Drake has rush-released not just one album today – his expected new album Iceman – but also two companions in the shape of Maid Of Honour and Habibti. Just like buses, eh?
Those three records comprise 43 tracks in all. The three albums appear to be distinct in terms of style. Iceman comprises largely hip-hop tracks, Habibti leans more towards the singer's RnB style and Maid Of Honour is more influenced by dance music.
The trio represents Drake’s first significant release since his feud with Kendrick Lamar blew up big time in April 2024 (there was last year’s Some Sexy Songs 4 U, but that was a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor). You may recall that Drake was roundly humiliated during that little episode – Lamar’s coup de grace Not Like Us became a huge international hit, won a Grammy and ended up being performed at 2025’s Super Bowl halftime show.
And Drake didn’t exactly help himself when he took out a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music, with particular reference to the line ‘certified paedophile’ in the lyrics to Not Like Us. The action was thrown out by a judge in October 2025.
So does Drake make reference to these controversies somewhere in these three albums? He certainly does. On Janice STFU, he raps: "Handin' out turkeys on camera inside of your hood, then you go back to the hills," a reference to Lamar’s habit of returning to his birthplace of Compton to perform acts of charity, before scuttling back to a celebrity lifestyle.
Then on the song Dust, we get: "What was the year you said you had slaps, cause I don't remember it going like that, I don't remember one word of your raps.”
The surprise release today meant that streaming services were hit by issues, with crashes and slowdowns reported as fans rushed to hear Drake’s new music. It’s fairly certain that all three albums will sit at or near the top of the Billboard chart next week.
The teasing of Iceman’s release has certainly been entertaining. In the run up Drake commissioned a giant ice sculpture to be created in his hometown of Toronto, with the album release date buried somewhere within it. Fans then took blowtorches and sledgehammers in an attempt to melt it, and thus find out. Eventually the city’s firefighters had to hose it down.
There have also been a number of Iceman livestreams. During the most recent one, the huge city landmark, the Toronto CN Tower, was turned blue in his honour.
