Is it safe to come out yet? Has the Views hype died down some?
It’s been two weeks since Drake’s highly anticipated album has been released, and as expected, folks are still in the honeymoon phase with it. I’ve heard the noise and seen the headlines. I know Views is on a colossal and historical reign of terror on the Billboard charts and set a record for the amount of times it’s been streamed.
Despite the praise, the critical consensus says Views is nice but not necessarily Drake’s best work. I have to agree. A while back I asked why Drake’s name isn’t mentioned with the greats. I believe he’s one of the G.O.A.Ts but his content and lack of a classic album make that hard to justify. One of former editors, Zach Verbit, said it best in his Views review by comparing Drake to Taylor Swift in the sense that they’re both bonafide hit makers who make superficial and inoffensive songs about exes amongst other things, and because of this, their music has little staying power.
In a nutshell, Drake is a Hip Pop artist. Not all of the time. He has plenty of songs that are straight bars but one can’t help but question his sincerity. When he’s actually rapping is it for the art of Hip Hop or is he following the formula and releasing a song for the streets before dropping something for the ladies? Even his softest songs aren’t that vulnerable and revealing. It feels gimmicky at times. At the end of my blog post I suggested that Views will be the classic that Drake needs in order to be included in the G.O.A.T. talks. Well, it was wishful thinking. I don’t think he’s figured it out yet.
Views isn’t a classic because it does nothing special. A classic album makes a statement. That’s how it’s remembered. It does something that others haven’t done or haven’t done as well and becomes the seminal title in a genre. It has to be widely acclaimed and playable from start to finish. That goes for diehard fans and people who aren‘t the biggest fans of the genre or the artist. It has to stand the test of time and take you back to the first time you heard it.
Take Care is probably the closest thing Drake has to a classic. Of all the albums in his catalog, that’s the one that encapsulates his sound the most. Once you hear Take Care all the way through, no song outside of it should come as a surprise. That’s sort of a back handed compliment. It’s a compliment in saying that Drake created his own sound, but it also says that he doesn’t push the envelope and stray from what works. Every so often he'll go through some phase where he assumes a new identity. Right now he's Jamaican, or as some folks say, Jafakin. Still, the essence of his sound remains the same. I believe years down the road when there’s a new generation of rap fans who aren’t familiar with Drake, Take Care would be the quintessential album.
Views is only two weeks old so those last points aren’t fair expectations. With that being said, I’ll keep it out of what I’m about to do. Drake has been in the game for 10 years now and he has songs that I believe will stand the test of time whether it be in a Pop sense or Hip Hop sense. Since I don’t believe he has an undisputed classic album I made one myself. I called it Closer to My Dreams.
(Yes, I named it after the song. To be honest I didn’t know that song existed until I heard “30 for 30.”)
This isn’t my version of a Drake’s greatest hits album. This is me putting together what I believe would be a classic album. Let’s say Drake is on the come up and hasn’t blown up yet. Pretend we’re dealing with mixtape Drake and this is his studio debut. It would be amazing for an up and coming artist to make an album prophesizing his entire career. This album consists of four phases: The Come Up, Troubles in Tinseltown, On Top of the World and Untouchable.
Closer to My Dreams, Full Tracklist
Part I: The Come Up
- Successful
- Uptown
- Fancy
- Forever
- Fear
- Light Up
Part II: Troubles in Tinseltown
- Miss Me
- Paris Morton Music
- Marvin’s Room
- Take Care
- Headlines
- Versace interlude
Part III: On Top of the World
- Lord Knows
- 5AM in Toronto
- The Motto
- Worst Behavior
Part IV: Untouchable
- Legend
- The Ride
- Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2
- Hidden Track: You and the 6
Composing the tracklist for Closer to My Dreams wasn’t as easy and wasn’t hard as I thought it would be. I only chose songs that I know very well and would fit the concept. My apologies to those who are bewildered at “Trust Issues” and “Dreams Money Can Buy” not making the cut. I wanted to create an album with a narrative. Think The College Dropout, or better yet, think 2014 Forest Hills Drive because I couldn’t help but think of that album while writing this. The parallels are present in the beginning in both albums start off with a hungry and innocent voice before entering the industry that proves to be quite a monster. The similarities pretty much end there because 2014 Forest Hills Drive concludes on the importance of love while Closer to My Dreams ends with a voice of dominant self-awareness.
Imagine you just got off work. It’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday night. You didn’t have a long shift so you’re down to paint the town red tonight. You clock out, get in your car and pull out your physical copy of Closer to My Dreams. You put the CD in and your car hums with the beginning of “Successful” as you drive home fantasizing about the money, cars and clothes Trey Songz wants so bad. You start to feel ambitious. You think to yourself “This job is only temporary. I’m going to move on to bigger and better things and I’m not going to look back!” As the song continues into the fifth minute you might wonder to yourself “how much time is this guy spending on the intro?!” But as soon as Wayne’s verse ends your bass starts bumping as “Uptown” plays.
