Behind The Boards: Looking deeper at Drake's VIEWS
Drake's VIEWS, fka Views From The 6, is one of the biggest releases of the year - we're taking a look at who's made that happen.
The beefy, 20-track release is studded with guest spots - Rihanna and PARTYNEXTDOOR made the cut, but Kanye West and Jay Z did not - but it's mostly Drake fronting the tunes. Step back a bit, and there are a lot of busy hands making VIEWS work like it does.
We're shining a spotlight on all the producers, co-producers, and additional producers credited on the record.
40
Noah Shebib - aka 40 - unsurprisingly crops up a lot on VIEWS, and has a direct hand in half the album's tracks as well as serving as executive producer. 40's been tight with Drake for years, becoming an integral mind at OVO - 40 helped on '09 EP/tape So Far Gone, mixing and recording the entire thing, and since then, he's worked on all Drake's major releases, co-producing big tracks such as, "Started From The Bottom", "Take Care", and "Hold On, We're Going Home", and contributing to every single one of Drake's records. He's one of the reasons Drake is where Drake is in 2016.
Fun fact: like Drake, 40 started out as an actor, and appeared in Goosebumps in the 1990s.
Maneesh
Maneesh, fka M-Rock, is an up-and-coming DJ/producer from Toronto, who's worked with Ludacris, plus Travis Scott, Justin Bieber, and Young Thug on "Maria I'm Drunk". He also worked with Drake on last year's "Charged Up". His background is in turntables and cutting mixes, but has proved eminently impressive in recent months, and on VIEWS we can hear his input on opening number "Keep The Family Close", "Summers Over Interlude", and the album's title track.
Back in 2009, under his M-Rock moniker, Maneesh produced Russell Peters' entrance at the Juno Awards.
The FADER have an excellent profile on him and his exploits - from megamixes to Meek disses. You should check it out.
Sevn Thomas
"Pop Style" comes courtesy of Toronto's Sevn Thomas and Frank Dukes. The former's carved a name for himself in recent years with phenomenally dark, menacing trap beats and cinematic hooks - "Pop Style" is probably the most sinister moment on VIEWS - and if you listen to a few more of Thomas' efforts, such as "Real Friends" by Kanye, "Intervention" by Little Simz, or If You're Reading This It's Too Late's "10 Bands" and "6PM in New York", you can quickly get an idea of what he's about these days.
You can download his instrumental Hidden Hand EP for free on Bandcamp.
Follow Sevn Thomas on Twitter.
Frank Dukes
Frank Dukes is another Toronto talent, and the 32-year-old has ben rapidly doing the rounds. He's on offerings from Rihanna ("Needed Me", above), Kanye ("Real Friends"), Kendrick Lamar (untitled unmastered.), BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface Killah, Tinashe, Selena Gomez, Danny Brown, Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Miller, Freddie Gibbs, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Travis Scott, Pusha T... this dude does it all.
Speaking to Complex about his style, Dukes says: “It’s really just making decisions a lot of times… making a decision to even work with somebody else is really a process in the production. Producers like Phil Spector would bring the best engineers, the best drummer, the best guitar player, and the best string arranger… bring all the best of everything together to do something.”
Complex's profile on Frank Dukes well worth a look over.
Follow Frank Dukes on Twitter.
Boi-1da
Boi-1da is one of the biggest players in the game right now, with enormous gigs producing for Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, and tonnes more. Eminem's "Not Afraid"? Boi-1da. Rihanna's "Work"? Boi-1da. Drake's "Summer Sixteen"? You get the idea.
He's worked with Drake for the best part of both of their careers, with the two rising in tandem. From So Far Gone's "Best I Ever Had" to VIEWS' "Faithful", Boi-1da is there to lend Drizzy a hand.
Brian Alexander Morgan
SWV, JoJo, Usher... Brian Alexander Morgan stands out more than most on the tracklist for VIEWS. As a '90s vet with huge R&B credentials, the multi-platinum producer brings something very different to the fray - he only appears briefly on "9" as a co-producer/co-writer - but don't expect any vintage vibes here.
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Kanye West
The notorious Mr. West still crops up on the LP, despite his verse on "Pop Style" getting the axe. He joins up with 40 for "U With Me?", which - according to Wikipedia - has no less than 14 co-writers, and without being told, you might not realise that West he stops by - melancholy synths jar against a crispy beat, but his touch is subtle. Only a few murky vocal samples, which sound as if submerged in the ocean, point to West's involvement.
The Beat Bully
Anthony Tucker is The Beat Bully. He's crafted some major club tracks during his career, and worked extensively with Meek Mill, French Montana, and Rick Ross (he worked on the latter's "Stay Schemin'", which also featured Drake), gaining a reputation for big, trap-influenced hip-hop. It's interesting that Drizzy's worked with one of Meek's close collaborators, given their turbulent recent history and the fact Tucker worked on Meek's recent 4/4 EP, which featured another Drake diss.
