Why We’re Looking Forward To Drake’s ‘Views From the 6’

This week Drake let everyone know that 6 Season had arrived with the release of two new tracks. First came the dancehall influenced One Dance, which sees Drake reunite with Nigerian singer Wizkid and continue to show love for the UK underground scene with a sample of Crazy Cousinz’s remix of Kyla’s Do You Mind. But the real highlight was Pop Style, a base-heavy track with an eerie quality reminiscent of ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ and a feature from The Throne aka Jay Z and Kanye (who steals the show and more than makes up from Jay’s minimalist approach to the feature).

‘Nothing Was The Same’ was more than just an artist finally crystallising his sound, it was a warning that nothing, including Drake himself, would be the same.

Drake’s fourth studio album ‘Views From the 6’ could be dropping any day now and with these new tracks anticipation has reached new heights.

I am not a long-time Drake fan, ‘So Far Gone’ was promising, ‘Young Money’ was embarrassing (despite all its talent), and ultimately I found the feature heavy ‘Thank Me Later’ disappointing. He almost had me with the Gammy-winning melancholia of ‘Take Care’ but then I saw the video for The Motto. The combination of those Nike gloves and that cheetah print North Face jacket was bad enough without an appearance from Tyga. For me, Drake remained awkward wrapped up in cringe.

Then came ‘Nothing Was The Same’. The sound and persona of Drake had never been more certain and this album forced me to let go of all previous perceptions I had of him as an artist. But this album was more than just an artist finally crystallising his sound, it was a warning that nothing, including Drake himself, would be the same. We had glimpses on tracks like Worst Behaviour and All Me, and in 2015 the transformation was complete.

First came ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ in February which saw Drake take shots left, right, and centre while proclaiming himself a legend. Then came the situation with Meek Mill which began with accusations of ghost-writing and ended with the Grammy nominated Back to Back and an internet-friendly display of savagery at OVO Fest.

Meanwhile the phenomenon that was Hotline Bling proved it was here to stay. ‘What A Time To Be Alive’, the much anticipated collaboration with Future, dropped in September to round out the year. While it may not have lived up to the ‘Watch The Throne’ comparisons, it gave us the Metro Boomin produced banger Jumpman and dispelled any concerns about Drake’s writing and rhyming abilities with 30 For 30 Freestyle.

If you’re still not ready to bow down to the 6 God, take a minute to consider the recent rumours that ‘Views From The 6’ could include a Kendrick Lamar collaboration.

Drake has in fact found his tempo just like DJ Mustard and will no doubt produce a perfectly curated collection of songs and one of the greatest albums of 2016. If last year wasn’t enough to get you hyped, Drake already proved his winning streak is far from over when he dropped Summer Sixteen back in January and took on the POTUS.

If you’re still not ready to bow down to the 6 God, take a minute to consider the recent rumours that ‘Views From The 6’ could include a Kendrick Lamar collaboration. This would be the first time the two heavy weights joined forces since 2012. But perhaps most importantly, if the rumours are true this could be the sign of much bigger things to come. Maybe the Drake, Kendrick, and J. Cole album that Timbaland spoke of last year won’t be such a pipe-dream after all.

Drake’s forthcoming album ‘Views From The 6’ is set to be released in April.