Controlla
One of the album's signature dancehall cuts and a single, Controlla is widely read as Drake's tribute to a partner whose pull over him he embraces rather than resists. Produced by Boi-1da, Supa Dups, Allen Ritter and Di Genius and built on a Caribbean-inflected riddim with patois-tinged delivery (it interpolates Beenie Man's 'Tear Off Mi Garment'), it reads as a love song where surrender is the point — the narrator wanting to be 'controlled.' A pre-release version that leaked featured Jamaican artist Popcaan, whose vocals were replaced by an added Drake verse on the album cut, a swap that became a flashpoint in the debate over Drake's dancehall borrowing. Released June 7, 2016, it reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went multi-Platinum, helping cement the Caribbean sound that defined this commercial peak.
Sources & verification
Citations below were matched specifically to "Controlla" and Views. Drake Universe catalogs songs by album placement, verified collaborators, producers, samples, and themes, and avoids unsupported lyric-level claims.
- 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: ControllaWikipedia · 2026-05-18 — Reference for Controlla production (Boi-1da, Supa Dups), Beenie Man 'Tear Off Mi Garment' interpolation, leaked Popcaan version, Hot 100 No. 16 peak, and certifications.
- 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).