Back in 2013 Tucker was named one of XXL's Freshman Producers. The Pennsylvania producer, aka Tone Beats, is also member of Da Night Rydas and his older brother Orlando is Jahlil Beats, a Roc Nation-signed producer.
Follow The Beat Bully on Twitter.
Wizkid
Nigerian singer/songwriter Wizkid, aka Ayodeji Balogun, pitches in on "One Dance" behind the boards as well as in front of them. The Lagos-born superstar has been on a remix of his own "Ojuelegba" with Drake (and Drizzy's Boy Better Know labelmate Skepta), but this time he leaps onto a full collab, and the result is a springy, sultry entry on VIEWS that leads perfectly after "Controlla" and into the KO-blow of "Grammys".
Wizkid was last year nominated for Best African Act at the MOBOs, eventually losing out to Fuse ODG, but his current trajectory suggest 2016 is set to be a massive year.
Yung Exclusive
Drake's joint cut with Future, "Grammys", sees a cadre of desk talent hop on board. First up is Yung Exclusive (aka YeX), who's produced for Kendrick's untitled unmastered., Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj, Jay Rock, and more. He's also part of Gold Mobb production team, which includes fellow beatmakers Cardo, Vybe, Marka, and Johnny Juliano.
Follow Yung Exclusive on Twitter.
Southside
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Also on "Grammys" is Southside, aka rapper Young Sizzle, aka Atlanta-born Joshua Howard Luellen. As Southside, Luellen currently leads production crew 808 Mafia and has crafted beats for The Throne, Big Sean, Gucci Mane, Meek Mill, Future, and Waka Flocka Flame. As Young Sizzle, he's been building a reputation as one of the most impressive recent talents around.
Speaking about Drake, Southside told Complex: "Anybody can rap over a trap beat. Rihanna can rap or sing over a trap beat. Lady Gaga could sing over a trap beat if she want. That shit a way of life. It's Drake bro, he's like one of the greatest rappers of our time, he can rap over anything. I'm pretty sure he could rap over cows and pigs chirping or something."
His father - a producer named CAPP1 - worked with OutKast, and Luellen cites those work-in-progress beats that he heard around the house as a big inspiration.
Cardo
Finally, "Grammys" recruits Cardo. The producer (Fort Worth-based Ronald LaTour) started out small, but entered the big leagues after a chance encounter with Wiz Khalifa at a show lead to some high-calibre collabs. He's since worked with Kendrick, Jay Z, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Meek Mill, Freddie Gibbs, 2 Chainz, and, of course, Drake.
nineteen85
You've got nineteen85 to thank for the mesmerising "Hotline Bling". The megaproducer also toiled over Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" and "Too Much", plus a handful of tracks on VIEWS, and Nicki Minaj's "Truffle Butter", which saw Drake as a guest.
He's also half of R&B duo dvsn, who are signed to OVO and released debut LP Sept. 5th early last month, and has produced for Jessie Ware - he knows how to do smooth very, very well.
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Jordan Ullman
Jordan Ullman is one half of Majid Jordan, the R&B pair that guested on "Hold On, We're Going Home" and released their debut LP via OVO Sound earlier this year. On VIEWS Ullman helms "Feel No Ways", a super-smooth track with '80s keys and punchy old school beats. This is late-night lounge Drake, with heartfelt lyrics and immense rhythm: "Hold On..." part deux, sort of.
Follow Jordan Ullman on Twitter.
Murda Beatz
Fort Erie's Murda Beatz is a trap expert, and has worked with Migos,Young Thug, Soulja Boy, Ty Dolla $ign on his way to the top. Starting at just 16, Murda - aka Shane Lindstrom - has built up an extensive resumé and cut his teeth with Atlanta crews before shifting his focus back to homegrown talent. He's been OVO affiliated for a while now, and makes a big impact on VIEWS by taking the reins on PARTYNEXTDOOR collab "With You", a warm and bouncy track with fingerclick beats and a summery aura.
Read Noisey's 2014 interview with Murda for some more info.
Follow Murda Beatz on Twitter.
Daxz
Daxz is Toronto-based producer Jahmar Carter, who 40 discovered through Instagram. 20-year-old Carter's already made beats for Drake - such as Meek Mill diss "Back To Back" and "6 Man" from If You're Reading This It's Too Late, which he worked on with 40.
Carter told Complex back in December that he was hoping to hop on VIEWS. "I'm definitely trying to get [the album] for sure, we've got a couple ones. I really like a lot of '80s vibes, melodies, those synths, and I make a lot of my beats faster than most people do, so the tempo's up. When more things drop, people will see I have a different flavor."
