When it comes to discussing anything that’s Drake related, and you live in the city of Toronto, there are really a wide range of opinions that are common, but not so much so in the general eyes that most would think to believe. You have your hardcore Day 1s, you have the people who absolutely can’t stand him (when personal stories come to light), and then you have the middle ground which has the “I like him, but” or “I respect what he does, but” crowds. There is a level of protection when it comes to Toronto because we’ve been cast aside for so long, that we feel obligated to ride for anything and everything Toronto related when it comes to discussing with outsiders (primarily Americans). However, when it has come to the reviews I’ve done for Drake albums, it’s like walking on eggshells sometimes and having to carefully pick apart and decipher every nook and cranny of his work as if they’re deep & thought provocative pieces of work. Mind you, being introspective is his forte, but it doesn’t make any sense to approach Drake’s work as such a precious artifact that it’s not safe from criticism. If you don’t like Drake, you’re a hater. If you like his earlier work more than his album work, you’re told that you don’t appreciate growth. Everything is subject to opinion, and because human beings have working brains & mouths (sometimes I question that), everyone will have their views of something (not a pun). Aubrey Drake Graham is viewed as a Saint of the City who can do no wrong, and he has earned that right, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not subject to criticism, no matter how many of his surrounding stans will damn near crucify you for not sharing the same love they have for him. And that is the difficulty of being from the city and having an opinion of him. It’s because he’s the only Hip Hop star to make it out of here, and one of the biggest names in music, period. People are proud, and they should be. We all are, but not everyone views him the same way.

That being said, with everything that is happening in the city from the Jays reaffirming themselves as a force in Baseball (despite their slow start right now), the Raptors on a historic season for the franchise, and the multiple acts from Toronto really getting shine that they rightly deserve, I was very excited for Views to come out, because of the energy that was n the city. I was looking forward to seeing how Drake would bottle that up and put it on wax. Now, I’m not as big a Drake fan that I was 5-6 years ago, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t check for his music. There’s a time & place for when I’ll feel the need to listen to him, but I don’t go out of my way, and in a way, it sucks, because So Far Gone was my soundtrack in college (right along with Graduation), and Mixtape Drake is my favourite Drake. He’s had elements of that in his album work, but for me, it wasn’t on a consistent level. I discovered that on Nothing Was The Same, and then I just stopped wishing for a type of album I knew I wasn’t going to get. What threw me off (or kawalled, as we say here) was an interview (or maybe it was from an inside source, who knows) that said Drake was going to get “weird” with his music and it’ll be somewhat experimental. That excited me. I know people want to hear Drake give them the same old same old, but if you’re an artist and you’re not challenging yourself to see what else you can do with your craft, what’s the point really? Then 40 came out about a couple of months before the Views announcement dropped, and said that this album would be “what people expect from Drake,” and that kind of turned me off, because then I might as well go listen to Take Care or Nothing Was The Same, for that matter. It was off-putting, but I was still interested in hearing it. I wrote a piece that called for Drake to go away for a bit and rediscover his sound, and where the reception of it wasn’t exactly strong, I still felt the same, but like I said then, and as I’ll say now, if Views is out of this world, then that would be irrelevant. So without further adieu…the much anticipated reView(s) from the STiXX.

Whenever something related to Drake is brought into light, it’s exponentially hyped tenfold by the masses. Example, the damn tracklist. I know they’re all for speculation as to who’s going to be on what and whatever, it’s fun, I get that, but people have no reservations of chill in sight, and certainly the intro Keep The Family Close had perked anticipation, but really – it’s a tracklist. We don’t know anything until we press play. Starting off very cinematically, with the sounds of winter and a Toronto Transit Commission (or TTC for short) streetcar (trolley) rolling by, there was already the atmosphere set for what this album would represent: Toronto and its battles with the elements and just how we, the people, cope with such, because they’re always terrible (although, last winter wasn’t that bad). Given that setting put in place along with the building orchestration that comes into the forefront, Drake takes the singing approach for the intro as opposed to Over My Dead Body & Tuscan Leather, where he took the rap approach (which I prefer). When it comes to Singing Drake, many people like that version of him. I had my fair share of tolerating it for a period of time (Brand New was my shit for the longest, not to mention everything on SFG), but 4 albums (okay, count If You’re Reading This – 5), I’m pretty much over it at this point. It wouldn’t be much of an issue if we didn’t have to hear relatively the same subject matter constantly, which has turned me off, and it resurfaces from the get go. I feel as though Drake is withholding a lot of abandonment issues, and is very resentful of many individuals, because he loves to profess his frustrations with people being loyal within his circle, and friends he used to have, not being friends in his current day-to-day. Welcome to life, friend. Pretty sure, you’re not new here.

