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The Toronto rapper and singer has never been shy about his feelings his hometown or the women in his life. Both subjects dominate Drake’s eclectic fourth studio album, originally to be called Views from the Six in reference to his beloved Toronto. The cover shows him sitting atop the CN Tower. Then there’s “Weston Road Flows” and “9,” where he claims to have flipped Toronto on its head. While he’s unequivocal about his hometown, his relationships with women are less certain. On the island-flavored “Too Good,” his “he-said-she-said” collaboration with Rihanna, he complains, “You take my love for granted, I just don’t understand it.” On “Pop Style,” he worries that he simply “can’t trust nobod...

Among hip-hop superstars, Drake is an anomaly: an actor-turned-rapper who’s never been shy about showing his feelings. Sure, Drake has his chest-thumping moments like any rap artist worth his salt. And, like Kanye West, he’s got his conflicted side, expressing discomfort with some of the trappings of fame. But, at the end of the night, when the party’s over, Drake is the one rapper who can open up and croon convincingly about romance and lost loves. Born Aubrey Graham to a mixed-race couple that divorced, Drake was raised by his Jewish mother in Toronto’s wealthy Forest Hill district. He first made his mark in acting, starring as Jimmy Brook, the disabled basketball player in TV’s Degrassi: ...

How lucky is the number seven? That may be the question Rihanna is asking as she releases her seventh album in seven years. Already, the Barbadian-born singer is pop’s most bankable star, with 60 million singles, 25 million albums, fashion lines, perfumes and a ubiquitous social media presence. To promote her new album, she performed seven concerts in seven countries in seven days. But Rihanna hasn’t been lucky in love, tragically becoming an assault victim at the hands of former boyfriend Chris Brown. She makes no excuses for that relationship, as shown by the album’s title, and even features the singer on “Nobody’s Business,” a widely criticized choice. But not all of Unapologetic deals wi...