Drake returns with dancehall beats and big-name guests

DRAKE, the prolific Canadian hip-hop star, has returned with a song collection in which he ventures further into dancehall rhythms.

The Toronto-born rapper, who has long challenged industry definitions, on March 18 dropped

( far right) and called it “not an album or a mixtape” but his first playlist.

is anchored by Fake Love, Drake’s infectious hit about the phoniness of those around him. He released the song late last year.

The track is built off a strippeddown beat reminiscent of dancehall, the energetic popular music of Jamaica.

He goes more heavily into dancehall on Madiba Riddim, which alludes to anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela and has echoes of Drake’s mega-hit with Rihanna Too Good.

Drake, who says he resents being labelled simply as a rapper, goes into full-fledged pop on Teenage Fever, a love song that is partially a cover of Jennifer Lopez’s If You Had My Love. But Drake also collaborates on

with leading rappers including Skepta, Young Thug, Travis Scott and, in one of his first appearances since his reported mental breakdown in November, Kanye West.

On Glow, West appears to refer to his recent erratic behaviour, which included accusing other stars of trying to kill him and praising US President Donald Trump.

Drake gives space to British singer Sampha on 4422, an R&B ballad of separation that takes as its imagery the US tax form used to cut off links to an estate.

Drake was the top-selling global artiste of 2016, according to the IFPI industry body. His popularity is especially strong on streaming services, with his One Dance the only track to have been played more than one billion times on Spotify.

Drake – who has found success with works he defined as playlists – described as a loose collection of tracks to bridge the gap between major releases. – AFPRelaxnews