Drake expands his empire with new album Views

He may have "started from the bottom" (as his songgoes), but as Drake debuts his latest album Views, he'sapproaching the summit of hip-hop musically and financially.

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In cover art for the eagerly awaited new album that he shared online,the Toronto rapper is perchednear the top of the CN Tower a symbol, perhaps, ofthe pop culture heights the Degrassi:The Next Generationactor-turned-hip-hop-starhasachieved since bursting onto the scene in 2009.

Last fall, Aubrey Drake Grahamplaced third justbehind Sean (Diddy)Combsand Shawn (Jay Z) Carter on the Forbes Cash Kings list, the financial magazine's tally of the world's highest-paid rap acts.Forbes says Drake's achievement camelargely from releasing thesurprise albumIf You're Reading This It's Too Late, through touring and from endorsements for Sprite and Nike.

"That's pretty much my objective every year," Drake told Forbes in 2013, referring to landing on the prestigiousForbes ranking.

"Other than making good music."

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For Drake and other hip-hop moguls,success increasingly means doing things beyond simply making music. Unapologeticboasting about wealth or touting a life of luxury has long been acurrent running through many rappers' lyrics. Drake, incidentally,is signed to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment a division of a label itselfcalledCash Money Records.

The Canadian performeronce said he wanted to make $25 million by the age of 25. Now 29 and turning 30 on October 24Drakeearned more than $39 million USin 2015, according to Forbes. Histotal net worth is $75 million US,states the website Celebrity Net Worth,so his earnings are well outpacing his age.

Drake, the brand

The self-described "6 God"isn't resting on his laurels, either.

In addition to Views, which will stream exclusively on Apple Music (a service he helped launch last June) for a week following its April 29 release, and his recently announced Summer Sixteen Tour, Drakeis also staging his seventh annual OVO Fest concertin Toronto onJuly 29.

He co-founded a record label called OVO Sound in 2012, overseeshis OVO clothing storesand was seen giving away Views swag in person at surprise pop-up stores in several cities.

Drake has also collaboratedwith Canada Goose on winter coats and on the Torontorestaurant Fring'swith celebrity chef SusurLee, and introduceda new alcohol brandcalled Virginia Black Decadent American Whiskey.

You want to be careful about over-extending yourself and diluting the brand.- Jordan Jacobs, milq

Theglobal brand ambassador for the TorontoRaptorsopened the exclusive, high-end Sher Clubinside the NBA team's Air Canada Centrehome stadium in 2015.

He's also an investor inthe tech startupOmni, whichhelps users organize and store their own personal items.

And that's just the stuff we know about.

"When you're ascendent in music, you want to carefully consider what your opportunities are to make money," said Jordan Jacobs, a former entertainment lawyer and music manager who now runs a culture-sharing website called milq.

"You can't make quite as much as you used to be able to as a musician."

Artists' revenue from album sales and downloads has dropped as streaming has increasingly become the preferred wayconsumers get their tunes.

"But," Jacobscautioned, "you want to be careful about over-extending yourself and diluting the brand."

In other words, associating his image with a companyjust for the paycheque rather than because it's a real product or service that he would use.

So far, Jacobs believesDrake and his team have "been pretty smart about doing it in a way that's pretty authentic both for them and their audience."

Keeping his edge

Toronto rapper and music journalistAddi(Mindbender)Stewart, who hasfollowed Drake's career since the start,is keen to hear the new album and feeling hopeful Drake hasn't lost his lyrical edge as his career has skyrocketed.

Now, for instance,when Drake mentions BarackObama, as he does in the recently releasedsingleSummer Sixteen, he knows the U.S. President might hear it and thatlevel ofscrutiny can give a rapper pause, saidStewart.

"It happens to the best of them," he continued.

"Once you reach a certain stratosphere and you start selling a million [albums]in the first week when you sit down to write a song, you might hesitate."

Drake will likely pause, Stewart noted,"but I hope it does not take the fire out of his flow."