Views (2016) is catalogued as a studio project in Drake Universe. The entry emphasizes release context, Toronto/OVO continuity, collaborators, and verified chart or cultural significance. Same-day 2026 projects include inline verification notes and avoid unverified credits.
Deep Dive
Background
Recorded across 2015-2016 in London, Toronto, Atlanta and California, Views arrived after the mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late and the Future collab What a Time to Be Alive, capping Drake's 'Mixtape King' run and opening the 'Global Pop Drake' era. It launched as an Apple Music exclusive, part of the platform-deal landscape of mid-2010s pop.
Themes
Global Pop DrakeOVOTorontoDancehall and Afro-Caribbean popSeasonal warmth versus isolationLoyalty and conditional trust
Production
Executive-produced by Noah "40" Shebib, with Boi-1da, Nineteen85, Maneesh, Murda Beatz, Frank Dukes, Jordan Ullman, Kanye West, Supa Dups, Metro Boomin, Southside, Cardo and others; the album pairs 40's wintry Toronto sound design with dancehall, Afrobeats and UK funky textures.
Legacy
A defining commercial and cultural document of 2016: a record-setting streaming debut, all 20 tracks on the Hot 100 at once, Drake's first lead-artist Hot 100 No. 1 with 'One Dance', a global dancehall-pop crossover moment, and Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 59th Grammys (with 'Hotline Bling' winning Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance).
Best For
Listeners tracing Drake's pivot from rap auteur to global-pop tastemaker and the dancehall crossover of the mid-2010s.
Fun Fact
Every one of Views' 20 tracks charted on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week, a then-record for most simultaneous entries by a single artist.
Tracklist — 20 songs
Producers — 29
Noah "40" Shebib13 tracks
Nineteen857 tracks
Boi-1da6 tracks
Maneesh4 tracks
Kanye West2 tracks
Jordan Ullman2 tracks
Supa Dups2 tracks
Brian Alexander Morgan1 track
DJ Dahi1 track
Ricci Riera1 track
Axlfolie1 track
Vinylz1 track
Oz1 track
The Beat Bully1 track
Cubeatz1 track
Stwo1 track
Murda Beatz1 track
Allen Ritter1 track
Di Genius1 track
Wizkid1 track
DJ Maphorisa1 track
Southside1 track
Cardo1 track
Yung Exclusive1 track
Metro Boomin1 track
Sevn Thomas1 track
Frank Dukes1 track
Hagler1 track
Jordan Lewis1 trackFeatured Artists — 8
Sample Map — 3 sources
Era — Global Pop Drake (2016-2017)
Dancehall, afrobeats, UK rap, Toronto winter, and streaming-era scale.
Also in this era
Sources & verification
Citations below were matched specifically to Views. Drake Universe catalogs albums by verified release structure, collaborators, producers, samples, and themes, and holds back time-delayed chart, certification, and publishing claims until public ledgers settle.
- Pitchfork: Drake 'Views' album reviewPitchfork · 2016-05-05 — Dated album review noting the absence of Kanye features.
- Billboard: Drake's Views first album to surpass 1 billion Apple Music streamsBillboard · 2016-07-12 — Dated report on Views passing 1B streams on Apple Music in roughly three months.
- Billboard: Views debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200Billboard · 2016-05-08 — Dated chart report for Views' Billboard 200 No. 1 debut and its 13 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1.
- Beats 1: Drake on Views with Zane Lowe (2016)Apple Music / YouTube · 2016-04-29 — YouTube upload of Drake's Views release-day Beats 1 interview.
- Complex: Drake — Views from the 6 coverComplex · 2016-04-15 — Complex cover story tied to Views.
- Apple Music 1 curator pageApple Music — Apple Music 1 station surface used to verify Drake Zane Lowe interviews.
- Wikipedia: Views (Drake album)Wikipedia · 2026-05-18 — Reference for Views release facts, Toronto-weather concept, dancehall/Afrobeats/UK funky palette, track-by-track production and sample credits, mixed critical reception, and chart/certification data.
- Wikipedia: Feel No WaysWikipedia · 2026-05-18 — Reference for Feel No Ways production (Jordan Ullman, 40, Kanye West), Malcolm McLaren 'World's Famous' 80s synth-pop sample, and Views all-20-tracks Hot 100 record context.
- Drake — Can I (Genius)Genius · 2026-05-18 — Confirms 2015 leak, intended-for-Views status, The Smiths 'The Draize Train' sample and Beyonce additional vocals (reportedly an 'XO' outtake).
