Maybe the question should’ve been whether Drake was the greatest artist of all time, rather than simply the greatest rapper.
“The Big Three” himself has returned to the rap game and flipped it on its head. Released May 15, Drake’s “ICEMAN” solidifies his place as the king of not only hip-hop, but the music industry as a whole.
The album set out to subtly reframe the narrative set by Kendrick Lamar during the pair’s infamous feud in 2024—and once again, the Toronto rapper comes out on top (of the charts).
Across 18 tracks, Drake took a sledgehammer to Lamar’s disses, turning Lamar’s criticisms into evidence of Drake’s success.
Since the rap battle that put hip-hop back on the top charts, Drake’s output has been sporadic. He dropped a three-song mixtape in 2024, a collaborative album with fellow Toronto native PARTYNEXTDOOR and a handful of singles—most notably 2025’s “DOG HOUSE” with Julia Wolf and Yeat, as well as the hard-hitter “What Did I Miss?”
“What Did I Miss?” was the first taste we got of Drake’s response to Lamar’s mic-drop hit “Not Like Us,” which was believed to be the end of the battle.
“ICEMAN” comes after Drake’s longest hiatus from releasing a solo project, with his previous album “For All the Dogs,” released 951 days earlier on Oct. 6, 2023. To say this album has been highly anticipated would be an understatement.
From subtle posts on his Instagram story to full-length YouTube episodes packed with Easter eggs, Drake spent nearly a year creating a new persona, aesthetic and world for his presumed comeback album. He even planted an ice sculpture in Toronto, where a fan discovered a box containing the album release date.
But it wasn’t only “ICEMAN” that Drake had in his arsenal. At the conclusion of his Iceman episode four YouTube livestream on May 14, Drake announced that he’d be dropping three albums at midnight: “ICEMAN,” “HABIBTI” and “MAID OF HONOR.”
Now, as a certified Drake lovergirl, I understand I may be approaching “ICEMAN” with some bias, but if you put the discourse aside and give the album a fair listen, it’s hard to hate on.
Drake is the Big Three
“It’s just big me,” Lamar famously rapped on Metro Boomin and Future’s “Like That” in 2024, rejecting the notion that Drake belongs on the same level as him, as part of his self-proclaimed “big three.” Funny how things change. The release of these three albums, totaling 43 songs, pushes Drake to even greater heights—far greater than Lamar.
Drake is now the first artist to debut three albums in the top three of the Billboard 200. Additionally, “ICEMAN” is his 15th number-one album, surpassing Jay-Z for the most number-one albums and tying Taylor Swift for most number-one albums by a solo artist.
Even the album cover appears to reinforce Drake’s place among music’s elite. Drake’s hand forms his signature "six" gesture while wearing Michael Jackson’s iconic diamond-studded glove and an “Iceman” bracelet, which could be a nod to Swift’s friendship bracelet trend. Ultimately, the cover serves as a reminder to Lamar and all that follow him that the real big three are Drake, Jackson and Swift.
The symbolism continues as Drake clearly played on the “big three” narrative by releasing three albums at once that immediately topped the charts, implying that his versatility makes him the top three in the music industry.
Together, these three albums feel like an ode to Drake’s entire catalog. “Classic” sounds like it came straight from his 2009 album “So Far Gone,” while “New Bestie” would fit seamlessly into the 2017 album “More Life.”
Drake embraces R&B on “HABIBTI,” with standouts such as “Gen 5” and “Classic.” Meanwhile, newer Drake fans can find hit-maker Drake on “MAID OF HONOR,” an album packed with songs you are guaranteed to hear at every spot you hit on your next night out.
While all three projects showcase different versions of Drake, “ICEMAN” is the most well-rounded and consistent. For longtime fans, this is what we’ve been waiting for. An album that is void of hit attempts and overly experimental tracks—one where Drake is just, well, Drake.
Best Raps & Tracks
Eighteen tracks. Three features. Countless beat switches. There is plenty to unpack—most of it, pure lyrical genius.
The opening track, “Make Them Cry,” is undoubtedly his best album introduction since “Keep The Family Close” from 2016’s “Views.” As one of his most vulnerable cuts, referencing his father’s battle with cancer, the track offers a glimpse into Drake’s personal life—reminding us that he is a regular guy, too.
He admits his feelings toward the feud with Lamar, saying that he has somewhat lost himself.
Yeah, I mean, imagine someone winning five GRAMMY awards for a track boasting about your alleged pedophilia. I’d lose my mind a little, too.
From there, the listener embarks on a journey through different sounds from Drake’s career, as he reflects on the feud, the aftermath and his attempt to rediscover himself.
First, we find ourselves on a three-track run dedicated to Drake getting his get-back.
“Dust” begins with piano and harmonious vocals reminiscent of Drake's “Take Care” era. The spoken word element is quintessentially Drake. When the beat finally drops, some of the album’s sharpest and most aggressive lines emerge.
“If it wasn’t for me reachin’ my hand, you never’d climbed up,” Drake raps, implying that without him on their songs, the artists that hopped on the Drake-hate train are now irrelevant, and the only time they are in the conversation is when they are saying Drake’s name.
As the beat transitions smoothly into “Whisper My Name,” Drake’s tone only gets darker and the beat only gets harder. One of the best beats of Drake’s career, the song features a haunting melody and flow comparable to the Drake heard on Travis Scott’s “MELTDOWN.”
Before Drake even begins rapping, a diss is fired by incorporating producer Pharrell Williams’ trademark 4-beat intro into the beat. An unspoken diss toward Pharrell is no surprise, given their longstanding beef. Once the verse begins, Drake takes jabs at numerous A-listers, from Lamar to Playboi Carti, even speaking on J. Cole.
