Iceman
A shot of Drake's hand wearing a jewel-encrusted glove and showing the OK sign; he is wearing a bracelet on his wrist that spells out "ICEMAN".
Studio album by
Drake
Released May 15, 2026 (2026-05-15)
Recorded 2024–2026
Genre Hip-hop
Length 68:51
Label
  • OVO
  • Republic
Producer
  • Conductor Williams
  • DJ Frisco954
  • DJ Lewis
  • Elyas
  • FnZ
  • Gyz
  • London Cyr
  • O Lil Angel
  • Oz
  • Patron
  • Tay Keith
Drake chronology
Some Sexy Songs 4 U
(2025)		 Iceman
(2026)		 Maid of Honour
(2026)
Singles from Iceman
  1. "What Did I Miss?"
    Released: July 5, 2025

Iceman is the ninth studio album by the Canadian rapper Drake. It was released by OVO Sound and Republic Records on May 15, 2026, alongside his tenth and eleventh albums Maid of Honour and Habibti. The albums serve as a follow-up to Drake's collaborative album Some Sexy Songs 4 U (2025) with PartyNextDoor and mark his first full-length solo releases since his eighth album For All the Dogs (2023). Iceman features guest appearances from Future, Molly Santana, and 21 Savage, and was preceded by the lead single "What Did I Miss?".[1]

Background

Drake began teasing his ninth album in August 2024, which was rumored to be titled Iceman, by releasing the EP 100 Gigs (2024) and cryptic messages on his social media accounts. This was followed by OVO artist Smiley claiming Drake was doing "hard work" for the album in a June 2025 interview discussing the release of their collaboration "2 Mazza".[2] Drake brought Gordo to work on the album's production by August 2025,[3] and, in the same month, a possible U.S. tour for the album was teased on social media.[4]

Promotion

On July 4, nearly five months after the release of his collaborative studio album Some Sexy Songs 4 U with PartyNextDoor, Drake began teasing solo material; the single "What Did I Miss?" was released a day later, following a livestream titled "Iceman: Episode 1". On the livestream, Drake drives an Iceman-branded truck around Toronto, drawing a crowd of fans,[5] and eventually arrives to an Iceman-branded warehouse, where he eats food and watches old videos of himself. It then transitions to a performance of the song.[6]

Another song, rumored to be titled "Supermax", was also previewed during the livestream. On the song, Drake mentions reporter Taylor Rooks, rapping, "Losin' all these friends really got to me/ I was talking to Taylor over drinks, and it was getting deep/ 'Not everyone can handle this pressure and, in thе city, you're the national treasurе', that's what she said to me". According to Michael Saponara of Billboard, this depicts Drake "looking inward and vulnerably [opening] up about fractured relationships and keeping his focus."[7] Possible collaborations with British-American rapper 21 Savage and American rapper Playboi Carti were also previewed during the livestream: 21 Savage collaborated with Drake on numerous songs and on a joint-album in 2022, while Carti previously collaborated with Drake on 2020's "Pain 1993" and 2024's "No Face", however he was ultimately removed from the latter upon its streaming release.[8] DJ Swamp Izzo, who provided ad-libs on Carti's 2025 album Music, also previewed the collaboration on social media.[citation needed] "Supermax" was not included on the album.

A second livestream, titled "Iceman: Episode 2", aired on July 24.[9] Three tracks were previewed during the livestream: "Which One" with British rapper Central Cee, which had been previewed at Drake's 2025 Wireless Festival set and during the first livestream, in addition to two untitled songs that are expected to feature on the album. "Which One" was released as a single a day later, marking Drake's second collaboration with Central Cee following 2023's "On the Radar Freestyle".[10] The song was not included on Iceman, but featured on its companion album Maid of Honour. The second episode depicted Drake being chased by Pinocchio throughout Manchester until he eventually escapes to Manchester Piccadilly station. The livestream concluded with a graphic that read "COMING SOON", with Pinocchio's head in place of the letter "I".[11] According to Srosh Khan of the BBC, the character's presence in the livestream was interpreted to represent the lies "following Drake around" in the aftermath of his feud with Lamar.[12]

