As Drake has progressed as an artist, he has learned to gather all of his far-reaching musical tastes and incorporate them into his stylistic repertoire. He's been accused of appropriating music from other genres, and regardless if there's any basis to such claims, his ability to blend elements of hip-hop, dancehall, R&B, and UK dance music into an cohesive album -- as he has done on VIEWS -- is undeniably impressive.
No matter what genre turns the album takes, VIEWS maintains a lo-fi, aqueous sound, primarily orchestrated by Noah "40" Shebib. It's the sound that he and Drake have been immersing fans with since the beginning of their partnership -- a sound that has become more fully realized as both artists have grown together. To get an idea of how Drake and 40 have been able to broaden their signature sound, one needs to look no further than the samples used on VIEWS.
The VIEWS sampling bin includes classic dancehall records from the likes of Mavado and Beenie Man, as well as from Drake's friend and current collaborator Popcaan, who was included on an early leak of "Controlla" but was absent from the final version that made it onto VIEWS. Luckily, Drake used one of Poppy's choice romance riddims to help set the mood for "Too Good," his "Work" follow-up with RiRi. The other dominant genre -- which has been the case for all of Drake's best albums -- is '90s R&B, and 40 was responsible for sampling classic records from Mary J. Blige, Brandy, and Ray J on VIEWS, letting the nostalgic emotion of the original vocals spread throughout Drake's portrait of love and love lost.
A few of the more surprising samples include DMX (whom was thought to despise Drake), the late UK punk benfactor and hip-hop experimentalist Malcolm McLaren, and New Orleans bounce artist/producer HaSizzle. Scroll through the galleries to check out each of the samples that aided in the creation of Drake's latest masterwork.
*the above photo of DMX was taken by Noam Galai via Getty Images; Little Drake inserted by HNHH
Mavado feat. Serani "Dying" ("9")
DMX's "What These Bitches Want" AND "How's It Goin' Down" ("U With Me?")
Malcolm McLaren's "World Famous" ("Feel No Ways")
Mary J. Blige's "Mary's Joint" ("Weston Road Flows")
Ray J's "One Wish" ("Redemption")
Ideal's "Get Gone" ("Faithful")
Beenie Man's "Tear Off Mi Garment" ("Controlla")
Kyla's "Do You Mind (Crazy Cousinz Remix)" ("One Dance")
HaSizzle
HaSizzle's "She Rode That Dick Like a Soulja" (Childs Play)