{"id":64691,"date":"2026-05-15T17:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/inside-drakes-three-album-iceman-takeover\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T17:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:27:30","slug":"inside-drakes-three-album-iceman-takeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/inside-drakes-three-album-iceman-takeover\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Drake\u2019s Three-Album \u2018Iceman\u2019 Takeover"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/drake\/\" id=\"auto-tag_drake\" data-tag=\"drake\">Drake<\/a>\u2019s long-teased <em>Iceman<\/em> rollout ended Friday with more music than most fans were expecting. As opposed to simply dropping what would\u2019ve been his ninth studio album, Drizzy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/drake-iceman-three-albums-habibti-maid-of-honour-1235563246\/\">released a bona fide trilogy<\/a> in <em>Iceman<\/em>, <em>Habibti<\/em>, and <em>Maid of Honour<\/em>, all released simultaneously at midnight. The collective 43-songs mark Drake\u2019s first solo full-lengths since 2023\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-album-reviews\/drake-for-all-the-dogs-review-1234848477\/\">For All the Dogs<\/a><\/em>, and a follow-up to his 2025 PartyNextDoor collaboration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-album-reviews\/drake-with-ome-exy-ongs-4-u-review-1235271531\/\"><em>$ome $exy $ongs 4 U<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe reveal happened during the fourth installment of Drake\u2019s ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/drakes-iceman-livestreams-explained-1235433038\/\"><em>Iceman<\/em> livestream series<\/a>, which aired Thursday night. During the stream, he unveiled that the hotly anticipated album would arrive alongside two additional projects. After Drake pulled out three hard drives, on-screen text reading, \u201cI made this so that I could make this,\u201d appeared on screen before the additional album titles appeared.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe night started with Drake\u2019s YouTube channel going live at 9:45, sharp. The livestream opened with a cinematic sweep through Toronto, as the camera panned around the city\u2019s iconic CN Tower. <em>Iceman\u2019<\/em>s<em> <\/em>opening track, \u201cMake Them Cry,\u201d introduces Drake in an introspective, personal mood that courses throughout the project, addressing his father\u2019s cancer diagnosis and setting a reflective tone before the rollout widened into spectacle. From there, the stream moved through a series of visual set pieces. DJ Akademiks appeared early on, delivering a monologue aimed at Drake\u2019s critics and online detractors. In another surreal sequence from the \u201cDust\u201d video, Shane Gillis sat in the back of a cop car while Drake\u2019s son Adonis drove, one of several bizarre comic interludes that broke up the music-video sprawl.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Drake - Dust\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9Qpe2qlERWY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe visuals leaned into icy, noir-ish imagery throughout. At one point, Drake appeared in a <em>Fargo<\/em>-esque winter setting, with a dead body laying in the snow. Elsewhere, the stream shifted into cartoon animation, further expanding the strange, episodic feel of the presentation. Musically, the broadcast tied together several threads from the <em>Iceman<\/em> rollout. A flow Drake had previously premiered alongside Yeat returned in a new form, while another track incorporated a sample of popular streamer Yonna alongside comedian and Drake affiliate BenDaDonnn. Drake also revisited material fans had already heard in earlier episodes, including \u201cNational Treasures\u201d and \u201cWhich One\u201d featuring Central Cee. At another point, he re-flipped a sample from \u201cShow Me a Good Time,\u201d turning a familiar piece of his catalog into something new. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/future\/\" id=\"auto-tag_future\" data-tag=\"future\">Future<\/a> and Molly Santana joined Drake on the song and music video for \u201cRan to Atlanta,\u201d a rebuke of one of Kendrick\u2019s disses from \u201cNot Like Us.\u201d Furthering his mood of rebuttals, in the video for \u201cMake Them Remember,\u201d we see Drake infiltrate what appears to be a streaming bot farm, with images of walls of smartphones playing what appears to be \u201cNot Like Us.