Revenge is a dish best served after it’s been set out to chill. Following his epic battle with Kendrick Lamar, Drake might be ready to get back at everyone who gave him the cold shoulder with a new solo album he’s been teasing for the past several months titled Iceman.
Drake Teases New Album
Aubrey has been doing some frigid foreshadowing for the past several months. Back in February, he teased the LP during an Anita Max Win Tour stop in Australia.
“Eventually, when the time is right, Drizzy Drake alone by himself is gonna have to have a one-on-one talk to y’all,” he told the Australian crowd. “When the time is right, I’ll be back with another album—a one-on-one conversation with y’all that you need to hear.”
The following month, he shared an ominous message on Instagram that appeared to reference his return. “U know I grew up non confrontational and always treated this game as a sport where my pen won gold, but my these days the podium has been hard for all of us to ignore,” it read.
“I understand that this next chapter may leave you feeling uneasy, but I hope you see my honesty as clarity not charity that answers some questions especially about the unanswered texts you’ve been sending me,” Drake added.
Why Is the Album Called Iceman?
In addition to teasing his solo return, the 6 God has been seemingly dropping breadcrumbs about the title since last summer. When Drake did a dump on his @plottttwistttttt finsta account, it included a tracklist titled 2.0 Iceman.
Drake Iceman
Since then, Drake’s provided more icy implications. In April, he appeared on a livestream with Adin Ross where he teased the new album. He did so while rocking a hoodie with “ICEMAN KIMI” stitched on it—a nod to F1 legend Kimi Räikkönen.
Kimi Raikkonen, Grand Prix of Turkey, Istanbul Park, 21 August 2005.
The following month, Drake shared an Instagram post with a carousel of photos with the caption “Iceman.” The post featured a signed George Gervin jersey—a former NBA legend known as the Iceman. The other pictures included iced-out jewelry and a painting of an icy mountain scene.
The Iceman theories are abound. One concludes Drake might also be referencing the character Tom “Iceman” Kazansky from the 1986 film Top Gun. Played by actor Val Kilmer in the movie, the character was known for having a hot temper and a big ego, which sounds like the type of time Drizzy is on right now.
Top Gun Iceman
One argument says Drake is also referencing the Iceman from the X-Men. The character’s name is Bobby Drake. His superpower is the ability to turn anything into ice. The character might also have some similarities to Drake. According to X-Men comic book writer Mike Carey, Iceman is emotional.
“[Iceman]’s devastatingly honest,” Carey said of the character. “He is very up-front with his emotions and his thoughts all the time. Also, he’s obviously incredibly brave both in terms of facing external, physical danger as well as facing up to unpleasant situations and admitting his own mistakes.”
Iceman X-Men
Drake Addresses the Drama on New Song “What Did I Miss?”
On July 5, Drake dropped the song “What Did I Miss?” produced by London Cyr, O Lil Angel, DJ Lewis, Tay Keith, OZ, FNZ, Elyas, Gyz and Patron. The song appears to be the first single off the upcoming album. It’s clear that soured relationships are still on the Toronto rapper’s mind.
“I don’t give a f**k if you love me, I don’t give a f**k if you like me/Askin’ me, ‘How did it feel?’ Can’t say it didn’t surprise me,” he croons. “Last time I looked to my right, you ni**as was standing beside me/How can some people I love hang around pu**ies who try me?”
“When I was looking at y’all and cooking with y’all/And giving out verses and bookings to y’all?” he continues. “Making sure wires were hit, man, what did I miss?/When you was all in my crib, liquor and h*es/Word for word at all of the shows/You always felt like this, man, what did I miss?”
Drake also put out an accompanying hour-long livestream that he put on YouTube titled Iceman Episode 1. In the quasi-short film, Drake is at the Iceman warehouse—an actual ice supplier in his city of Toronto. He plays the role of employee and even drives around the streets of Toronto in the Iceman delivery truck.
What to Expect on the New Drake Album
On the heels of $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, his joint project with PartyNextDoor, which arrived this past February, but seemingly still in defense mode, Drake’s new album may be a mixed bag of emotions, both hot and cold. Drake seems ready to prove his haters and former friends wrong. But he’s never above putting on for the pop crowd. He may avoid singing altogether on this project since $$$4U had enough of that and Iceman could feature Drake serving up more hard-hitting bars that would satisfy rap fans that put lyricism on top.
Drake is officially in album mode, and he’s preparing for a cold summer. On July 11, he kicked off his $ome $exy $ongs 4 EU Tour with PartyNextDoor. During a show on July 21, he confirmed the Iceman title and hinted at what to expect.
I’m working on my album, Iceman,” he told those in attendance. “We got a lot to talk about. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
The brief jaunt ends on July 26. Despite some chatter that it would be better for Drake if he put his career on pause for a while, word on road is that the forecast is frigid. There’s no release date for Iceman yet, but the chill is in the air.