Friday
It’s been two years. I’ve lived a lot of life in those two years so, for me, it’s felt a lot longer but I’m sure for Drake, it’s felt like an eternity. I remember waking up on May 5, 2024, feeling perturbed that I had a haircut appointment that morning and my barber was a big Drake fan. “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams” had dropped the night before, within an hour of each other, and my head was elsewhere besides wanting to look nice. So many disrespectful lines and frankly nasty allegations were thrown. I needed to discuss this battle with someone but no one was that interested or that invested. Until May 5.
Two years later, “Not Like Us” is cemented as one of the greatest diss records in hip-hop history. It won five Grammys in one night, including Record of the Year, broke numerous streaming records, and charted at number 1 for several weeks. What’s been most impressive is the impact the song has had outside of the impressive stats. Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” concert happened that summer, on Juneteenth, and showed how far he was willing to take the production. He would use the momentum of the battle to work on and then drop “GNX” later that year, which spawned another smash hit in “Luther”, garnering Lamar even more Grammys. He would then be selected to perform at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, a performance that broke viewing records. And he would wrap it all up with a worldwide stadium tour that became the highest selling tour for a rapper of all-time.
Drake certainly wasn’t too happy about all of this to say the least. Before the Super Bowl, he filed a defamation lawsuit that eventually was thrown out which he is now appealing. No music he’s released since the battle has gathered any steam. He looks older in every picture. It was always going to end with an album for Drake. We heard from Lamar, and at the risk of beating a dead horse, he hasn’t really popped up much since. Drake, on the other hand, needed to make an impact. Thus, “ICEMAN”.
Drake has been teasing “Iceman” for the majority of these two years. He’s been releasing singles, videos, and even streams, but nothing too concrete. That was until earlier this month when he placed several blocks of ice in downtown Toronto, saying the release date for the album was somewhere in the sculpture. A fan, who just so happened to be a popular streamer (lucky coincidence I guess), found the date and revealed it to be May 15. Before the clock struck 12 a.m. on the 15th, Drake announced two hours prior that he would instead be releasing three separate albums. “Iceman”, “Maid of Honour”, and “Habibti”.
Why would he do that? Most are saying it’s to fulfill his contract obligations with his label, who he just unsuccessfully sued, but nobody seems to know the specifics of his contract. Some say it’s to ensure he gets the number one spot on the Billboard charts, which would see him surpass Jay-Z and Taylor Swift for the most number one albums ever and Michael Jackson for the most number one singles ever. I think it’s a show of force, like a militaristic leader throwing a parade to show off his mighty army. All of his tanks and missiles and soldiers. Why? Because he can, quite frankly.
I don’t know how this might be coming off, but I like Drake. I was anticipating “Iceman” and wanted it to be a good album. Getting through three felt like homework just so I could form a coherent opinion. So I started listening to the shortest one he released, “Habibti”. This album was full of R&B, the late-night drive music that makes up a lot of Drake’s B-sides. And it was, in a few words, not good. It was drenched in auto-tune, melodies that felt spastic instead of catchy, and forgettable musical ideas that should’ve stayed on the hard drive. It was so not good in fact, that I waited to listen to anything else to reset my ears.
Saturday
Could it get any worse? Why would Drake drop three albums and not at least try to make all three passable? I approached the second album, “Maid of Honour”, with much more trepidation. This album features more of the house-inspired sounds that Drake tried out on Honestly, Nevermind. I actually kind of liked that tape. And “Maid of Honour” feels like Drake taking the pressure off of himself and just making something fun for the day parties and night clubs. There was still a good bit of filler that I could’ve gone without but I could at least take a few songs to my personal playlists.
As I was listening though, the discourse around the three albums began to shift. Whenever Drake releases an album, I find it hard to trust anyone’s opinion, even my own. So many people have disparate views about him as a person and his music that I don’t usually see any coherent takes until a couple months after the fact. In the moment, though, people are already claiming Iceman to be a classic. Better than most other albums and the only reason is the insane sales numbers.
Swift has become infamous for inflating her album sales with multiple versions of studio albums. She has numerous records but still falls victim to criticism saying her music is shallow and has grown increasingly stagnant. Drake seems to be on the same course. As reviews for “Iceman” quickly rolled out over the weekend, it became clear that Drake wouldn’t be getting any love from the traditional critics or cultural gatekeepers. All the love and admiration was coming from fans, stans, October’s Very Own (Drake’s personal brand) trolls and bot accounts. That still accounts for a lot of people but I’m here for the music and I’m not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze.
Sunday
So, I took time on Sunday to sit with “Iceman”, Drake’s vaunted ‘comeback’ album. This tape is for the strip clubs, the hookah lounges, and the beat-up cars with speakers under the seats. The production is something that I naturally am drawn to, as it’s more hip-hop focused, but it hits a lot of different lanes of hip-hop. There’s Southern trap, stripped-down boom bap, and even a cheeky West Coast tune. You’d be forgiven for nodding your head to it when you put it in the background, it sounds amazing. Then you start hearing what Drake is saying.
For every song lamenting the fake friends who hurt him recently, there’s another song giving more ammo to these frenemies. Every reference to Lamar or A$AP Rocky feel like shower arguments that come too little, too late, especially considering Drake took it to court when one of them spoke back in the heat of battle. There are tracks that see Drake get vulnerable in a way he hasn’t in a decade and it still pales in comparison to what other artists have divulged at his age or stage in their career. I found myself having to just turn my thinking brain off to enjoy it. But, I did enjoy it. I think Drake is an underrated rapper and this might be his best showing in some time, but I found myself at a disconnect from the general consensus.
The main thing I walked away with, after listening to these albums is the question of “why do I still want more?” Drake dropped three albums, all with different vibes, all with at least one song that I really enjoy, and I still felt like something was missing. Seeing so many people love and enjoy the music is making me think it’s me wanting something different more than the music being particularly bad. Have I just outgrown Drake? Maybe. I feel like more people have than we realize. And the feeling of fear of missing out isn’t coming on. His fans can have him. I’m glad they do.
