Views

Drake’s second-best album – ‘Views.’ Many would argue that ‘Nothing Was the Same’ or ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ are closer runner-ups but, in my opinion, the lyricism present in ‘Views’ is unmatched, even against himself. Drake recently stated in his ‘Rap Radar’ interview with Elliott Wilson and Brian B.Dot Miller that ‘Nothing Was the Same’ is his favorite album due to its concise yet impactful nature. I agree; that project is solid but ‘Views’ touched me in a different way; I felt these records on a personal level. – He opens the album with “Keep the Family Close,” where he raps, “All of my "let's just be friends" are friends I don't have any more /Guess it's what they say you need family for / 'Cause I can't depend on you anymore / Always saw you for what you could have been / Ever since you met me like when Chrysler made that one car / That looked just like a Bentley I / Always saw you for what you could have been…” He’s simultaneously detailing the thoughts of a love lost while remembering the evolution he saw buried beneath her work-in-progress exterior. He’s insulting and complimenting her at the same time – genius - or he could be reminiscing on the loss of a friend, either way, he fuses simplicity with complexity. It’s like he’s plainly stating his truths, but he does so in a way that’s still dense. He goes on to rap, “I always saw you for what you could've been / And even when it's business with you it's personal again / I knew you before you made ends meet / And now we're meeting our end,” again simplistic complexity. Drake wins because he raps as if he’s not even trying but merely having conversations over production. When artists start merely conversing over 808’s and hi-hats again, Drizzy will have some true competitors. He’s a storyteller first and foremost and that’s why he wins.

I grew up in a generation where when we liked a particular song of an artist, we buy his or her or their band’s whole album. We were ‘trained’ to actually buy the album – and it does help since I get to know the artist more and if he or she or they are worth following as a fan. I am saying this because I just discovered that I actually bought three of Drake’s albums – Thank Me Later, Scorpion, and this one I am reviewing now, Views. I wouldn’t really say I am a Drake fan but seeing that I have three of his CDs just means I was really into him! Well, that is true when it comes to the looks department, because, Drake does look good than most of his contemporaries. He’s like the rapper you wouldn’t be afraid to introduce to your mother. That part can certainly help any up-and-coming artist. But more than that, Drake had the ability to create a few catchy songs per album – which in reality, is what he actually needs theoretically, for these albums to sell in the millions. For Scorpion, he had “Nice For What”, “God’s Plan”, and “In My Feelings” which all went to #1 in the US charts, with the latter, spawning a viral video that was mimicked the world over. In Thank Me Later, he had “Find Your Love”, which went to #5 in the US charts. I guess for Views, I bought the album because of “Hotline Bling” and “One Dance”, which were radio staples here in Manila, but were also songs that we danced to in my dance classes in the gym. So even if I was not familiar with his other songs in his albums, at least I knew his hits, and those were enough for me to buy his albums.