“You’re so predictable I hate people like you
Kennedy Road taught me not to trust people like you
How you supposed to figure out what I’m going through
You can’t even figure out what’s going on with you”

Well, we have our first Scarborough reference, so that’s comforting. If you remember the “I got real ones livin past Kennedy Road,” yes it’s the same one. As someone who lived in Scarborough for 15 years and never heard of Drake actually being there unless it was Degrassi related, I find it very fascinating with his infatuation with the East end. There were a few more references on NWTS, if you forgot, but I don’t think that this album would carry them over. What I did like about this intro, however, was that it was at least a different approach, production wise, and on his albums, or pretty much any body of work he’s made, there’s almost a guarantee that production will be great (sometimes phenomenal, but all around – great). I felt constantly teased because of the build up and I thought a hot ass beat was going to happen and he’d go nuts, but my wishful thinking had deceived me, but I didn’t mind it. I was in for the dramatics, so it at least had me interested. The content within the song itself, not so much, but I was hopeful there would be something to turn my head right around.

As for the outro on the song, I definitely get hype every time, because my friend, Jamz, is the supplier of the Toronto slang infused voicemail that pushes the song to its dramatic finish. If you remember the opening of How Bout Now, with the girl infamously saying “you just dashed me away like a cyattie,” this voicemail, much like Baka’s on From Time, gives you more of a glimpse of how we urban folks in this city speak. The slang may vary from different regions within it, but it’s generally the same all throughout. I’m not here to translate, but really it’s a call to anyone who wants to lay claim to bringing any drama to one’s front door. You can try, but do it if you dare. Try a ting.

When it comes to where Drake’s thought process is right now, obviously all I can do is speculate, but I’m wondering if there’s a drought within his creativity that allows him to just coast right now. I ask this, because on 9, the song didn’t (and really still hasn’t given that it’s been over a week since its release that I’m writing this) move me in a way that struck me as him being any interested in what he was putting into the music. In the song, he claims that he “made a decision that he would die for it,” and absolutely, you should want to have that feeling of wanting to die for your passion, but this didn’t sound passionate to me. Especially if you’re going to be throwing around bars that say “turn the 6 upside down, it’s a 9 now” and “keychain go jang-a-lang.” The only thing I really enjoyed out of this song was the Mavado Dying sample that was flipped in a way to make it sound like Serani (who’s featured on the song) say “nine.” Pretty sure I skip this song at any and every instance when I hear it. I wasn’t happy about doing it either, because my expectations at this point started to drift, and then U With Me? came along and picked up the pace a bit.

DMX sample right out of the gate and then a line about Drake group DM’ing his exes, made me roll my eyes so bad, it’s not even funny. At this point, I think he’s really just giving the people what they want to hear instead of doing something that’ll actually push the envelope of creating something really dope.

“You tell me that I’m confusin’
More immature than Marques Houston
Cuts too deep for a band-aid solution
We too deep in this thing to never lose me
LOLOL I’m glad you find this shit amusin’”

I’m not sure that it’s particularly healthy to keep a hold on things, like estranged relationships, for so long, because really I’ve already questioned his judgment on his decisions with picking the right women. But now, it’s like “do you enjoy doing this? It seems like it.” I did enjoy the beat, and the hook for the most part. I dig this song for what it is. Laid back, chill, but again – subject matter. It’s more of the same that we’ve heard from Drake, and if you’re a hardcore, die-hard Drake fan who thinks he can do no wrong, at what point do you start to say “we’ve heard this before?” Because surely even you have to throw your hands up at some point, but if your life is steadily relatable to his lyrics, then there’s nothing I can really say about that. It just isn’t for me.

Now just when I was clamouring for Drake to do something different, Feel No Ways came on about and the two-step commenced. Lyrically, same old shit. A woman of his interest has seemed to move on, and he can’t get go (I though Marvin’s Room supposed to be the be all and end all of songs like this). In Toronto speak, to “feel a way” is to essentially be in your feelings about a situation. Most of the times when it’s used, it’s likely in an argument and you proclaim that you feel no ways about so and so (you don’t care), but it could also mean that something struck a nerve and it’s impacted you in a way where you’re humbled for a moment (or a few more moments). I absolutely love the production on this song, and the hook works right with it. So far, it’s the best thing going, given its techno vibe behind it. It makes sense that Jordan of Majid Jordan produced this, because it’s a sound that they embody in their work.

