Pimp C!!! Pimp C!!!! Still kind of weird to hear him on a Drake album, especially a song like “Faithful,” but Pimp C!!!! Also, how crazy is it for DVSN to have a song with Pimp C? There's absolutely no way the newcomers could have ever predicted they'd have a record with one-half of UGK in their ever-growing discography, album truth is often stranger than fiction.Ĭonsidering how many overlooked people there are on this list, Campbell might be the most overlooked. Chad Butler (Pimp C)įeature and songwriting credit on “Faithful” This is Divine Brown the Canadian singer and actress who's had some hits in the U.S.
Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist David Brooks, AKA Mavado, has a writing credit on “9.” It’s not the first time Mavado has been closely aligned with Drizzy- see “Find Your Love”-but here it’s only because Drizzy sampled his tune "Dying." Divine Brownįor those about to get their Google on, this isn't Divine Brown the famous prostitute. While prominently featured on “With You” he also has a writing credit on “U with Me?” Expect more PND reference tracks from the album to surface any day now. Odds are if you care enough to read a piece on the Views liner notes you already knew who he is. On Views, Drake is starting to sound a little weary of it himself.Brathwaite is better known as PartyNextDoor. Eventually, people will get tired of the same old song if it's sung too often. Basically, Drake needs to lighten up and add some new colors to the paintbox, whether it’s songs about something other than his bummer love life (like the good times before the inevitable breakup), or the fabulous things that come from all the money and fame he never lets anyone forget he's accrued. And if he's never going to get the same respect that someone like Chance the Rapper gets, making records as self-pitying and self-serving as Views isn't going to do much to further Drake's career artistically, either. Drake has not only arrived, he's taken over. The track, like so many others made up of over-blown boasts, seems to be fighting a battle that was won long ago. Blige sample running through the track, but stumbles when Drake name drops Katy Perry and brags about wrecking marriages. A few other tracks connect, like the almost light-hearted "Feel No Ways," which makes good use of a stuttering Malcolm McLaren sample or, of course, the hugely catchy hit song "Hotline Bling." The nostalgic "Weston Road Flows" comes close, with the great Mary J.
Still, these poppy moments feature Drake as the wounded lover, being treated poorly yet again. Of the songs that stand out, his uptempo, Caribbean-flavored duet with Rihanna ("Too Good") is the most enjoyable "One Dance," another song with a Jamaican dancehall feel, is another fun track. No matter how ably the production casts his raps and ballads in the best possible light, no matter how well the frequent use of chopped and swirled samples from '90s R&B songs fit in the mix, no matter that the occasional song rises up from the narrative and makes a splash, the album is a meandering, dreary rehash of what Drake has done before in much better fashion. Frankly, it's become as boring and annoying as a needle stuck in a groove. He's already delved deeply into his insecurities, lambasted all his exes, and displayed his fierce self-pride, never shying away from telling everyone exactly where he started and how far he's come. As before, he casts himself as both the melancholy bachelor looking out over the city from his penthouse manor, and the criminally underrated rap genius demanding his due, and it's one album too many for both personas. 2016's Views is another in a string of dour transmissions from the dark night of Drake's soul. Since the release of his last non-mixtape/non-collaboration album in 2013, Drake has solidified his position as a pop music icon, scaling the charts, dominating gossip columns, and generally living the good life.