DRAKE FALLS SHORT AGAIN ON "ICEMAN"
Drizzy Drake has been a titan in the hip hop world since his debut project “So Far Gone” in 2009. Over the past two decades, Drake has time and time again topped the charts with unforgettable R&B grooves like “One Dance” and “Passionfruit,” as well as hard-hitting, introspective hip-hop verses on “God’s Plan” and “Headlines.” Drake has long been a versatile artist with some of the game’s best beat selection, elite collaborators, and the effortless ability to turn out hit after hit.
This carefully built reputation has eroded in recent years. Drake’s post-pandemic solo albums “Certified Lover Boy,” “Honestly, Nevermind,” and “For All The Dogs” have drawn criticism, highlighting a clear downgrade in quality. Shaky performances on collaborative albums “Her Loss” with 21 Savage and “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U” with PARTYNEXTDOOR have done little to dispel the notion that Drake’s creativity is waning and his writing is becoming increasingly lazy. But nothing has tarnished Drake’s legacy more than his shortcomings during his 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar.
Lamar accused Drake of exploiting hip-hop, maintaining inappropriate relationships with minors, running a sex trafficking ring out of his mansion in Toronto, and using ghostwriters. Drake responded by poking fun at Lamar’s height – 5 feet, 5 inches –, using AI-generated Tupac and Snoop Dogg vocals to scold Lamar, and alleging that Lamar's children are actually fathered by his manager, Dave Free. Lamar's diss track “Not Like Us” propelled him into one of the biggest moments of his career, performing at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2025. In contrast, Drake seemed out of touch, with few outside of die-hard Drake fans claiming he won the beef.
In April 2026, a massive ice structure was constructed in downtown Toronto with the release date for “Iceman” encased inside. In the following hours, Drake fans used sledgehammers, open flames, and even flamethrowers in an attempt to melt the ice, finally finding the release date inside around 24 hours later. A poster inside read “ICE MAN MAY 15.”
As the release date drew near, fans worried about the lack of an official tracklist or even any confirmed features. Just an hour before Drake’s official release, he streamed a fourth video showcasing a plethora of music videos for the upcoming album, the 18-song tracklist, and a massive surprise: the shocking announcement of two additional albums dropping that same night, “Maid Of Honor” and “Habbiti.” He also revealed the album cover featuring Drake wearing one of Michael Jackson's famous crystal-encrusted gloves. Drake comparing himself to Jackson has been a recurring theme throughout his career, but with the seriousness ofLamar's past allegations, it is surprising Drake would not attempt to distance himself from Jackson, who faced multiple allegations of child molestation throughout his career.
The hope was that the grandiose nature of the rollout would lead to an album where a focused, motivated, and self-aware Drake addressed his personal and professional shortcomings, maybe even reclaiming his spot at the top of hip hop. His failures on recent projects suggested an artist with little creativity in the tank. I wanted Drake to prove me wrong.
The album begins with “Make Them Cry,” its strongest track, where Drake sounds-- at least briefly – self-aware. He opens up about how the beef with Lamar affected his mental health, and fans who ask him to “dig deeper” over a sample of “Sounds Like A Love Song” by Bobby Glenn. Drake reveals his father is battling cancer in a rare look into his personal struggles and proclaims his mission for this project: “Fuck it, I’ll battle the label, fuck it, I’ll battle the majors / I’ll battle the stations till my ass is back in rotation.” Drake wants everyone to know that he won’t quit until he’s back at the top. Unfortunately, the rest of the album shows just how far he has to go.
Drake revisits his feud with Lamar on “Dust” over heavy 808s: “What was the year that they say you had slaps? / ‘Cause I don’t remember it goin’ like that / I don’t remember one word in your raps / I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout you on them tracks…” Drake contests the lasting impacts of Lamar’s music and showcases catchy bars highlighting his feelings of betrayal toward the broader music industry: “If it’s up to me, I get everyone hit, I get everyone lined up.” This would be an understandable sentiment if some of the same artists Drake claims switched up on him weren't featured on this project.
On “Whisper My Name,” Drake relives his 2015 Coachella performance and teases a possible return to Rolling Loud in the future. Drake sings about feelings of being counted out. It’s a relatively weak track, which is dragged down by an awkward beat switch.