Hype is something that is necessary on this album right about now, because the sappy stories that are supposed to have me feeling bad for Drake, aren’t working, and energy needs to ensue. That was delivered and as the Toronto hood man graced his presence on the intro, the beat went up and Drizzy got off. When it comes to music that’ll get a club/venue/party moving, Drake can make those songs that you know you’ll here over and over again for a few months (especially since the summer is coming soon). Braggadocio Drake is an entertaining Drake, because when he puffs up his chest and addresses his lesser peers, it actually makes it believable that he’s bout that action and can put his mind to the mic and spit when he wants to. It was good to hear some of that here to let the notices be sent out, given the Meek Mill ‘beef’ (can we call it that?) & Tory Lanez feud (sure, let’s call it that) which came to light.

“I hate a rapper especially
They feel the same, but they hide it
They just discuss it in private
Don’t get along man, we tried it
What’s the point in even tryin’?
I hate a goofy especially
They always dyin’ to mention me
They gotta die out eventually”

Public Enemy famously has a song called Don’t Believe The Hype, and how the term hype is referred to, is pretty much hot air, smoke & mirrors, and just people talking out of their asses but won’t bust a grape in a fruit fight (thanks Jay). This song is one that’ll get a party moving for sure, and I appreciate it for that particular reason.

Transitioning into Weston Road Flows is where my personal favourite, Rapping Ass Drake, comes to life. “All first verse” is an understatement, because this has that 9AM in Dallas & 5AM in Toronto flow & ferocity that I’ve been wanting on a consistent basis, but must accept the fact that it’s never gonna happen. Weston Road isn’t exactly known to be an area in the city that is sunshine & rainbows, full of happy-go-lucky people. It’s pretty much the hood, and it’s not a tourist attraction, although now some of its residents online may come to think that’ll change and will have an influx of outsiders flocking in to take pictures for Snapchat & Instagram to caption the song’s title name. When he starts it off saying “one ah dem ones” (usually, most say “dem ones” for short), that at least sparked the idea that he would go off, which I was hoping, but I know my optimism had been shot down before. It wasn’t here.

There are many Toronto specific references that a lot of people may not get a grip of, which is fine, it’s cool if you don’t get it, because some stuff is meant for us, and you can just be spectators on the outside looking in. From the mentions of running to the store to get Centuries for the older heads (and common activity growing up in any hood), rolling to Fluid Lounge (RIP), Vince Carter’s memorable Slam Dunk contest in ’01, and bringing up Toronto legends Glenn Lewis & Jelleestone, there were a lot of things that were brought up that made the average Torontonian (the urban ones, at least) reminisce and be appreciative of the fact that Drake had that connection to the city, which he presented on the album, although he’s been throwing in his shoutouts for quite some time. Despite all of those references (throw in a TTC one in there as well), this was his moment to boast and highlight the fact that he’s still not the one to be messed with, granted the whispers in the background claim that he’s vulnerable enough to take shots at, specifically singling out Tory (Lanez, not John the Mayor). Obviously he doesn’t mention him by name, but 2-2s, you know wa gwan already with the ting dem.

“Weston Road flows, my confidence level gettin’ settled
Don’t get hyped for the moment then start to backpedal
Don’t let your newfound fame fool you or cloud up your judgement
To talk loosely, I really do this
Been flowin’ stupid since Vince Carter was on some through the legs arm in the hoop shit”

“Y’all was so afraid to lay claim to it
Too busy face screwin’ on waste movements
You was ridin’ TTC metro, I had the place boomin’”

Well if this isn’t some chesty shit, it’s about time. Listen, when people feel as though you’re off your game, you’re not subject from being approached. If others see the opportunity to come at you, obviously they better not miss, but that’s always been part of Hip Hop. What’s been addressed here speaks to Drake sending his subliminal to Tory on Summer Sixteen (which I’m pissed, didn’t make the album, but I understand why, after conversations). Then you had Tory have a comeback, but then appear to backtrack on an interview with Sway, and then appear to fire back. It’s all over the place, but it’s for good sport. Tory makes good music in his own right, and given that he has his personal success (dropping two fire tapes this year would help), there’s a validation on stepping up to the challenge and taking jabs at Drake. Someone’s gotta do it eventually. Drake also mentioned this on the Zane Lowe interview (as long-winded and awkward it was at times), and he definitely had that “I’m not the one” attitude when he had his comments. It’s all good sport. We need to shake things up, and I’m not mad at Tory for doing so.

