In his Iceman album review, Kevin Bourne says the album proves once and for all that Drake is among the best lyricists to ever do it,
The time has come. After months of waiting, Iceman is finally here. Drake set the tone with a partly pre-taped and partly live stream on Toronto 24-hour news channel CP24’s YouTube channel. The stream was a moment of pride for those of us from Toronto as the city was front and center as the world tuned in. After Drake kinda turned the CN Tower to ice and treated fans to a live fireworks show on Toronto’s waterfront, he provided a bit of plot twist—he would be dropping three albums instead of just one. While some might assume he’s just being generous or he was feeling that creative, it may also be a way for him to get out of his record deal early, especially given their legal issues.
But sticking to Iceman, let’s be real, this is the most highly anticipated album in recent memory. So much so that he crash Spotify when the clock struck 12am. As Drake’s first solo project since his beef with Kendrick Larmar, LeBron James, Demar Derozan, Rick Ross, and company and his lawsuit against Universal Music, this album is even more anticipated than GNX. While fans and the industry wanted to know how Kendrick would leverage the moment and rise to the occasion, with a lengthy rollout, an album name like Iceman, and a history of being an introspective and petty Scorpio who wears his heart on his sleeve, the world was waiting for this release. Shoot, hip-hop needed this release, especially with its lack of excitement and its struggles to produce Billboard hits.
But with expectations so high, there’s also room for disappointment. For many, this project won’t be measured against any other, including GNX. It will be measured against our lofty expectations. After all, Drake and this album are the being seen by many as the saviors of hip-hop right now.
Right off the bat, we need to establish that Iceman isn’t your usual Drake album with a collection of hits, singles, and features. He mentions as much on the intro track “Make Them Cry”. This isn’t a Drake who is trying to sell merch and music bundles to inflate his numbers. If you want hitmaker Drake, listen to Maid Of Honour. If you want singing Drake, listen to Habibti. With Iceman, it’s crystal clear that Drake has a lot to get off his chest. If you expected him to give us new music without mentioning all the drama of the past few years, you haven’t been following his career. Drake is one of those artists who uses his pen and recording booth as a therapy session, and this album is a lot of that.
Why Iceman?
So why Iceman? It appears to be Drake’s new persona as he repeatedly refers to himself as Iceman, or simply Ice, throughout the project. He’s almost like an anti-hero, exacting his own brand of vigilante justice against those who crossed him.
In the Marvel comics, Iceman’s government name is Robert Louis “Bobby” Drake. He’s also an original member of the X-Men who eventually leaves the group, perhaps pointing to Drake moving on from his brotherhood with people like LeBron James. And with Drake being from Canada, we’ll assume it’s also a reference to Canada’s cold weather.
The Music
On Iceman, Drake reminds us why he’s an elite lyricist whose pen is up there with the greats. This is somehow still overlooked because he’s seen by some as more of a pop artist, hitmaker, and singer. And then there are his previous collaborations with writers. But if you’re considering the creative and technical elements of rapping, including punchlines, double entendres, and word play, Drake is on a different planet. If anything, with his laid back delivery, if he’s guilty of anything it’s making it sound casual and effortless despite a high level of technical difficulty. He sounds as though he’s sitting back, writing in his journal while wearing a Hugh Heffner house coat as he sips a glass of white wine and smokes a pipe.
The album opens with an introspective track “Make Them Cry”. Similar to other songs in his catalogue, Drake gives us a window into his friendships and family life, including his mother, uncle, and father who we learn is battling cancer. He also tackles aging as he approaches 40 years old, whether he’ll ever find real love, as well as his issues with his record label. It’s a boom bap track where Drake flexes muscle as an emcee, complete with an occasional four syllable rhyme scheme. Something we see again later on the album.
We also see Drake reunite with Future on Ran To Atlanta featuring rising underground artist Molly Santana. Unfortunately, it’s not the usual smash that we’ve grown to expect from them, although it’s the kind of song that could grow on listeners. But it means we’ll probably be getting new music from them in the future, so we should take a win where we can get it. “B’s On The Table” also falls short of expectations when it comes to Drake and 21 Savage collabs, at least when it comes to their previous work. Unfortunately, the album wasn’t made any better by either of these two songs. A Drake album with no features may have actually been more powerful message to send to fans and the industry.
Highlights
There are a few things to highlight about the album. First, the number of people who get called out or referenced, including LeBron James (a few times), DeMar Derozan, Kendrick Lamar, Lucian Grainge, Joe Budden, J. Cole, Rick Ross, and Dr. Dre. The most scathing call out is directed towards DJ Khaled on “Make Them Pay”, one of the standout songs, who he accuses of being a bystander during his beef with Kdot.
“I got problems with people who I would’ve never dreamed
And that’s draggin’ people in who don’t wanna get in between
Dog, I was aidin’ Ross with streams before Adin Ross had ever streamed
And, Khaled, you know what I mean
The beef was fully live, you went halal and got on your
And your people are still waitin’ for a free Palestine”
Drake doesn’t hold back and airs out all his grievances. When he is subliminal, it’s less about hiding who he’s talking about and more about being creative with words.
Another thing to highlight is Drake experimenting with a new and slightly more nasal tone, for example on “Janice STFU” and “Whisper My Name” which are among the standout songs on the album. Drake should be praised for continuing to evolve and experiment as an artist, but this change is a bit jarring. The album also features different production styles than what we’re used to, from boom bap and chill hip-hop, to a West Coast beat on “2 Hard 4 The Radio” which sonically might be a jab at Kendrick Lamar.
Also among the standout tracks are “Dust” and “Whisper My Name” alongside previously released and leaked tracks “What Did I Miss?” and “National Treasure” sans Pressa. Fans were divided, with some wanting a Drake only version and others wanting Pressa to remain on the song. Drake not collaborating with Toronto artists the same way he has with Atlanta artists is one of the few question marks about his career so far. Dropping this Pressa feature from the project feels like a missed opportunity to elevate a local artist who has been working hard for years and feed the local scene. Having Drake as Toronto’s sole mainstream hip-hop act doesn’t help to establish Toronto as a hotbed for hip-hop or export Toronto culture to the world. Hopefully, this is a change that Drake makes in the next few years.
Final thoughts
In the past, Drake has been accused of putting together albums that feel more like a bunch of hits and non-related songs lumped together with no cohesive theme. Iceman isn’t that with songs titled “Make Them Cry”, “Make Them Pay”, “Make Them Remember”, and “Make Them Know” sprinkled throughout the album. Even if you feel like Drake needs to just move on from feeling betrayed, you can’t say that he didn’t put together an actual body of work with a clear concept.
Overall, as I said before, with it’s emphasis on bars and messaging, and its lack of features and commercial hits, this project is unlike anything we’ve seen from Drake before, especially with his decision to release separate albums dedicated to hits and singing. But what this album should do (but won’t) is settle any debates about Drake’s abilities as a lyricist and rapper. The biased hate directed at Drake by many Kendrick Lamar fans actually sets the culture back. He really is the undisputed punch line king of his generation and proves once and for all that he’s among the best lyricists to ever do it.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s editor-in-chief and Senior Arts & Entertainment Reporter focusing on film & TV, music, and fashion. He was named one of 340 international voters for the Golden Globe Awards and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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