zone.
