The world was waiting for one Drake album. Along came three.
The rapper dropped his anticipated solo record, Iceman, plus two more – Habibti and Maid of Honour – with 43 songs in total.
They include collaborations with artists including Central Cee, 21 Savage and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
They are the first albums the Canadian has dropped since his beef with US rapper Kendrick Lamar escalated in 2024.
And, yes, he does bring it up on the new record.
So, is the “iceman” no longer “nice man”, as he raps?
Drake’s three new albums are a mixture of musical styles.
Iceman is more rap and hip-hop focused, Habibti leans more towards R&B, while Maid of Honour is dance music-inspired.
The big question about the heavily hyped new release was whether Drake would use his new music to reignite his bitter feud with Lamar.
He appears to take aim at his rival with some lyrics, accusing him of using his birthplace of Compton, Los Angeles as a backdrop for acts of charity, while escaping to a celebrity life elsewhere.
“Handin’ out turkeys on camera inside of your hood, then you go back to the hills,” he raps on one track.
And on the Iceman album opener, Make Them Cry, it looks like Drake has given a glimpse into his feelings at the height of the rap beef.
“Tell us how it felt to meet the grim reaper / This album better have some big features / Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m all alone for my mental [health],” he raps.
Drake also appears to call out other rappers and stars who were seen to take Lamar’s side.
On one track, he appears to target LA Lakers basketballer LeBron James, who attended a Lamar gig when the beef was at its peak.
Most critics have yet to share reviews of Iceman and Drake’s two other new releases, but reports suggest that streaming services were hit with crashes and slowdowns as fans rushed to hear his new music.
Drake has been building excitement for his new album with a series of Iceman livestreams.
Each episode has featured new music, guest appearances from collaborators, and been packed with easter eggs and references hinting at the themes of the full release.
At the end of episode four, broadcast just before Iceman went live, Drake teased the triple album drop with a closing shot depicting three hard drives.
He was also seen torching a bot farm, which appeared to show multiple phones streaming Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning diss track, Not Like Us.
Both rappers have accused each other of using bots to artificially inflate their listening figures – something that was mentioned in Drake’s lawsuit against his own label, Universal Music Group, which was eventually thrown out.
Drake’s also staged a series of stunts to drum up hype for Iceman.
His courtside seat at the basketball team Toronto Raptors’ stadium was recently decorated with icicles and, last month, a giant pile of ice blocks appeared in the city with the album’s release date encased inside.
Firefighters were eventually forced to melt it down after fans attempted to thaw the sculpture with blowtorches and chip away at it with sledgehammers.
He followed it up by turning the Toronto landmark, the CN Tower, blue as episode four of his livestream was broadcast.
