5 Takeaways From Drake's Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour

"Drake's ongoing Iceman rollout has plopped full blocks of ice in the middle of downtown, turned the CN Tower into his personal projection room, and wrought two explosives displays, one of which "unnerved residents who had lived through a propane plant explosion in 2008." Yes, the long road to Drizzy's first solo effort since 2023's For All the Dogs has been paved with built-for-Twitch stunts and promotional hijinks ripped right from Looney Toons."

"Although Drake's clear goal with this triple drop is unloading the clip, there's a semblance to the sprawl. Iceman is the blockbuster rap album, packed with his heaviest beats in years. Habibti is a watery rendition of Heartbreak Drake, fitted out with classic R&B ("I'm Spent," the on-the-nose "Classic") and -style acoustics ("Rusty Intro"). Don't throw on the cozy oversized sweater yet, though: Maid of Honour is the club record."

"But his greatest fake out happened during a May 14 stream previewing all of Iceman, before revealing the release had company: two additional albums, Habibti and Maid of Honour. All told, Drake has delivered 43 new tracks (or nearly two-and-a-half hours of music) to sift through; among them are some of his best songs since Scorpion."

"Maid of Honour stands to get more mileage this summer. Deploying a top-notch slutty house-meets-electro record is one of the canniest moves he's ever made. It's also the one arena where Kendrick can't compete. While Iceman is the centerpiece here, Maid of Honour is the club record, landing like a more "Controlla"-fied sequel to Honestly, Nevermind, thanks in part to the lights-out "Fergalicious" flip in opener "Hoe Phase"."

Drake’s Iceman rollout brought large-scale ice installations in downtown Toronto, projected visuals onto the CN Tower, and included two explosive displays that affected residents. A May 14 stream preview revealed that Iceman would be accompanied by two additional albums, Habibti and Maid of Honour. The combined release provides 43 new tracks, spanning roughly two and a half hours of music. Iceman is presented as a blockbuster rap album with some of Drake’s heaviest beats in years. Habibti is described as a watery Heartbreak Drake-style project with classic R&B and acoustic elements. Maid of Honour is characterized as a club record with a house-meets-electro sound, positioned to perform well during summer.

Read at Pitchfork