All things considered on the track, Weston Road Flows is my favourite song because it’s at least what I want to hear from Drake more often than anything else he puts out, and to have Redemption follow-up, I thought to myself that again, it’d be back on the same old same old. I will admit though, that this song grew on me more so because of the beat, and rather than it being catchy like most of his other songs, it resonated, although I may not relate to it personally.

“I know you’re seein’ someone that loves you
And I don’t want you to see no one else
I don’t want you here with no one else
I don’t wanna do this with no one else” 

Again, why am I getting Marvin’s Room vibes 2 albums later? Why does Drake have such a hard time letting go of what was and focus on what is and what should be, instead of what could be? Many people like to believe that not all of Drake’s songs are necessarily made to express from his personal story, but if you believe that, I don’t think you’ve been listening to Drake long enough. My annoyance is that, this keeps being brought up, and although most of the elements revolving the song are cool, I just can’t get with the redundancy of his subject matter, although people do live for the vulnerability of his persona. We get it, we understand it, and we’ve embraced it for half a decade and then some. And he steady loves name-dropping these women like he hasn’t been getting in shit for that since TML. Come on, man. It sucks, because I enjoy the vibe of the song, but don’t care for anything else about it.

As the album kind of starts to shift into the summery aspect, With You isn’t exactly my cup of tea, or Hot Chocolate, or Horlicks/Ovaltine/Milo. Straight up, I just do not like this song at all. It’s a dance-y song, but I skip it whenever I hear it. I have no use for it, although PartyNextDoor does carry it. That’s pretty much all I have to say for the song, because it’s again, more so of the same – do you see a pattern here? At this point, I’m bored, in all honesty. Faithful is another example where I think Drake too, was bored, and it was the sample (or unreleased verse) from Pimp C, and the closing by dvsn, that I actually cared about. His EP Sept. 5^th is one you need for library, and the covers on their Soundcloud are magnificent. I’m excited to see where the career of the duo will go, because there’s something there for real. People make them out to be a Weeknd duplicate, but it’s the furthest thing from the truth, albeit there are similarities (and even then, not really).

Still Here is another party song that’ll get the place moving, which has a high-energy song pump out the message of going through all the hardships to endure the battle and still make it. First and foremost, I didn’t realize that people thought that the intersection Jane Street & Wilson Avenue were actual human beings. That was hilarious. It’s clear that if NWTS was for the East references, Views is definitely dedicated for the West, for the balance, and to bring together the fact that they city did shape & mold him into the artist he is today, which many others will certainly argue, but we won’t get into that. This is a fun ass song, and it will certainly be the staple ‘VIP-booth-couch-jumping-song-with-your-brejins’ song of the summer, and possibly moving forward. For how long? Who knows? But while it’s here for the moment, it’s an appreciated song in which Drake shows off his appreciation of life. Life sucks sometimes, so you have to celebrate it.

So now that the album has reached the Summer time stage, here come the hits. Controlla would be the first one on deck, and given that it had leaked before the album’s tracklist was even out, the anticipation for Popcaan was all everyone wanted, because it was just necessary. Well, if you want to witness what was the biggest kawall of the year this far, look no further than not hearing Popcaan on the album’s version. Drake….you had one job, and that was to have the Unruly Boss grace his presence on the album. That was all we wanted, and we didn’t get it. Now, I don’t know the particulars as to why he wasn’t on the album, per se. Some say it was clearance, some say that the leaked version wasn’t even official, but someone needs to understand that putting Popcaan on the track is more than just a look for him & Jamaican Dancehall, but the quality of the song itself would just shoot up that much higher because of it. It’s a disappointment, but that won’t stop me from dancing with a plethora of women to this song. It’s fantastic, and I wish all who hear this song, and love this song, to go to a fête (party) in Toronto in the summertime, and truly immerse yourself in the greatness that will come about when it drops. It’s that good, so I do appreciate the song. But not having Popcaan on it hurts the quality of it. Bless you Aubrey, but ain’t nobody trying to hear you serenade over dancehall riddims with no dancehall artists. The Beenie Man drop at the end of the song (with a little sample) was random, and only again questioned the absence of Poppy. Like, huh? Alright.