A third livestream, "Iceman: Episode 3", aired on September 4, taking place in Milan.[13] Several songs were previewed during the livestream, including the tentatively titled "That's Just How I Feel", as well as "Dog House". "That's Just How I Feel" was repurposed into "Janice STFU" on the album, while the latter features American rapper Yeat, who appeared in the livestream, and singer Julia Wolf. The episode was also noted for its continued depiction of Pinocchio, who appeared in previous episodes. In one scene, four Pinocchio characters sit at a restaurant table, with one writing "LEGACY" on the table in red paint before tossing ice cubes onto it. At the end of the stream, Drake is seen confronting three of the Pinocchio characters.[14] Following the livestream, one of the previewed tracks, "Somebody Loves Me Pt. 2" was released; it is a remix of "Somebody Loves Me" from Some Sexy Songs 4 U and features American rapper Cash Cobain.

Drake's Instagram page on May 14th, containing multiple promotional posts relating to the first three episodes of the Iceman livestream series, and the Iceman album.[15]

On September 13, a snippet of a track from Iceman leaked online during a livestream; the track's instrumental was previously previewed at the end of "Iceman: Episode 2". The snippet contains lyrics referencing former Toronto Raptors players DeMar DeRozan and Kawhi Leonard, with Drake rapping "When you was a part of the team we used to be planning our Mexico trips in the spring, we must've been dealing with the spur of the moment 'cause why (Kawhi) did we think you could get us a ring?". Drake takes aim at DeRozan, referencing his playoff losses with the Raptors and his 2018 trade to the San Antonio Spurs for Leonard (who won the 2019 NBA Finals with Toronto). Following the leak, Drake stated to streamer Adin Ross "I don't even know who the fuck those kids are", referring to the streamers that leaked the track.[16][17] The song was eventually included on the album, titled "National Treasures". The leaked version of the track included a feature from Canadian rapper Pressa which was removed from the released version on the album.

On April 12, 2026, when Drake attended the Toronto Raptors final regular-season game against the Brooklyn Nets at Scotiabank Arena, his courtside seats were covered in faux ice, as a teaser for the album.[18][19] Four days later, a music video was filmed near Downsview Airport, featuring an explosion.[20] On April 20, a 25 foot tall ice sculpture in downtown Toronto was installed, with Drake revealing that the album's release date was hidden within the sculpture.[21][22] The area was sealed off by Toronto police due to safety concerns after fans hacked at the statue with pickaxes and hammers, and lit it on fire.[23][24] On April 21, the release date for Iceman was revealed to be May 15, after online streamer Kishka found a bag in the ice sculpture: the bag contained a magazine and a pin-up depicting Pachinko character Pachio-kun, which listed the release date.[25]

On May 13, 2026, a song tentatively titled "1AM in Albany" was leaked on social media, which includes disses to Kendrick Lamar and LeBron James; the track is included on Iceman under the title "Make Them Remember". That night, the CN Tower was lit up with various patterns and text with projectors, which was speculated to be related to the album.[26] A day later, "Iceman: Episode 4" was livestreamed on YouTube by CTV News, CP24 and Drake, registering over 458,000 concurrent viewers at its peak. The episode depicted several songs and accompanying music videos from the album and concluded by stating that three albums would be releasing on May 15: Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour.[27]

Meme

The meme included fake album covers, including "Fireman" by Kendrick Lamar (pictured).[28]

On August 17th, 2025, parody news account HFR Podcast on X posted an AI generated song said to be from the album[29], being inspired by the viral fake leaks surrounding Tyler, the Creator's ninth studio album, Don't Tap the Glass (2025).[30] Shortly after Iceman's release date was announced, HFR would repost the video claming it was a snippet from the album. Shortly after, Internet memes emerged featuring other artists releasing albums with the suffix "-man"; notable examples include "Earthman" or "Rockman" by J. Cole, "Fireman" by Kendrick Lamar, "Airman" by Kanye West, "Weedman" by Snoop Dogg, "Batman" by Travis Scott, and "Windman" by Childish Gambino.[31][32] AI-generated album covers and parody songs featuring AI-generated vocals of Drake and Lamar also went viral,[28] with Complex labelling it as a "cinematic universe" of fake album titles and covers.[32]