I started with “Successful” because it’s a grand opening. It’s an ambitious song for an ambitious album. Sometimes it’s best to just come in and let your intentions known. Imagine how different Ready to Die would be if “Juicy” was the first song. “Uptown” gave you something to bump to. After hearing all of that “I’m going to be the best” jazz, it’s good to hear something as dumb as “I drive two black cars I named ‘em Malcolm X and Martin Luther.” “Fancy” is a great song for the ladies and it gives us a break from all the ambition and boasting. I had to decide between this song and “Best I Ever Had.” The third verse in “Fancy” was what got it on the final cut. “Fancy” and “Best I Ever Had” both have radio appeal and explore the same themes, but “Fancy” does a better job of showcasing Drake’s rap skills and his ability to use that and appeal to women. Think about it, you’re better off running up to a girl at a bar with lines from “Fancy” than lines from “Best I Ever Had.”
While your head’s nodding you transition to “Fancy.” By this time you should be getting home and now and the switch up in the song has you in the mood to spend the night with someone of the opposite sex. You call up your friends to see what’s the move for the night. They’re hitting the club and will start pre-gaming in a few. You hop in the shower and “Forever” has you flexing and rapping into your loofah. After the shower it’s time to get fresh. “Fear” plays in the background as you search your closet for the best outfit that says “I’m here and I’m going to make myself comfortable whether you like it or not.” On your way to and during the pre-game “Light Up” plays and you’re feeling a little loose.
“Forever” gets back to business and shows Drake not losing focus on his goal. “Fear,” like I said in the scenario, does an excellent job of saying “I’m hear and I’m going to make myself comfortable whether you like it or not.” It’s kind of like when Humpty Dance said “Hey world, I hope you’re ready for me!” in “The Humpty Dance” or when Eddie Murphy said “There’s a new sheriff in town” in 48 Hrs. “Fear” is the perfect transition to “Light Up” because Drake still sounds wide eyed and happy to be here.
“Light Up” is to Closer to My Dreams as “St. Tropez” is to 2014 Forest Hills Drive. “Welcome to Hollywood, don’t let this town ruin you.” He’s entering the industry. This isn’t necessarily the point of no return, he’ll be able to visit his old stomping grounds but when he does he’ll soon see that nothing was the same. “Fear” is Drake on his way there and “Light Up” is him parking the car and hopping out. The fact that he admirably mentions Jay-Z in one song and then Jay features on the next track to offer advice shows that Drake is right where he belongs.
You step inside the club and to quote Destiny’s Child, “It’s 11:30 and the club is jumpin, jumpin.” As usual there isn’t enough room to break dance but you have plenty of space to two step and grind. “Miss Me” is one of the songs in the DJ’s rotation. He’s got a pretty good mix, every song has people singing along and remembering the first time they heard the song. As time goes by you take a look around and notice all of the couples. Or maybe you’re going through a dry spell on this particular night. This is when “Paris Morton Music” comes in. You order a drink as you push back thoughts of your ex. It seems like the alcohol is only encouraging them. Now everything is moving slow and you are in a love sick stupor. You decide to go back out there and try to nab a one night stand. Or you go through your contacts to see which one of your sliders are down to run it one time. You get lucky and spend the night with someone. You don’t go to your place because you forgot where you live. Your friends give you a thumbs up and approving nod as they see the two of you head out. “Take Care” plays on the way there and throughout your licentious romp. It seemed like your partner was implicitly saying what Rihanna said in the hook.
The trio of “Paris Morton Music” “Marvin’s Room” and “Take Care” serve to show how the pressures of the industry are affecting Drake’s personal life. And, to take the cliché route, these songs about broken relationships can also be interpreted as a metaphor for Drake’s feelings towards the rap game. It’s a stretch, I know, but I’m not the only one thinking it. “Miss Me” is in front of all them because it’s like the happy moments in a slasher film before everyone starts to be disemboweled. He’s name dropping clubs and strippers and professes his love for an industry chick, Nicki Minaj. He just arrived and everything looks great. He’s at his lowest during the somber trio, and “Take Care” sort of him getting back on his feet and “Headlines” is him getting back in the booth.