Drake interpolates “I Follow Rivers” by Swedish pop artist Lykke Li on “Janice STFU.” I’m not one to complain about autotune, but combined with the hypnotic effect, it creates a chorus that is grating on the ears. Drake again takes shots at Lamar, this time poking fun at Lamar’s continued activism through his music. While Lamar is by no means a perfect person or activist, Drake’s continued jabs read more like someone incapable of understanding why anyone would fight for things that affect others – not a good-faith attempt to point out Lamar’s shortcomings.
Drake links up with longtime collaborator Future on “...Ran To Atlanta,” which feels at odds with his previous message throughout the album of forgiving no one and taking no prisoners. Future featured Lamar on his 2024 track “Like That,” where Lamar took multiple shots at Drake and kick-started their feud. Outside of this contradiction, Future and Drake have their usual chemistry, and Molly Santana makes a brief appearance. Drake is at his best when he’s working with Future, but that likely has more to do with Future’s talent and the space he occupies at the top of the trap scene than any elevation in Drake’s own abilities.
“Shabang” has some incredibly corny writing. Drake utilizes old Migos adlibs, which might be fun if the production on this song wasn't so dull. This track also suffers from another awkward beat switch, a common theme on “Iceman.”
Drake takes shots at a past friend and former Toronto Raptors guard, Demar DeRozan, who appeared in the “Not Like Us” music video. Drake uses some clever wordplay to downplay DeRozan’s impact in Toronto and attack him for switching up before a horrific beat switch. The second half of the song offers lines like “I would probably need a YouTube search just to do a laundry load,” and “…the Iceman was a nice man, now I’m hot and cold,” Some truly grotesque songwriting.
21 Savage joins Drizzy on “B’s On The Table” with a sleepy hook. Drake again takes shots at fake fans and his label. It’s another forgettable track “Iceman” would have been better served without.
“What Did I Miss?” served as the lead single for this album, released in July 2025. It’s an interesting retrospective on the aftermath of his beef, “Last time I looked to my right, you ****** was standing beside me. / How can some people I love hang around pussies who try me?” It feels more complete than many of the other songs on “Iceman,” though its “take no prisoners, forgive no one” sentiment seems to have already been forgotten by Drake.
“2 Hard 4 The Radio” pays homage to Bay Area legend Mac Dre and his 1993 song “Too Hard For The Fuckin’ Radio.” It’s a lighthearted tribute not worth criticizing too harshly, but the lyricism could use a lot of improvement.
“Little Birdie” feels closer to a demo than a finished song. Drake’s chorus work is solid: “I don’t like goin’ to Vegas, I start missin’ Virgil / He’d be sick if he was witnessing this shit in person.” There’s very little substance to this song outside of the strong hook. “Little Birdie” has the potential to be a strong addition to “Iceman,” but it feels completely unfinished.
Drake revisits one of his biggest hits, reciting the hook on his 2018 song “‘Energy” on the second-to-last song of the record, “Firm Friends.” He intended it as a reminder of his longevity and how true his words were in 2018 when he repeated: “I got enemies, got a lot of enemies.” Instead, it serves as a painful reminder of just how far the mighty have fallen. The track adds almost nothing to the album and serves as unnecessary filler.
The album ends with “Make Them Know,” where Drake flexes with some cringeworthy bars: “If a Rolex I want ‘bout to drop / I reserve the shit like I'm indigenous.” He again reflects on feelings of betrayal and takes a few more shots at Lamar. “Iceman” ends with some layered vocals repeating a simple melody: “Iceman baby, why are you so cold?”
“Iceman” fails to send Drake back to the top of hip hop. Instead of sounding motivated, Drake sounds bitter. He wants his audience to believe that he is above the past pettiness, but at the same time, he takes every possible opportunity to jab at those who’ve wronged him. The beat selection is poor, and the beat switches repeatedly kill promising tracks throughout the album. The small handful of compelling moments are buried beneath repetitive themes as Drake returns to the same ideas of betrayal, fake friends, and lingering resentment toward Lamar.
It is beyond tiredsome waiting for Drake to change. It’s been eight years since “Scorpion.” Since then, Drake failed on “Certified Lover Boy,” “Honestly Nevermind,” “For All The Dogs, and now he has failed on “Iceman.” Drake is long past his prime, and it’s become increasingly hard to ignore. He turns 40 in October, and living up to his fans' expectations might truly be beyond his current capabilities. I wish Drake could have bowed out gracefully rather than staying in this cycle of bitterness and constantly decreasing quality. “Iceman” was far from the comeback Drake hoped to deliver on “Make Them Cry.” It was a nail in the coffin for a former hip-hop great whose talent is rapidly fading.
