Views

Drake's fourth studio album, Views, arrived on April 29, 2016, via Cash Money, Republic, and Young Money Entertainment. Recorded over 2015 and 2016, the project was executive produced by Drake and his longtime collaborator 40, who also handled much of the production alongside Nineteen85, Maneesh Bidaye, Kanye West, and Jordan Ullman. Guest features include PartyNextDoor, Pimp C, Dvsn, Wizkid, Kyla, Future, and Rihanna. The album draws heavily from West Indian and West African music, marking Drake's first full embrace of Jamaican dancehall while also weaving in R&B, trap, Afrobeats, UK funky, and pop. Lyrically, it explores romance, betrayal, loyalty, and friendship. Views generated five singles: "One Dance," which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, "Hotline Bling," "Pop Style," "Controlla," and "Too Good."

The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 1.04 million equivalent units (852,000 in pure sales) and a then-record 245 million streams. It spent 13 non-consecutive weeks at number one and became Drake's first UK number one album. All 20 tracks charted on the Hot 100. Critics were lukewarm, calling it an overlong retread of his earlier work. Still, Views became one of his biggest commercial hits, selling over seven million certified units worldwide and earning 8x platinum in the US and 6x platinum in Canada. It won Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Rap Album at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. [edit]