Drake has never been one to let things go quietly. But with his latest project, he’s taken that tendency to a whole new level. Iceman, a sprawling 43-song collection that also includes the albums Habibti and Maid of Honour, spans two and a half hours of new music. And yet, despite its ambitious scope, the project feels strangely small, trapped in the same grievances that’s defined Drake’s recent output.
The record is already breaking streaming records. “Ran To Atlanta,” which reunites him with Future, is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Across this massive release, there are clearly hits designed to dominate charts. So on a commercial level, it’s working. But artisticically? That’s where things get complicated.
The Trump Comparison That Actually Works
I don’t say this lightly, but Drake’s inability to move past losses reminds me of someone else in the public eye. On tracks like “Make Them Pay,” “First Friends,” and “Dust,” Drake complains about inflated streaming numbers and implies he’s been cheated. He has his own legal battles to worry about, but hypocrisy has never stopped a man with a complaint and the resources to sue.
What’s striking is how the White House’s social media pages recently mimicked the Iceman cover and tied it to MAGA. Whether Drake intended that parallel or not, the comparison writes itself. Both men seem fundamentally unable to accept defeat, and both have built entire recent Output around grievances from years ago.
The Kendrick Drama That Won’t Die
Let’s be clear: Drake started this beef with Kendrick Lamar. He instigated it. And now, two years later, he’s still releasing songs about it. A judge threw out Drake’s lawsuit over Lamar’s allegedly defamatory record “Not Like Us,” and he’s appealing the case. But even without the legal angle, the beef looms over Iceman like a ghost.
There’s something genuinely sad about watching a 39-year-old man still so haunted by a rap battle he started. You’d think time would bring perspective. Instead, we get track after track revisiting the same wounds.
The Rhianna Situation
Drake’s ongoing saltiness with A$AP Rocky gets its moment on “Burning Bridges,” where he taunts with lines about where someone went. This refers to Rihanna, who of course moved on from Drake years ago and built a family with Rocky. In Drake’s mind, apparently pointing out that the mother of his children didn’t post about his single is worth highlighting on a major release.
It’s a weird flex, honestly. The guy has more money and success than almost any rapper alive, and yet he’s still dwelling on a relationship that ended years ago.
The Political Stuff Gets Weird
To his credit, Drake did call for a ceasefire in Gaza back in October 2023. That’s meaningful. But on Iceman, we finally hear him say “Free Palestine” on “Make Them Pay,” and it’s used as a jab at DJ Khaled. That’s… not a great look. It feels less like advocacy and more like another weapon in his endless arsenal of grievances.
And then there’s “Make Them Remember,” where he asks: “Is it the fair skin or the Jewish roots / Why people want to not see me on top of the mountain like I do the Dew?” It’s a line that prompted plenty of discussion online, and right after those lyrics, he goes right back to complaining about streaming numbers. The whole thing leaves a weird taste.
What’s Actually Good Here
Look, I’m not saying this album is a complete miss. “Janice STFU” shows Drake doing something interesting sonically. “Shabang” displays his knack for hit-making. And “2 Hard 4 The Radio,” despite not being a personal favorite, shows he’s not limiting himself to regional sounds he thinks he should stick to.
The R&B tracks on Habibti are probably the strongest material here. They reflect Drake’s genuine gift for melodies and his ear for that smooth sound. When he’s not trying to sound tough or bitter, he still has it.
The Bigger Picture
Drake is a former child star from Canada who has become the most successful rapper of this century. He’s also light-skinned and half-Jewish. Does that explain why some people in hip-hop will always view him as an outsider? Maybe partially.
When Mos Def once compared Drake to Target and asked if he was “hip-hop,” I never thought it was that insulting. Drake is pop. That was always by design, built on the work of predecessors from the 90s and 2000s. Very few artists have his skillset when it comes to fluid genre-hopping.
But here’s what gets me: Drake has been getting away with being a cooing misogynist with bars for most of his chart-topping career. The minute someone puts him in his place, he can’t shut up about it. He whines about being cheated, about not being accepted, and yet who else but hip-hop culture would accept someone like him?
The Verdict
So long as he keeps churning hits, the masses will let him cook. That might be the most honest thing about this whole situation.
I’m not surprised Drake hasn’t shown more growth. But does it matter when he’s too big to fail? He’s so massive that despite my objections, despite wanting better, there are millions who love him whining and complaining. And maybe that’s the real tragedy here.
If he could just move on as an artist, he’d sound happier. He’d be able to enjoy this comeback in peace instead of still sounding so haunted by battles he started and lost.
Some Ls are worth taking. Drake still hasn’t learned that.
