"You should probably keep an eye on that ovosound.com in the next hour... just saying...," Drake teased on Twitter Saturday night. Less than 60 minutes later, the rapper delivered on his promise by posting three new tracks, "6 God," "How Bout Now" and "Heat of the Moment," each one accompanied by the album cover for his rumored next album Views From the 6.
"That wasn't an EP. Just 3 songs that I knew some hackers had. But enjoy! Back to this album," Drake tweeted after the three-song drop. The rapper is likely referring to the fact that one of the songs, "How Bout Now," mysteriously leaked October 19th after it was posted onto a Marietta, Georgia teenager's Soundcloud account.
"Got me feeling like a ball hog / I don't pass it when I get it / I'll admit it, I'll admit it," Drake raps on "6 God," the highlight of the new batch of tracks. If Drake's most recent single has him going from "0 to 100," this new cut has him traveling at 100 to 200. Everything about the cut has Drake in overdrive: the plunging bass, the trap beat, the intense delivery, even Drake's boasting goes next level. "Black Benz on the road, boy / I already had a Rolls Royce / Sold a couple Bentleys last week, they were my old toys," Drake declares. "I'm the real 6 God, boy."
Both "6 God" and "How Bout Now" were produced by Drake's go-to producer Boi-1da, with Syk Sense helping out on the former and Jordan Evans on the latter. "How Bout Now" also features a sample of Jodeci's "My Heart Belongs to U." While the title Views From the 6 is allegedly a tribute to the rapper's hometown of Toronto – the city has a 416 area code – both "6 God" and "How Bout Now" have Drake name-dropping Atlanta-area artists by mentioning Usher, Ludacris and a subtle nod to 2 Chainz.
The 40-produced "Heat of the Moment" highlights Drake's flexibility as an artist, as with a turn of a switch Drake can go into full-on funk ballad mode in the style of Prince and R. Kelly. Drizzy fans that gravitate towards woozier cuts like "Marvins Room" will nestle up to "Heat," but it's also the least likely track of the new three to make any impact on radio, especially given the long telephone-recorded monologue in the outro, where an older gentleman warns Drake about the dangers that lie in "the heat of the moment."
The surprise three-song release is reminiscent of the lead-up to Drake's 2011 Take Care, when the rapper unexpectedly dropped new tracks like "Club Paradise" and "Free Spirit" featuring Rick Ross. Neither cut ended up on Take Care. It's unclear whether these three new songs are still destined for Views From the 6, which is expected to arrive in 2015.
