Drake | Biography, Music, & Facts - Britannica

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Views, and other releases

In 2015 Drake announced via Twitter the surprise release of a 17-track mixtape-cum-album, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Critics praised the record as a return to the personal, emotional, and melodic style of his earliest production. Like his previous releases, it shot to the top of the charts in Canada and the United States, and the album won the Juno Award for rap recording of the year. Later in 2015 Drake and rapper Future released the mixtape What a Time to be Alive. It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, as did Drake’s fourth studio album, Views (2016), which features the memorable singles “One Dance” and “Hotline Bling.”

“One Dance” became Spotify’s most-streamed single at the time, and “Hotline Bling” garnered Drake two Grammys, for best rap song and best rap performance—though in interviews Drake insisted that “Hotline Bling” is not a rap song. He stated, “The only category that [the Recording Academy] can manage to fit me in is in a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m Black.”

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In 2017 Drake did not submit that year’s release, More Life, for Grammy consideration. The record, which Drake called a playlist, brought together different sounds from around the world. It also featured such up-and-coming talents as British singer Jorja Smith and South African producer Black Coffee on the song “Get It Together.” Drake also declined to submit the record for consideration for the Juno Awards. Commentators noted that, while the Juno Awards’ governing body had honored him with such awards as rap recording of the year, it had never conferred its most prestigious awards, including artist, single, and album of the year.