“I'm doing my big one, you doing a little one/What kinda man are you? A middle one,” Drake raps to Cole, who acted as a middle man between Drake and Lamar in 2024, when he chose to bow out of the beef. The line also implies that Cole’s recent album, “The Fall-Off” was “a little one.”
The song also features my favorite insult on the album: “You a tennis ball.” I’m not really sure what this means yet, but if someone is irritating me, it’s definitely a new go-to.
Ending the trilogy triple-threat tracks is “Janice STFU,” where not a single line goes to waste. Dig after dig—Drake hits all the marks with this one.
“Buried alive, someone come did me up,” Drake raps on the opening line, setting the tone for nearly four minutes of lyrical demolition.
After spending three songs unloading on his critics, Drake continued building steam by reconnecting musically with a long-time friend and collaborator who many believed had taken Lamar’s side in the feud.
“You know what I’m sayin’?” Future asks as he opens, “Ran To Atlanta,”---an appearance that shocked listeners.
This track is a flip-the-script moment, with the title directly referencing one of Lamar’s taunts from “Not Like Us.”
“You run to Atlanta when you need a check balance,” Lamar rapped.
By teaming up with Atlanta native Future, Drake turns the criticism into a joke, responding as if to say, “Oh, look, Kendrick, here I went again running to Atlanta.”
Not only is Future’s feature one of his best in recent years, but the track also features rising artist Molly Santana. Her unique vocal tone adds an exciting flair to the soon-to-be hit.
The song also contains one of my favorite bars: “Embarrassment the only thing I’m getting secondhand.” Don’t be surprised if you see this on many Instagram posts soon (including mine).
Next comes “Shabang,” an explosion of catchy one-liners over a beat laced with Migos ad-libs.
The song ends with one of the album’s best beat switches, paired with a sure-to-get-stuck-in-your-head melody. Maneesh certainly did go out with a shabang.
Another timestamp-esque track, “Make Them Pay,” is quickly becoming a fan-favorite. The song explores Drake’s desire to free himself from his label, people’s opinions and expectations.
“I just wanna be free,” he sings.
As the song continues, Drake unpacks his history with former friends, the public’s new “GOAT,” Lamar, and his rocky relationship with his label.
Perhaps the album’s most meme-able moment comes on “Burning Bridges.” While the track is the album’s most forgettable, it has one iconic line: “Your baby mama ain’t even post your single/Where she at?”
The jab appears to be aimed at A$AP Rocky and his relationship with Rihanna. Expect to see the GIF of Drake doing the peek-a-boo motion from the Iceman episode four livestream in every TikTok comment section.
Then comes “National Treasures,” a masterclass in rap, storytelling, sneak dissing and beat switching, and a near flawless work of artistry (in my totally unbiased opinion).
The double entendres, the flow, the beat—they are exactly what makes Drake so successful. Just take a look at these bars:
The best part? The whole song is like this.
Following the beat switch, Drake leans into his ability to deliver substantial hard-hitting bars with a humorous element.
“Pushin’ out ink, I feel like a squid,” Drake raps.
Who else can get away with saying, “I feel like a squid,” and get taken seriously?
Next is “B's On The Table,” featuring an underwhelming 21 Savage appearance. Since the release of their collaborative album “Her Loss” in 2022, collaborations between the pair have become extremely common. 21 Savage’s feature is nothing special, so we move on.
Then comes “What Did I Miss?,” which is one of the project’s standout tracks, delivering some of Drake’s rawest emotions and cleverest lyrics.
Maintaining that momentum is “Plot Twist” and “2 Hard 4 The Radio,” where Drake continues to show his versatility as he raps over a West Coast-inspired beat.
He doesn’t stray from flaunting his rapping skills, and you can practically hear his smile as he says: “Got an Oakland show tonight, baby / my young boys from The Yoc goin’ crazy.” The line is a direct reply to Lamar’s bar from “Not Like Us”: “I think that Oakland show might be your last stop.”
With the catchiest melody and cadence on the album, this track is sure to be, ironically, a radio hit.
Next comes “Make Them Remember,” another “yapper Drake” track, followed by “Little Birdie,” which contains the most experimental vocal work on the project, with his vocals pitched at a slightly higher tone.
As the album enters its final stretch, Drake leans into introspection on “Don't Worry,” and “Firm Friends,” where on the latter Drake works with producer Conductor Williams and once again discusses his life post-beef and the ways it has changed him.
“I tried and tried and tried, ‘til the ‘r’ switched place with the ‘i,’” Drake raps as he opens the closing track “Make Them Know.”
From there, Drake launches into a lengthy reflection on industry paranoia and his changed mentality, concluding the track with an extravagant version of the viral snippet debuted in one of his Iceman episodes:
“Iceman, baby, why are you so cold?/Freeze the world, freeze the world.”
Ending the album with this snippet is not only a highlight for fans, but it’s also a message: Drake has become cold and numb to his emotions and he remains that way. Rather than opening the album with this notion and exploring how he has navigated it, Drake chose to say that he is still cold, and he is changed, and there are no signs on this album that he is melting anytime soon.
Is It Enough?
Some call “ICEMAN” a comeback, but did he ever really leave? Just look at the top charts—he never left.
However, Drake’s personal character has been damaged to a point many believe is beyond repair. So the question is: when people say they hate Drake—is it the music or the person? Do we separate art from the artist?
Amidst the uncertainty of whether this rollout is helping Drake repair his reputation, a few things remain certain: Drake continues to dominate charts and break records, making him, without question, the goat of the music industry.
Lakyn Austin is the managing editor of The Setonian. She can be reached at lakyn.austin@student.shu.edu.