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ editors-pick-module lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe visual rollout was nearly as large as the musical one. During the livestream, Drake premiered a series of music videos connected to the albums, many of them shot in and around Toronto, all of which began appearing on Drake\u2019s YouTube page overnight. Among the visuals released or previewed were \u201cPlot Twist,\u201d \u201cJanice STFU,\u201d \u201cLittle Birdie,\u201d \u201cBurning Bridges,\u201d \u201cSlap the City,\u201d \u201cNational Treasures,\u201d \u201cMake Them Remember,\u201d and \u201cDust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lyrically, Drake spent much of the stream in combative mode. He repeatedly calls out Kendrick, alluding to the lingering fallout from their feud, while also seeming to address questions about his position in the rap world. At one point, he appeared to hint at going independent. He also took a pointed swipe at streaming-era scorekeeping, prodding detractors to \u201ccheck your Spotify Wrapped,\u201d folding fan metrics and online discourse directly into the music. There was plenty of smoke to go around as well. Fans online quickly noted Drake\u2019s apparent criticism of DJ Khaled on \u201cMake Them Pay,\u201d where he raps, \u201cYour people are still waiting for a \u2018Free Palestine,\u2019 but apparently everything isn\u2019t black and white and red and green,\u201d a pointed reference to Khaled\u2019s silence on Gaza despite his Palestinian heritage.<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe scale of the release is unusually large even by Drake\u2019s standards. <em>Iceman<\/em> runs 18 tracks and, on Apple Music, is listed at one hour and eight minutes, with OVO credited under exclusive license to Republic Records. <em>Maid of Honour<\/em> contains 14 songs and runs 45 minutes. <em>Habibti<\/em> adds another 11 tracks, bringing the total to 43 songs across all three albums, making them Drake\u2019s ninth, 10th, and 11th studio albums.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe guest list spans frequent collaborators as well as several up-and-comers. Across the three albums, credited features include Future, 21 Savage, Molly Santana, Stunna Sandy, Sexyy Red, Central Cee, Popcaan, Iconic Savvy, Loe Shimmy, Qendresa, and PartyNextDoor. The album\u2019s production leans equally expansive, with credits from Ovrkast, Riot, Boi-1da, DJ Frisco954, and others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe album art gave each project its own identity.  The cover art for <em>Maid of Honour<\/em> features a photo of Drake\u2019s mother as a young woman, while <em>Iceman<\/em> shows a hand wearing Michael Jackson\u2019s sequined glove. <em>Habibti<\/em>\u2019s cover is a black-and-white photo of a woman whose face is covered in masking tape, leaving only her eyes visible. The triple release capped one of Drake\u2019s most elaborate album rollouts. Before the albums arrived, <em>Iceman<\/em> had been promoted through a series of livestreams, music previews, and ice-themed public stunts. Drake first spoke about the album at a stop on his Anita Max Win Tour, where he said he would return with \u201canother album\u201d when the time was right. The rollout later included YouTube livestreams featuring snippets of songs connected to the project, including \u201cWhat Did I Miss?,\u201d \u201cWhich One,\u201d and \u201cDog House.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe most visible stunt happened in Toronto last month, when Drake installed a giant ice sculpture in a Toronto car park, with Drake promising that the release date for <em>Iceman<\/em> was hidden inside and would be revealed once the sculpture melted. Fans went at the ice with pickaxes and their hands, and Twitch streamer Kishka uncovered the May 15 date a day later. Toronto fire crews later blocked access to the sculpture and hosed it down with warm water.<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules trending-in-article lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe release also arrived in a specific post-beef context. <em>Iceman<\/em> was Drake\u2019s first studio album since his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/drake-kendrick-lamar-beef-explained-1235015540\/\">2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar<\/a>, a battle that culminated in Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us.\u201d The song won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-live-reviews\/grammys-2026-review-bad-bunny-kendrick-lamar-billie-eilish-1235509611\/\">2026 Grammys<\/a>, according to the Recording Academy, and AP reported that Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over the song was dismissed by a federal judge in October 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tWhile <em>Iceman<\/em> was widely seen to be Drake establishing his next chapter, the final product \u2014 three albums each of different genres \u2014 arrived as a sprawling effort to reframe the conversation around his last one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/drake-three-albums-iceman-rollout-1235563141\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drake\u2019s long-teased Iceman rollout ended Friday with more music than most fans were expecting. As opposed to simply dropping what would\u2019ve been his ninth&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":64692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}