Themes

In "What Did I Miss?", Drake addresses the aftermath of his feud with Kendrick Lamar, calling out those who attempted to "play both sides" rather than support him. The song includes references to Lamar's Pop Out concert in 2024, among other nods to their conflict.[33] The song features Drake's blend of "slick melodies and razor-sharp raps", as he addresses people he believes betrayed him and questions the authenticity of past friendships by rapping, "I saw bro went to Pop Out with them, but been dick riding gang since 'Headlines'". This lyric was interpreted to be a reference to NBA players DeMar DeRozan and LeBron James.[34]

According to Jeff Ihaza of Rolling Stone, Drake is "in a familiar register" by referencing his 2024 feuds with other artists on the album, rapping, "All those summers of slappers, you owe me" on an untitled song, which features a "sped-up" beat switch, while on another song, speculated to be a freestyle with a "moody, lo-fi jerk-inspired" beat, Drake raps, "[I] ain't even know how bad they wanna see me go".[14] This was echoed by Malcolm Trapp of Rap-Up, who said, "it's hard not to connect [these] lines to his very public feud with Lamar".[35]

Several outlets and writers offered explanations of the meanings behind the album's title: Michael Saponara of Billboard said it could refer to Drake's "icy" jewelry, the impact of Canada's snowy winters, and former NBA player George Gervin and former mixed martial artist Chuck Liddell, who are both nicknamed "the Iceman". Iceman shares its name with the Marvel Comics superhero, who is a founding member of the X-Men and whose real name is Bobby Drake. According to comic book writer Mike Carey, Iceman is "devastatingly honest [and] very up-front with his emotions and his thoughts all the time".[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Clash 6/10[36]
The Guardian StarStar[37][a]
The Irish Times StarStar[38]

In a review for Clash, Joe Simpson wrote that Iceman "makes it evident from kick off that the scars of [Drake's feuds] are still painful for [him]". Simpson praised "Make Them Cry" for its "real, refreshing moments of vulnerability" and positively compared it to Drake's earlier releases, as well as Future's performance. He also praised the "masterful wordplay and stellar delivery" on "Make Them Pay", "National Treasures" and "Make Them Remember", calling Iceman Drake's best album since Her Loss. However, he criticized the album for its length.[36] In a positive review for Variety, Peter A. Berry labeled Iceman "the fun and vindictive comeback record [Drake] needed", commending its writing as "incisive as [it] is tidy" and highlighted its soul-inspired and maximalist trap production. He also praised its tone for its "direct bloodthirstiness" and honesty, stating that, despite its length, it has "enough sonic and tonal variance [to avoid] the monochromatic purgatory of [Drake's] last three solo releases".[39]

In a mixed review of the three-album release, Roisin O'Connor of The Independent said that "some of [Drake's] best work in years is present [on Iceman]", praising "Make Them Cry" in particular, but added that "it's obscured by the bad", concluding, "Iceman starts strong [but] quickly melts into a soggy mess of erratic beat switches, misogyny, autotune and a rehashing of old gripes".[40] In a two-star review of the three-album release, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised the production on "Ran to Atlanta", "Burning Bridges" and "National Treasures" (and singled out Molly Santana's feature as an "impressive turn") but said Iceman's "great moments are adrift amid a lot of underwhelming stuff [and] filler".[37]

Track listing

All tracks are principally written by Aubrey Graham. Full credits are not available at this time; production credits have been adapted from HotNewHipHop.[41]

