A review by Dejuan Hunter.
"Views," Drakes most anticipated release thus far... |
...in the face of much adversity, fed to him through social media and social encounters with a few celebrities.
In this review, I rate this album based on a 5 point scale (#/5). Before I get personal about this, let's take a look at the stats:
Allegedly selling upwards of 740,000 copies in 2 days, Views from the 6 is approximated to sell 2 million in a week! Talk about doing numbers! If you don't understand the magnitude of this feat, lemme give some perspective. "What a Time to Be Alive," blessing us with Trap hits like "Jumpman," "Where you at," and "Diamonds Dancing" only did roughly 62,000 in a week. And these songs still remain popular!
Now the question is, what does the public think of this release? I've interviewed a number of "die hard Drake fans" and hip hop heads alike and I've been surprised by the mixed responses I received. Some Drake fans felt as if it may go above peoples heads if they were anticipating an album full of tracks that we've heard in features. I've also been told by Drake fans that they were disappointed in the R&B vibe that outlines the entire project. Hip Hop heads, that are more into artists like Rakim, Nas, and Method Man, came to the same conclusion, stating that the a famed rapper has lost his roots in the underground community by complying with mainstream demand. Some hip hop activists believe this release can potentially spur music of inspiration.
In this review, I rate this album based on a 5 point scale (#/5). Before I get personal about this, let's take a look at the stats:
Allegedly selling upwards of 740,000 copies in 2 days, Views from the 6 is approximated to sell 2 million in a week! Talk about doing numbers! If you don't understand the magnitude of this feat, lemme give some perspective. "What a Time to Be Alive," blessing us with Trap hits like "Jumpman," "Where you at," and "Diamonds Dancing" only did roughly 62,000 in a week. And these songs still remain popular!
Now the question is, what does the public think of this release? I've interviewed a number of "die hard Drake fans" and hip hop heads alike and I've been surprised by the mixed responses I received. Some Drake fans felt as if it may go above peoples heads if they were anticipating an album full of tracks that we've heard in features. I've also been told by Drake fans that they were disappointed in the R&B vibe that outlines the entire project. Hip Hop heads, that are more into artists like Rakim, Nas, and Method Man, came to the same conclusion, stating that the a famed rapper has lost his roots in the underground community by complying with mainstream demand. Some hip hop activists believe this release can potentially spur music of inspiration.
Hate him or love him, Aubrey Graham is here to stay and will continue to be the object of attention so long as he stays hip to current trends and continues to supply what people unknowingly demand.
After all considerations and three consecutive listens, Be:Hyped rates "Views" 3.9/5. The reason for this rating is simple. This release jumps between 3 distinct styles of influence: Reggae, R&B and Hip hop. Considering how many genres he has covered, there is no clear correlation besides instrumentation and connotative characteristics of the genres. With that said, what the rapper put out actually does contain a good amount of interpersonal and relatable lyrics which I'm sure is the one component that keeps the listener entertained and engaged. Hats off to Drizzy, he sure aims to please. You can find Views from the 6 here.
After all considerations and three consecutive listens, Be:Hyped rates "Views" 3.9/5. The reason for this rating is simple. This release jumps between 3 distinct styles of influence: Reggae, R&B and Hip hop. Considering how many genres he has covered, there is no clear correlation besides instrumentation and connotative characteristics of the genres. With that said, what the rapper put out actually does contain a good amount of interpersonal and relatable lyrics which I'm sure is the one component that keeps the listener entertained and engaged. Hats off to Drizzy, he sure aims to please. You can find Views from the 6 here.
Dejuan Hunter is a singer/songwriter/rapper producer in addition to being a contributor/Columnist for BE:HYPED Magazine.
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