NEW YORK: Drake, who has become one of the most successful rappers of the moment even without full-fledged albums, has announced that his long-awaited Views from the 6 will come out April 29.

The Canadian rapper has previously indicated that Beyonce will be among guest stars on Views from the 6, his first studio album since Nothing Was the Same in 2013.

Drake, who has spoken of Views from the 6 for nearly two years, revealed the April 29 release date on Twitter on April 9.

He posted with the date a short preview video that features Drake entertaining himself, energetic dancers and plenty of shots of his hometown, Toronto, including the landmark CN Tower.

The title of the album is an apparent reference to Toronto, which in 1998 incorporated six separate municipalities into a mega-city in a move much studied by urban planners.

Despite his lack of albums, Drake in 2015 released two separate mixtapes which have many of the same characteristics even if the artiste does not consider them to be original works.

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, which Drake considered a mixtape and he initially released on Apple’s iTunes without a physical edition, was the sixth top selling “album” in the United States in 2015 and was nominated for the Grammy for Best Rap Album. The success of the mixtape propelled Drake to be one of the most sought-after performers in 2015 and he headlined major festivals including Coachella in California. — AFP