Iceman track listing[42]
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Make Them Cry"   Maneesh 5:07
2. "Dust"  
  • Boi Yanel
  • Hanzbeats
  • Geminichxld
  • Manny Manhattan
  • Sem0r
 3:09
3. "Whisper My Name"     3:42
4. "Janice STFU"     3:57
5. "Ran to Atlanta" (featuring Future and Molly Santana)  
  • 9Jay
  • Dez Wright
  • Jack LoMastro
  • Mxssivh
  • Smash David
  • SkipOnDaBeat
  • Wheezy
  • Southside
 4:07
6. "Shabang"   Maneesh 3:08
7. "Make Them Pay"  
  • Ovrkast
  • Flywilliums
 5:01
8. "Burning Bridges"     3:45
9. "National Treasures"  
  • Boi-1da
  • Oz
  • London Cyr
  • Nico Baran
  • Patron
  • Ben10k
  • Ryan Bakalarczyk
  • Wraith9
 3:20
10. "B's on the Table" (featuring 21 Savage)  
  • London Cyr
  • O Lil Angel
  • Rogét Chahayed
  • Dylan Hyde
  • Jeek
  • B4U
 2:17
11. "What Did I Miss?"
  • Graham
  • James Cyr
  • Octavian Godji
  • Harold Lewis
  • Brytavious Chambers
  • Ozan Yildirim
  • Michael Mulé
  • Isaac De Boni
  • Elias Sticken
  • Görkem Akyüz
  • Stephane Reibaldi
  • Evin Kücükali
  • London Cyr
  • O Lil Angel
  • DJ Lewis
  • Tay Keith
  • Oz
  • FnZ
  • Elyas
  • Gyz
  • Patron
  • Evin
 3:14
12. "Plot Twist"     3:15
13. "2 Hard 4 the Radio"  
  • Oz
  • Ben10k
  • Karri
  • P-Lo
 3:03
14. "Make Them Remember"     5:23
15. "Little Birdie"  
  • 40
  • DJ Frisco954
  • RL
 2:56
16. "Don't Worry"  
  • Sledgren
  • Batmanonthebeatz
  • Nasamadeit
 4:06
17. "Firm Friends"   Conductor Williams 5:02
18. "Make Them Know"     4:08
Total length: 68:51

Sample and interpolation credits

  • "Janice STFU" contains elements of "I Follow Rivers", written by Lykke Li, Björn Yttling and Rick Nowels, and performed by Li.[37]

Notes

  1. ^ This rating is a combined review of Iceman, Maid of Honour and Habibti.