Toronto is the most diverse city on the planet. No arguments. No debates. This is not an opinion, this is a damn fact. The amount of cultural influence that is shed in the city, it’s just natural for us to dip and dab into other cultures, out of appreciation. If there’s anything that is a testament to that statement, it’s evident in One Dance. Afrobeats, Soca & Dancehall are heard throughout Toronto from damn near every corner, whether it’s in a beauty/barbershop, a restaurant, a party, or someone’s car blasting at full volume. You can’t escape it, and that’s why this song is truly dope. I’m glad it’s his first number one, because I think it’s impossible to hate this song. I don’t express how much I love Drake songs, because his fans do enough of that, that I never need to chime in, but I love this damn song. Toronto had a period in time where the dance scene was the biggest thing going. For nostalgia purposes, this song transferred me back to those times, but really there’s an element of this song where you can play it at any event, and it’ll go up regardless. One sweet whine to it will change your life, I promise.

Continuing in the party section of the album, Grammys graces us with the presence of Future for the first time since WATTBA, and personally this song sounds like it should have been on that project anyways. It’s a hype song, it’ll get played in the club, but my understanding is why did it have to make the album? This is just filler to me. Child’s Play, on the other hand, is different, and has that significant bounce with a catchy hook that certainly caught my attention but when the beat switched up and went into a slow-jam-Drake-essential, that caught me off guard, but I thought it was alright. I would have preferred the upbeat more throughout the song. There’s more evidence here of Drake’s mental state when it come to dealing with his women, and there’s really resentment here. He really feels as though he has a significant power hold over them, and I wonder if for once he’ll let go of his ego to realize that women out here will treat him like they treat any other man, regardless if his bank account is substantially greater than the rest of us. I don’t understand how so many people come to his defence all the time, when it’s evident that he’s really a dickhead. Good song though.

When Pop Style (also, a Jamaican term for flossing) came out with The Throne (Kanye & Jay Z’s one sentence), I was very meh about it. When Drake released this version with his 2^nd verse (which is the better one of the song), then I said it could gwan. I’m realizing at this point that this is the 15^th song, and it feels like it, because it’s dragging on longer than it should. There’s a difference between having a lot of songs with content, as opposed to lots of filler. The latter is evident. This is yet another song for the club, and would likely be the only place where I’d care to hear it. “Chaining Tatum?” Really? Really.

Now this is where I was confused. So you have ‘Controlla’ & ‘One Dance’ go back to back, throw 3 turn up songs afterwards, then come back to Too Good with Rihanna afterwards? Sequencing is an important part of an album’s layout. And to make matters worse, not only is Popcaan left off ‘Controlla,’ but he’s sample on this song of all songs. It’s not a bad song, but it’s not ‘Controlla’ where Popcaan actually mattered. Drake & Rihanna together have great chemistry that Drake has fessed up to over the years and even beefed with CB about – we know the stories. What’s My Name, Take Care, Work, and now this, it’s hard to argue that they’re 4 for 4 on collabs, but I definitely never in my life want to hear Drake say “Cock up yuh bump, siddung pon it” with his butchered patois, ever. I understand that Patois is the unofficial 2^nd language of the city, and he has enough confidence to spew it out willingly on songs, which is cool, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea, given all of the clips of him not doing a great job at using it. And, yes, not everyone’s patois is great, but fam…let’s not. As for the song itself, what better than two hopeless romantics to come about and proclaim that they’re too good enough for each other because no one wants to appreciate the love they have to offer. It hits home in some ways, absolutely, but it’s another song for the summer that’ll get spins to embrace more people to dance, and that’s never a bad thing.

Majid f-l-o-a-t-e-d all over Summers Over Interlude, and I could not ask for anything more than a smooth ass song that’ll truly put you in your feelings and play this from your boombox outside of your person’s window, much like John Cusack in Say Anything…. Beautiful song to really mark the end of the Summer and embraces the fact that we’re in for another long ass, cold ass winter.

