After months of anticipation, fans can rest at ease knowing Drake’s fourth studio album Views From The 6 will release on Friday.
The 20-song album will reportedly be exclusive to Apple Music for the week of its release, and will then be available on most music streaming and purchasing websites.
There has been a huge amount of hype surrounding Drizzy’s newest album.
William Ransom, a sophomore computer science major, said he listened to Drake’s most recent singles and was hyped for the album drop later this week. Ransom and other students said they are looking forward to late summer night parties and summer road trips where they could blast “VFT6” and jam out to Drake’s latest tunes.
“I don’t know about any of the songs that are on the new album, but Drake’s awesome, so I know they’ll be good,” he said, as he listened to songs off a previous Drake album. “His last album was really good, so honestly I can’t wait to grab it and be playing it during the summer at parties and such.”
Drake has had an unquestionably strong presence amongst club playlists worldwide. With hits like “Best I Ever Had,” “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “Hotline Bling,” Drake has had a dominant reign in the rap and pop culture world.
Arya Hajikandi, a freshman computer science major, said the hype that the rapper builds around his work has led to how big this Friday’s premiere is about to be.
“I’m really looking forward to the hype around the album,” he said. “Drake’s the perfect artist to play at most events, summer parties, pre-gaming for concerts, and you bet I’ll be at the concert this summer, how could I miss it.”
Regarding the album’s hype, it has been rumored that there will be a set of featured artists like no other, including Future and Skepta atop the list and Kanye West and Jay Z on his previously released single.
Earlier this month, Drake released two songs that will most likely be features on VFT6. “Pop Style,” featuring Kanye West and Jay-Z, has attracted a lot of attention despite the fact that Jay-Z only raps one short line.
“One Dance” features the lesser-known duo of WizKid and Kyla and comes straight from the heart. Although neither has gotten to the level of popularity songs like “Jumpman” and “Hotline Bling” have recently achieved, the two singles were a good preview of what is to come on the new album.
Drake’s recent success isn’t only derived from his music. The rapper’s clothing line October’s Very Own (OVO) just released its fall clothing lineup. Similar to the likes of Kanye West, Drizzy has been setting up pop-up stores in big cities like Miami and New York to sell his pricey, yet tasteful clothing.
With the announcement of his summer tour, students are excited to see the rapper come to Buffalo and play tracks off his new album live.
Tim Avino, a sophomore biology major, said although he thinks the album’s artwork is “corny as hell,” he is looking forward to the rapper’s new album.
“I’m planning on buying tickets to see him over the summer,” he said. “I think that his newest album is going to be the best one yet, so no way I’m missing out on seeing that live.”
Drake and Future will be performing in downtown Buffalo at the First Niagara Center on Aug. 12.
Views From The 6 is expected to be released on Apple Music sometime Friday.
Those without a subscription to Apple Music, fear not. All Apple iTunes accounts come with a free trial of their music-streaming library.
Max Kalnitz is an arts editor and can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
