Drake marked the release of Iceman by lighting the CN Tower in icy blue projections and staging a Toronto waterfront finale tied to a YouTube livestream.
Drake turned one of Toronto’s most recognizable landmarks into part of his album rollout Thursday night, covering the CN Tower in icy blue projections to mark the release of Iceman.
The display began at 9:45 p.m. after the rapper teased it earlier in the day on Instagram, according to CBC Music. The moment was tied to a YouTube livestream that mixed aerial shots of downtown Toronto with videos for unreleased tracks from the album.
Iceman , described by CBC as Drake’s ninth album, arrived at midnight. Two surprise albums, Habibti and Maid of Honour , were released alongside it.
The Toronto-focused spectacle ended with a 10-minute fireworks finale along the waterfront, lighting up the skyline. During the stream, Drake was shown inside the CN Tower, at city hall and driving through Toronto at night.
The rollout also carried more personal material. In an opening voiceover, Drake said his father, Dennis Graham, had been diagnosed with cancer and reflected on fans turning away from him during his public feud with Kendrick Lamar, CBC reported.
The CN Tower projection was the latest theatrical step in a rollout that began last year with a series of Iceman livestream episodes posted to YouTube. Earlier installments were staged in Toronto, Manchester and Milan.
Thursday’s event followed an April promotion in downtown Toronto, where Drake installed a large ice sculpture that fans were told contained the album’s release date. CBC reported that crowds gathered around the sculpture, with some people using pickaxes and blowtorches before a hidden folder was apparently found inside one of the ice blocks revealing the May 15 date, later confirmed by Drake.
The release arrives after a period in which Drake has remained commercially prominent but has not returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 since his highly publicized 2024 dispute with Lamar. CBC noted he is tied with Michael Jackson for the most No. 1 hits by a solo act, while his 2025 joint album with Partynextdoor produced the single “Nokia,” which reached No. 2.
For now, the confirmed centerpiece of the Iceman launch is Toronto itself: the CN Tower, the waterfront and a livestream designed to make the city part of the album’s first night.
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