After the fun, you wake up and see that it’s time to go. You pass on breakfast and exchange numbers before going home. You get home at noon and you start work at 2 p.m.. For some reason your place is a mess so you do a little cleaning, watch some TV and study before work. During that time “Headlines," “Versace interlude” and “Lord Knows” play. “Lord Knows” hits you the most so you replay it a few times and try to rap the lyrics in the shower. While a hot shower doesn’t compare to being in a sauna with Jews, you close your eyes and feel like the red bottom boss himself.
“Versace Interlude” is just Drake’s verse, not the complete song. It starts with Drake and ends with Quavo’s “yah yahs.” Think of this in the same light as something like “Beach is Better.” It comes out of nowhere and has your head and your speakers banging and then it’s gone too soon. It leaves you wondering if there’s a completed version or if that was really it. It’s a quick minute of braggadocio and ends abruptly. The interlude serves as a great transition to the On Top of the World phase of the album.
“Lord Knows” unintentionally shows Drake coming off his heartbroken state. He openly admits that he doesn’t “trust these hoes” as a result of him paying attention to what he’s seen and ben through. Despite this we still have probably the best produced track on the album and maybe even the best guest verse. “Lord Knows” is dramatic, opera-like and exciting. Which makes it weird that it’s followed by a calmer “5A.M. in Toronto.” Let me explain. “Lord Knows” brings the noise and the bars; “5A.M. in Toronto” brings the bars.
“5A.M. in Toronto” blasts through speakers en route to work. The bass in “The Motto” has you dancing in the parking lot. You bump “Worst Behavior” throughout your break because your boss and these customers have pissed you off the moment you walked in. You have a closing shift so once the store is closed you and your co-workers put your headphones in and carry on with your chores. “Legend” has you feeling like the King of Retail or whatever field of work your job falls under.
There isn’t a booming beat to distract you from hearing the points Drake is making. The Sinatra double entendre, the Drake featuring Drake bit, they’re all poignant and quotable rewind moments. I put “Lord Knows” ahead because it’s the loudest and most chest pounding song so anything poppy or not as hard hitting would be an awkward follow-up. “The Motto” comes in on an even calmer note than “5A.M. in Toronto” but that’s okay because the bass is bumping. It still follows the On Top of the World theme with the opening line.
"Worst Behavior" brings back the ruckus and shows how good Drake has gotten at making hits. He’s gotten to the point where he can repeatedly shout the same three things and still make it a banging hook. What makes it better is, it’s not a throwaway song. There’s a story that comes along with all of it but you have to wait until the third verse to hear it. Regardless of if you’re listening to hear his Degrassi Tales or his scrubbing J’s with a toothbrush, “Worst Behavior” is a great bump in the whip song and is a good intro to Drake’s Untouchable phase.
As you drive home with “The Ride” and “Pound Cake” playing you start to think about this weekend and the future. Graduation isn’t too far off but you have no clear idea of what you’re gonna do afterwards. All you know is you still have time to figure it out and you’ll be on to better things. You pull into your driveway and the first verse of “You and the 6” just ended. Which reminds you, you should give Mom a call after class tomorrow.
“The Ride” and “Legend” wind things down leaving us feeling a bit tired but more than satisfied with the journey. “The Ride” further examines Drake’s regular occurrences and “Legend” sums it all up. If this album and a few features where all we had of Drake, he’d go down as an all-time great. Yeah, people would wish they had more, but he would still be worthy of hall of fame status like MJ when he first retired.
I chose “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2” as a closer mainly because it sounds like a closer and it parallels the beginning of the album. “Pound Cake” and “Successful” both feature Drake’s father, Dennis Graham. In “Successful” Graham is giving advice and in “Pound Cake” he’s reminiscing. Having his father give advice in the beginning and then reminiscing about his own career in the end shows how things have come full circle. Like he said in “Worst Behavior,” the Boy is the Man. It shows how Drake’s father has always been there for guidance and support. It’s also fun to compare Drake’s performance in “Light Up” which features Jay-Z to his performance in “Pound Cake” with Jay.
“You and the 6” makes for a good hidden track because it has a tone unlike any of the other tracks. Drake is talking to his mother about his lifestyle and paranoia with the industry in an honest and revealing way. He isn’t sticking his chest out when he says “Maybe one day but even one day with us is the time of her life” and he’s not being Mr. Tough Guy when he said “I take the knife out my back and I cut they throat with it.”
At this point he’s worn down and frustrated. He’s venting to someone who doesn’t understand what he’s going through but knows him enough to see the effect it’s had on him. It’s a nice little break from all the machismo and sappiness. We’re seeing how Drake is when he’s not in the studio, in front of cameras or around his boys. We’re hearing Aubrey the human and not Drake the rapper. “You and the 6” leaves us knowing that with all of the fame and glamour, Drake is still just like us. And no matter how successful he is, like all of us, he’s at his humblest when he’s with his mom.
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