Supa Dups
Jamaica's Dwayne Chin-Quee, better known as Supa Dups, adds his skills to "Controlla", the Popcaan-featuring jam that pops up halfway through VIEWS for a neo-dancehall breakdown. The Black Chiney sound system member is based in Miami, and has credits with Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Eminem Juicy J, Snoop Lion, and a bunch more - including on Drake's Take Care.
Dups has big aims. Last year he told the Jamaica Observer he wanted to make reggae mainstream again: "Where reggae is concerned, it is not as big as it could be because the unity is off. As soon as we can work together, then we'll have a vibrant industry again. The industry is there, but our successes come in spurts, like a novelty, and like every couple of years you have a one song like a 'Cheerleader' [Omi] or a 'Gimme Di Light' [Sean Paul] come around."
Allen Ritter
NYC-based Allen Ritter has been working towards stardom since childhood: at 12 he was playing organ at his local church, and by 16 he started seriously toying with FL Studios. He even released a Bandcamp LP in 2011, full of alt. R&B and smooth soul.
He's worked closely with Vinylz and Boi-1da on his ascent, and at only 27 he's made a big name for himself by racking up collabs with Kanye (including "All Day"), Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj, Tinashe, and more - he also helped write Rihanna/Drake's "Work". With VIEWS Ritter adds the magnificent "Controlla" to an already-impressive CV.
Follow Allen Ritter on Twitter.
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Additional Production
As well as all the officially listed talent, 40 also Instagrammed his thanks to a bunch of names who missed Drake's credit reveal:
Metro Boomin
Atlanta's Metro Boomin is one of the most exciting names in hip-hop at the moment, and the enormous talent has sprinkled his magic on cuts from Kanye West, Tinashe, Chip, 2 Chainz, Ty Dolla $ign, Wale, Joey Bada$$, Young Thug, Pusha T, Juicy J, Nicki Minaj, and countless others. A chunk of The Life Of Pablo was down to Boomin, and he produced Drake's What A Time To Be Alive tape with Future. He's only 22, so expect a lot more to come - the years ahead belong to Boomin.
Hagler Tyrant
Toronto's Marvin Thomas - aka Hagler Tyrant - cut his teeth with some impressive credits, including on Vince Staples Hell Can Wait. Thomas has written and produced for Drake prior to VIEWS, on "Further Thing" and "Trophies", and was named One To Watch by Complex and FACT in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Jordan Evans
Multi-platinum Grammy and Juno Award-nominee Jordan Evans is responsible for some huge tracks. Eminem's "Not Afraid" and Drake's "Pound Cake" are two noticeable examples, but he's not constrained to hip-hop - he's worked with Ellie Goulding and on the Magic Mike XXL OST.
Vinylz
NYC's Anderson Hernandez has teamed with Drake a bunch of times, including on "Know Yourself" and "0 to 100 / The Catch Up".Hernandez has worked with the likes of Jay Z, Rick Ross, Drake, J. Cole, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and Nicki Minaj, and frequently joins up behind the scenes with Allen Ritter and Boi-1da.
OZ
Ozan Yildirim, aka OZ, has teamed with some big names already in his career, including Chris Brown, Diddy, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, Big Sean, G-Eazy, Migos, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, French Montana, Kanye West, and Jeremih.
Cubeatz
German production duo Cubeatz - twin brothers Kevin and Tim Gomringer - have been firm with Drake since at least last year, when they co-produced Drizzy's Meek Mill collab "R.I.C.O.". They went on to helm "Summer Sixteen", and offer additional production to "Hype" on VIEWS.
Di Genius
Jamaica's Stephen McGregor is Di Genius, a producer/songwriter/singer best known for his dancehall and reggae sounds. He cites Stevie Wonder, Timbaland, and The Neptunes as big influences on his style.
DJ Dahi
Drake's "Worst Behaviour" was produced by Dahi, so it's not surprise to see him returning. As well as Drizzy, Dahi's collaborated with Raleigh Ritchie, Lily Allen, Dr. Dre, Kelela, Tinashe, Madonna, and Ab-Soul.
Ricci Riera
Mac Miller "Clubhouse", A$AP Rocky "Fine Whine", ScHoolboy Q "Collard Greens", and Kendrick Lamar "m.A.A.d City" - all of these (and more) have been helped along by input from Grammy-nominated producer/DJ Ricci Riera.
AxlFolie
AxlFolie, a Cali-born producer, works with Tae Beast, Sounwave, Dave Free, and Willie B as Digi+Phonics, the tremendously exciting in-house production team at Top Dawg Entertainment - the home of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, and more.
VIEWS is out now via OVO Sound/Young Money. You can stream below exclusively on Apple Music.
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