Drake has surprise-released three albums, his first since his Kendrick Lamar feud escalated in 2024, with 43 songs across three styles.
Drake has surprise-released three albums at once, delivering his long-teased solo record Iceman alongside Habibti and Maid of Honour in a 43-song drop that immediately puts his feud with Kendrick Lamar back in view.
The releases are the Canadian rapper’s first albums since his dispute with Lamar escalated in 2024. The set also gives fans three distinct lanes: Iceman is more rap and hip-hop-focused, Habibti leans toward R&B, and Maid of Honour is inspired by dance music, according to BBC Newsbeat.
The albums include collaborations with Central Cee, 21 Savage and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Most critics had not yet published reviews shortly after the drop, though reports cited by Newsbeat suggested streaming services experienced crashes and slowdowns as listeners rushed to play the new music.
One of the central questions around Iceman was whether Drake would address Lamar after last year’s highly public rap battle. He appears to do so on the new material, including lyrics that seem to criticize a rival for performing public charity in Compton while living elsewhere. On the album opener “Make Them Cry,” Drake also raps about being “all alone” for his mental health, a line presented as a glimpse into how he felt during the feud.
Music journalist and radio presenter Mary Mandefield told Newsbeat she was still processing the scale of the release but was not surprised Drake brought up Lamar. “It would have been a massive miss to have three albums and not to mention Kendrick at all,” she said.
The size of the release is also likely to renew debate over long albums and streaming numbers. Mandefield said dropping three albums at the same time “feels excessive,” while noting that other artists have also released unusually long projects or alternate editions that can lift total plays.
Drake had been building anticipation for Iceman through a series of livestreams featuring new music, guest appearances and references to the album’s themes. Just before the release, a closing shot of three hard drives hinted at the triple drop. The same livestream also included an image of Drake torching what appeared to be a bot farm showing phones streaming Lamar’s Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us.”
Both rappers have accused each other of using bots to inflate listening figures. The issue was mentioned in Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group, his own label, which was later thrown out.
For now, the immediate measure of the release will be how listeners and critics respond to the volume of new music — and whether the Lamar references extend the feud or simply mark Drake’s first major statement since it reshaped the conversation around both artists.
Comments (0)