References

  1. ^ Abrams, Jonathan (15 May 2026). "Drake Releases 'Iceman' and Two Surprise Albums: What to Know". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  2. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (June 13, 2025). "Drake Returns With New Verse on Smiley's '2 Mazza'". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  3. ^ Paul, Bryson "Boom" (2025-03-01). "Drake Calls DJ Gordo To Europe To Complete "ICEMAN"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  4. ^ Sadler, Armon (August 12, 2025). "Did Drake Tease An 'ICEMAN' U.S. Tour This Week?". Vibe. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  5. ^ "Drake returns with surprise new single 'What Did I Miss?', takes shots at Kendrick Lamar to reignite feud". Hindustan Times. July 5, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  6. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (July 4, 2025). "Drake Addresses Kendrick Lamar Beef on New Song 'What Did I Miss?'". Variety. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (July 7, 2025). "Everything We Know About Drake's 'Iceman' Album". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  8. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (2024-08-31). "Drake Drops "No Face" On Streaming Services, But There's A Disappointing Catch". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  9. ^ Bras Nevares, Gabriel (2025-07-24). "Drake Seemingly Confirms The Second "Iceman" Single Is Dropping Tonight". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  10. ^ Saponara, Michael (2025-07-25). "Drake Reunites With Central Cee for 'Which One' Single: Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
  11. ^ "Drake Drops New Collaboration With Central Cee During 'Iceman' Livestream". The Breakfast Club. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  12. ^ Khan, Srosh (2025-07-25). "Which One: Drake and Central Cee's drop new song". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  13. ^ "Drake Iceman episodes: How to watch & release schedule". Capital XTRA. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  14. ^ a b "Drake Shares New Songs Featuring Yeat and Cash Cobain on 'Iceman' Live Stream". Rolling Stone. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
  15. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  16. ^ ""Writing love songs to his ex boyfriend" - Rapper Drake dissing DeMar DeRozan in leaked song leaves fans amused". The Times of India. 2025-09-14. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
  17. ^ Bras Nevares, Gabriel (2025-08-10). "Drake Has No Idea Who Leaked His "Iceman" Track, He Tells Adin Ross". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
  18. ^ Lautens, Kristjan (April 13, 2026). "Drake's courtside stunt at a Raptors game was to tease his first solo album in years". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  19. ^ Agate, Samantha (April 15, 2026). "Drake's Frozen Raptors Seats Fuel 'Iceman' Album Rollout Buzz After Months of Speculation". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  20. ^ Karimjee, Aliya (2026-04-17). "Heard an explosion last night? Turns out it's for Drake's music video". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  21. ^ "Drake's 'ICEMAN' Release Date Is at the Bottom of This Ice Sculpture in the Bond Hotel Parking Lot". Hypebeast. 2026-04-20. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  22. ^ "Drake Teases New Album With Massive Ice Structure in the Middle of Toronto". Complex. 2026-04-20. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  23. ^ D'Cunha, Patricia (2026-04-21). "Police called after people climb ice sculpture teasing Drake's album". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  24. ^ "Toronto police temporarily seal off Drake's ice sculpture area due to safety reasons". The Needle Drop. 2026-04-21. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  25. ^ Saponara, Michael (2026-04-21). "Drake's 'Iceman' Album Is Officially Coming Soon: See the Album's Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  26. ^ Lautens, Kristjan (May 14, 2026). "Drake speculated to be behind CN Tower projections, Bremner closures as new album arrives". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  27. ^ Cole, Alexander (2025-09-04). "Drake Is Dropping Three Albums Tonight: "Habibti," "Maid of Honour, & "ICEMAN"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  28. ^ a b Bras Nevares, Gabriel (April 25, 2026). "Kendrick Lamar's Fake "Fireman" Album Interrupts Drake's "ICEMAN" Rollout". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  29. ^ https://x.com/hfrpodcast/status/1957141627081744816
  30. ^ https://www.salon.com/2025/07/28/tyler-the-creators-no-1-album-overshadowed-by-40-second-ai-generated-clip/
  31. ^ Cory Woodroof (23 April 2026). "Is Kendrick Lamar releasing an album called 'Fireman' to combat Drake's 'Iceman?'". For the Win!. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  32. ^ a b Price, Joe (April 24, 2026). "Drake's 'Iceman' Inspires Memes of Other Rappers Dropping Similarly Titled Albums". Complex. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  33. ^ Cole, Alexander (July 4, 2025). "Drake Debuts "What Did I Miss?" During Iceman Livestream". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  34. ^ Elibert, Mark (July 5, 2025). "Drake Says Former Friends 'Betrayed' Him on New Song 'What Did I Miss'". Complex. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  35. ^ Malcom, Trapp (September 4, 2025). "Drake Premieres "SOMEBODY LOVES ME PT. 2" With Cash Cobain, Plus More Music In "Iceman" Episode 3". Rap Up. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  36. ^ a b Simpson, Joe (May 15, 2026). "Drake – Iceman Review". Clash. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  37. ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis (May 15, 2026). "Drake: Iceman / Maid of Honour / Habibti review – triple-album comeback is a boring, bloated disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  38. ^ Power, Ed (15 May 2026). "Drake: Iceman review – The rapper can write great pop. But this is a listless, forgettable album". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  39. ^ Berry, Peter (15 May 2026). "Drake's 'Iceman' is exactly the fun and vindictive comeback record he needed: Album review". Variety. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  40. ^ O’Connor, Roisin (May 15, 2026). "Drake can still produce gold. So why does he insist on being such a loser?". The Independent. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  41. ^ Cole, Alexander (2026-05-14). "Drake "ICEMAN," "HABIBTI," & "MAID OF HONOUR" Full Credits: Every Feature & Producer". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  42. ^ Drake - ICEMAN, 2026-05-15, retrieved 2026-05-15

See also

  • Italian brainrot – 2025 internet memes featuring AI-generated characters similar to the Iceman memes