Drake’s ‘ICEMAN’ Album: Record‑Breaking Highs and Messy Lows

Drake’s ICEMAN has broken a couple of streaming records during its first-day rollout, sending rap fans on a high, wondering what Drake can do next, who he’s dissing, and what his plans are after releasing not one album, but two more: Habibti and Maid of Honour. This comes two years after the brutal takedown by rap rival Kendrick Lamar with “Not Like Us” back in May 2024, which itself broke several records.

Those numbers alone testify to the influence and impact of Aubrey Drake Graham beyond Toronto, sending shockwaves with club anthems and intimate confessions across the album. After teasing the release with ice blocks placed across downtown Toronto back in April and livestreaming Toronto skyline footage on YouTube, the ICEMAN hype is far from melting. Here are its highs and lows.

HIGH: Putting on Molly Santana to the World

“Molly Santana, no Hannah Montana.” Now the whole planet has a clue who the Californian up‑and‑coming rapper Molly Santana is after her feature on “Ran to Atlanta” alongside Drake and Future. It’s their first team‑up since 2022’s I Never Liked You. Santana slides through the four‑minute track as the track’s featured artist with an icy presence and sharp delivery, rapping about being the biggest predator. Her refrain about ditching the Hannah Montana look will likely stick for the album’s longevity.

LOW: He Can’t Move on From Kendrick, Apparently

Drake still sounds bitter about the Lamar feud, throwing fresh insults at the Compton rapper through a mouthful of broken teeth, bars that sound like leftovers from his drafts folder before the neutron bomb hit on the song “Janice STFU.” “White kids listen to you ‘cause they feel some guilt / And that’s how your soul get fulfilled / Handing out turkeys on camera inside of your hood, then you go back to the hills.” He still doesn’t grasp the rules of organic engagement, even now, still assuming bots boosted Lamar’s diss tracks back in 2024.

HIGH: ‘ICEMAN’ Beats BTS’ ‘Arirang’

Fans haven’t cooled down since ICEMAN made streaming history, logging the most‑streamed artist and album in a single day. Toronto’s rap son equaled South Korea’s biggest superstars, BTS’ Arirang’s record for most-streamed album in a day. To make it more ironic, Drake even mentioned BTS in the track “Make Them Cry” with the line, “I’m feeling like BTS ‘cause it took the whole career for me to be so discovered.”

LOW: Pot Calling Kettle Black

After the love song-heavy Habibti and club banger-ready Maid of Honour, the much‑anticipated ICEMAN goes after A$AP Rocky in “Burning Bridges” and “Firm Friends,” DJ Khaled in “Make Them Pay,” and Lamar in “Make Them Remember” and “Janice STFU.” Telling people to “kill themselves” or throwing out color‑coded shots about things being “black and white and red and green” just highlights the irony, considering these issues never hit Drake from the jump. It only makes Lamar’s bars on “Not Like Us” feel all the more relevant in retrospect.

HIGH: ‘Make Them Remember’ as a Return to Form

“My social battery is drained, for real, for real,” Drake opens on “Make Them Remember.” A chipmunk‑soul sample glides under him as he reflects on his fate post‑Kendrick feud. For once, Drake sounds human again, asking, “Y’all forgot where I’m from?” while calling out fair‑weather fans and slipping in slant rhymes “toodle doo,” “Google News,” and “Jewish roots” with surprising precision.

LOW: Giving Adin Ross A Shoutout…

Of all the people Drake could mention, he name‑drops streamer Adin Ross on “Make Them Pay,” an out‑and‑proud MAGA supporter who’s pushed for Trump’s return. It’s painful hearing Drake reach for cultural relevance this way — from once being rap’s emotional tactician to now sounding like a washed‑up “How do you do, fellow kids?” act. After heavyweight disses from rappers light‑years better than him, ending up shilling a problematic streamer feels like the saddest punchline yet. Bravo, Aubrey. Bravo.