The opening track – Keep the Family Close – literally begins with the sounds of howling wind, presumably intended to evoke the cold of the album’s quite amusing cover art. However, the first half of VIEWS is very sensual and dreamy, with a greater singing-to-rapping ratio than any of Drake’s previous projects. Both IYRTITL and WATTBA were very club-ready projects, much more influenced by rap and trap than his “soft” older work. It’s interesting then, that VIEWS opens so slowly. Between hands-down winning his beef with Meek Mill, and releasing two solid projects in If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late, and his Future collaboration What A Time To Be Alive, he has never been more in the public eye than he is now.

Given that Drake has been hyping VIEWS as his love letter to Toronto and his relationship with it, it’s somewhat of an understatement to say that expectations are high.ĭrake had a phenomenal 2015. Also, and most crucially, Drake himself is one of the biggest pop-stars on the planet, with a series of hits, culminating in last year’s Hotline Bling. His producer and musical partner, Noah “40” Shebib is arguably the most influential hip-hop producer of the decade, with an entire genre of sad-sack R&B springing up from his influence (Tinashe and Travis Scott are good examples). Huge pop-stars like The Weeknd rose to prominence via Drake’s endorsement, and his OVOSOUND roster is filled with rising stars like PARTYNEXTDOOR and dvsn (and until recently, ILoveMakonnen). The influence of Toronto in the pop music scene has been palpable this decade, and Drake is undeniably the genesis of that trend.

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