rakerake claimed the year of 2016 as his own early in the year when he collaborated with Rihanna for the summer jam ?Work? which lead Billboard?s Top 100 List for eight consecutive weeks. From that point onward, Drake continued to take over the summer with an album of his own, concerts, an expanding fashion line and with his personal life.

He released his album ?Views??

[caption id="attachment_1818" align="alignleft" width="370"] Album photo from "Views"[/caption] Drake stays relevant in the music game with singles and features on other artist?s songs. However it was his multi-platinum album Views that helped him own 2016. Views was Billboard?s top selling album of 2016. It?managed to work its way past Beyonce?s video album Lemonade and Rihanna?s Anti.The album features hit songs such as ?One Dance? and ?Controlla? which dominated radio playlists and day/night clubs all summer long. The successful album also featured ?Hotline Bling? which not only won two Grammy awards (Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song), but gave him the opportunity to showcase his dance moves in the music video.?Drake dance moves went viral on social media with over 1 billion YouTube hits and brought even more attention to the top-selling album. The success of the album fueled listener?s anticipation for a tour. Imagine their excitement when he announced he was going on tour with Future.  

He took over the summer with Future on the Summer Sixteen Tour

[caption id="attachment_1812" align="alignright" width="300"] Drake and Future on the Summer Sixteen Tour[/caption] The Summer Sixteen Tour stemmed from Drake and Future?s collaboration album, What A Time To Be Alive. While on tour, the artists performed songs from their collaboration album and from their individual albums Views (Drake) and EVOL (Future). The two rappers traveled across the country and throughout Canada giving soul-snatching performances. They literally set the stage on fire! The artists sold tour merchandise for nostalgic purposes, fashion purposes and for the sole purpose of bragging that you attended one of Drake's best concerts thus far. Nevertheless, those who did not attend the concerts were able to buy the merchandise at pop up shops. Some may know of Drake?s already established clothing store OVO (October's Very Own) in Los Angeles, but in celebration of the Summer Sixteen Tour, Drake announced pop up shops around cities where he sold ?everything Drake?. One could find clothing and accessories with the OVO symbol and the Summer Sixteen tour merchandise at said pop up shops. In addition to the pop-up shops around the city, Drake expanded his OVO clothing store from Los Angeles to New York City. The owl logo and the bright orange "revenge" logo on tee shirts became trendy fashion pieces across the nation. Even the president?s daughter, Sasha Obama, was seen wearing OVO. Drake?s relevance in the fashion world in 2016 increased his popularity beyond music.

Rihanna ? duh!

[caption id="attachment_1815" align="alignleft" width="297"] Drake's Instagram post captioned "Living the dream" @champangepapi[/caption] Any year that someone has somewhat of a romantic relationship with RiRi, they can claim that year as their most prosperous year. Drake and Rihanna continuously played with our emotions with their inconsistent relationship. Drake?s relationship with Rihanna, or lack thereof, drew attention to the rap star and made fans wonder if some of the songs on Views were about RiRi. The two artists have done several collaborations together; both appearing on each others albums throughout the years. In 2010, Drake was featured on Rihanna?s album Loud in the song ?What?s My Name?. Not only does the song consist of flirtatious lyrics, the music video opens with an intimate scene between Drake and Rihanna. This could have been the spark that eventually led to the Drake and Rihanna flame of 2016. Since then, Drake has been musically involved with Rihanna in works such as ?Take Care? and ?Too Good? and ?Work?. Drake is blessed by Rihanna with an intimate dance in the music video for ?Work?. They leave their viewers wondering if they have feelings for each other or if they are simply great actors. Even during live performances, the assumed couple proves to have undeniable chemistry. Although fans are never given a legitimate answer to whether or not Drake and Rihanna were actually dating, it is safe to say that Drake?s fling with Rihanna definitely qualifies him to be the man of the year.  

He taught us how to forgive

[caption id="attachment_1828" align="alignright" width="300"] Drake and his father (Dennis Graham)[/caption] Drake has mentioned his relationship, or lack thereof, with his father in lyrics of several songs. However he states his forgiveness for his father's absence during his adolescence in his song ?You & the 6? from his album If You?re Reading This It?s Too Late. ?He made mistakes throughout his life that he still doesn?t accept/But he just wants our forgiveness/and f**k it look how we living/ I?m content with this story/who are we not to forgive him?? Drizzy goes on to explain how his father did have some positive impact in his life by steering him away from drugs, giving him incomparable experiences, and teaching him about soul music. Drake?s father (Dennis Graham) may have influenced the type of music Drake makes. Is it a stretch to say that Drake?s dad is the reason Views went platinum? Nevertheless he calls it even in this 2015 song and in 2016 fans begin to see the father-son bonding they?ve been longing for. Outside of meeting Drake?s celebrity friends and spending time at celebrity events, Drake and his father are improving their relationship behind closed doors as well. Drake says in his song ?From Time? featuring Jhene Aiko, that he and his father spend time talking about the past and future while enjoying a couple of beers and smoking together. Imagine the two Graham?s relaxing on a tropical vacation smoking cigars. There is bound to be some restoration there. Smoking cigars may have been a bonding point for the Drake and Dennis. To be honest it is quite an iconic look for the two of them. At the next, and highly anticipated, platinum album celebration, they can get their premium cigars customized at Custom Tobacco.

He celebrated his 30th birthday

It may be hard to believe that someone with as much success and as many platinum records as Drake is only 30 years old but it's true! He celebrated his 30th birthday October 24th, 2016. Hence the name of his clothing line and record label, October's Very Own. He threw a luxurious party in West Hollywood, California to celebrate the big 30. Of course Drake's father was in attendance along with many A-list celebrities. In the days surrounding his birthday, he announced his world tour?The Boy Meets World?and his upcoming album?More Life. These happenings are sure to make 2017 the year of Drake as well. Drake did a lot more than produce another platinum album and tour North America this year. He exemplified his ability to forgive and build new relationships. He showed fans how to love relentlessly and of course he taught us how to dance to "Hotline Bling". There are definitely lessons to be learned from Drake