Fire & Desire reminded me of Jungle specifically, meaning that it was one song that I truly felt a connection with Simp Drake. First off, shout out to the brandy sample, she doesn’t get enough credit for being an R&B legend out here, but back to the topic. Relationships (or the process of getting into them) shouldn’t be complicated, because it’s (ideally) supposed to be a straight up mutual agreement as to if the commitment will be intact. It really gets complicated when people aren’t on the same page, and that I can come to an agreement on. There are instances where you have that flame between you and someone else, and it’s the part of making that something complete where it can get sticky, and then no one knows exactly where to go, although on one end, someone’s already involved, and you’re just waiting in the wings like “okay, so what’s going on?” I understand it, because I’ve been through it, but again, we’ve heard this. He can’t & won’t let go.

I thought the sample for Views was from Whitney Houston, so when I found out that it was The Winans, I was shocked, but that’s more credit to the producers for being that good in dressing it up in that way. We have reached the ultimate track on this long & strung-out album, and he ends it in the same fashion as he did on NWTS, Take Care, and If You’re Reading This. He raps, and he raps well, and this is where I stretch out my hands and say why not more of this earlier? But I’m just going to accept that this is who he is.

“They think I had the silver spoon but they’ll get it soon
I still got something left to prove since you left me room”

This is also one of my favourite songs because of the sheer fact that he gets aggressive and spits. It’s almost like it’s scripted in his set up, because Paris Morton Music 2 had the same feel where he reminisces about the come up and appreciates the success he’s made for himself. That’s a given, and it’s to be respected. I liked the nod to Room For Improvement, which would suggest that he’s inspired by something that links to that particular time when he was doing a majority of rapping as opposed to his current half & half Rap/R&B strategy. It’s hard to gauge him at times, because you know that he’s pretty predictable to read in terms of his approach to his albums. It’s a fine ending to this album, because it brings back the Toronto references (shout out to Kiddies) but then again, it’s another teaser, because now there’s speculation as to what will come next. Some might be more interested, some might be more put off, but that’s all up for grabs.

With all the words that have spilled onto my canvas that is this review, and I will say…this is what we were waiting 2 years for? If Drake hadn’t released If You’re Reading This & What A Time prior to this album, there certainly would have been more of an appreciation for this album because as I sit here, and having digested it for as long as I have, I’m underwhelmed. Because the original title was called Views From the 6, it was dressed up as an album that was going to be straight up Toronto. A n audio journal professing his love of the city that would have featured Toronto talent and had all the references & slang in the world that would have us beaming with joy and pride. I entered the listening experience of this album to think that it would be something exclusive to us and that outsiders wouldn’t appreciate it because they won’t understand. Where the dancehall/Afrobeats influences are present, and Toronto geography are evident, I don’t want to back up the theory that this is an album for us, because I don’t feel like it was overly exclusive for Toronto, regardless if the CN Tower is on the cover. This just feels & sounds like another Drake album. Sample a Toronto artist maybe? Have a legend or two present? Absolutely, there are songs that will be more appreciated here like ‘Hype,’ ‘Weston Road Flows,’ ‘Still Here,’ and ‘Views.’ But 5 to 9 songs on a 20-song album that resonate with Toronto specifically, doesn’t make it a project that’ll be strictly for the city. It may be hailed as a Toronto classic, but for a classic body of work, I can’t even call it his best work of the albums he’s put out. There are a lot of songs that made the album that really didn’t need to be on, because they just repeated content that had already been expressed. I’m not one to listen to or read other reviews or thoughts from outside sources before I give my own, but Joe Budden (as passionately as he proclaimed) did make sense when he said that 40 has progressed, and Drake has not. He’s become stagnant, and it shows in the music, specifically this album. The knock on Drake’s albums is that a majority of them are for the moment, and really the only one that has been able to break through that is Take Care, as an all around effort, not just for certain songs. There are songs that are cool and they’ll have a lasting impression for the next few months, but beyond that (say a year, 2 years or 5 years from now), I can’t, right now, see myself caring for it in a capacity where I’ll miss it. Heck, if it wasn’t for this review, I doubt I’d be listening to it in full. It’s too much of an effort to listen to straight through, because it’s not that impressive. Drake’s supposed to be the top artist of this generation, and his album sales, and countless amount of hits would certainly suggest that, but it’s not enough to just give the status quo of music when others (namely his peers) are pushing the bar higher for themselves. I don’t feel it on this, and that’s what disappointed me. I really wanted this album to make me feel something about Drake’s music that I hadn’t since SFG, and unfortunately, I’m still waiting. But for now, this is my opinion, this is my review

That’s My Word & It STiXX