ICEMAN mostly delivers the bars, but the lingering Kendrick Lamar drama keeps a good album from being great

Released May 15th 2026

Well, we got three Drake albums instead of just ICEMAN. Fine by me, but I’m going to take each album one by one, starting with the one that’s been hyped up and rolled out: ICEMAN. I do like Drake, but admittedly, his musical styles span so far and wide that they don’t always match up with what I’m into as often as I’d like. ICEMAN mostly sticks to rapping—which is my favorite stuff Drake does—and there are definitely things here that I both like and dislike.

I appreciate that Drake stuck to rapping for ICEMAN, and it seems like an album his core fans will really enjoy. Personally, the vibe of the music fluctuates between stuff I think is good, great, and just passable. There are some great tracks with a smooth, calm tone that Drake executes very well; it’s just not really my favorite style. Songs like “Make Them Cry,” “Don’t Worry,” and “Firm Friends” (plus a few others) are good, but they aren’t songs I feel an urge to return to—with a few exceptions to that style, like “Shabang,” “Burning Bridges,” and “Make Them Pay.” What I really like and want to revisit are tracks like “National Treasures,” “Plot Twist,” “2 Hard 4 The Radio,” “Whisper My Name,” and “Janice STFU.” All of these have minor peaks and valleys, but generally, I really liked them.

What I understood (but wasn’t a fan of) were the disses and Drake’s thoughts on his battle with Kendrick Lamar. It’s pretty much a unanimous decision who won that beef, so coming back in 2026 to finally drop a solo album and send shots at so many people just doesn’t feel right. “Dot” was only mentioned by name once, and outside of that, things were kept indirect. I know this is what’s been going on in Drake’s life, but this should have been addressed 12 months ago or moved on from entirely. All the disses feel more like they are there for album promo and momentary buzz rather than coming from a place of real vitriol.

It’s honestly a shame that this album is so focused on taking shots and stirring the beef pot. When Drake is just rapping and going in, I love it, but here it felt like he was unfocused—or rather, overly focused on outside noise. ICEMAN has a lot of cringy bars and lines that just didn’t work, especially when sandwiched between shouting matches with his peers. I needed Drake to bring more heat if he was going to bring up the battle and poke at other artists.

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (7/10)

Standout Tracks: “Dust,” “Janice STFU,” “National Treasures,” “Plot Twist,” & “2 Hard 4 The Radio”