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]
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 from the album, 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." [1] Possible collaborations with British-American rapper 21 Savage and American rapper Playboi Carti were also previewed during the livestream: 21 Savage previously collaborated with Drake on numerous songs and 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. DJ Swamp Izzo, who provided ad-libs on Carti's 2025 album Music, also previewed the collaboration on social media.
A second livestream, titled "Iceman: Episode 2", aired on July 24. [7] Three tracks were previewed during the livestream: "Which One" with British rapper Central Cee, which had been previewed at Drake's 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". [8] The second episode depicted Drake being chased by Pinocchio throughout Manchester until he eventually escapes into Manchester Piccadilly station. The livestream concluded with a graphic that read "COMING SOON", with Pinocchio's head in place of the letter "I". [9] 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. [10]
A third livestream, "Iceman: Episode 3", aired on September 4, taking place in Milan. [11] Several songs were previewed during the livestream, including the tentatively titled "That's Just How I Feel", as well as "Dog House". 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. [12] 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 (2025) and features American rapper Cash Cobain. On September 9, "Dog House" was released as the third promotional single from the album; Drake had teased its release through his Instagram a day prior. [13] It marks Drake's third collaboration with Yeat, following 2023's "IDGAF" and 2024's "As We Speak".
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 called streamer Adin Ross while he was live, saying "I don't even know who the fuck those kids are", referring to the streamers that leaked the track. [14] [15]
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 direct references to Lamar's Pop Out concert in 2024, among other nods to their conflict. [16] 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. [17]
"Which One" features an Afrobeat and dancehall inspired instrumental, [18] with Paul Bryson of HotNewHipHop stating its "pulsating" beat carries a "subdued menace". [19] Narratively, it depicts Drake and Central Cee addressing respective love interests, with Drake noting how she stands out from her friends ("You're not like the tings you're around / You're a real good girl") and enemies ("Fuck anyone that's bringing you down / Sweetheart, you're doing your thing right now") and Central Cee noting her physical appearance and sexuality. [20] Bryson also noted that the song's lack of a prominent chorus and its structure as a back-and-forth exchange enabled both artists to share differing perspectives to their love interests, with distinct styles. [21]
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". [22] This was echoed by Malcolm Trapp of RapUp, who said, "it's hard not to connect [these] lines to his very public feud with Lamar". [23]
