The big three might have a new meaning as Drake released three new albums on May 15. After a cool rollout—no pun intended—music lovers were already anticipating “ICEMAN.” However, the Canadian-born musician dominated online rap conversations by surprising fans with two additional LPs, titled “HABIBTI” and “MAID OF HONOUR.” An additional 43 Drake songs added to his discography also meant new additions to playlists around the world, or perhaps not? Here’s what fans have to say about the newest album releases.
‘ICEMAN’
Starting with what listeners describe as the strongest of the three, “ICEMAN” includes features from well-known artists, some of whom the five-time Grammy-winning artist has previously collaborated with. The album features Future, 21 Savage and Molly Santana. Although the 21 Savage feature was no shocker, the Future collaboration did catch listeners off guard. Once considered close associates in the rap game, the two have had a falling-out and have experienced tension in recent years. It was alleged that Future took shots aimed at Drake regarding business and loyalty.
Additionally, their beef unfolded amid one of the most publicized rap beefs in the past decade (Kendrick Lamar and Drake). X users reacted strongly to hearing track five, “Ran to Atlanta,” on “ICEMAN.” Some users expressed confusion, with one stating, “When Drake got back with Future, I was confused.” Other users expressed excitement, while some believed Drake should have stood on business and never reconciled with the Atlanta rapper. As per Future, the collaboration was much requested: “Me and Iceman back by popular demand,” he posted.
Drake also appeared to address DJ Khaled on track seven, “Make Them Pay.” He stated, “And Khaled, you know what I mean. The beef was fully live, you went halal, and got on your deen, and your people are still waitin’ for a Free Palestine, but apparently, everything isn’t black and white and red and green.” This bar from Drake comes as a result of Palestinian-American DJ Khaled keeping quiet about ongoing issues with Palestine.
Listeners astonishingly reacted, even feeling like Drake’s mention of Palestine was hypocritical, arguing it was his first time also speaking on the country. Other listeners felt Drake deserved massive respect for being the first notable rapper to publicly call out DJ Khaled.
Drake allegedly took shots at other well-known rappers, including Jay-Z, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Playboi Carti and more. Songs that are notable for disses include “Shabang,” “Make Them Remember,” “Janice STFU,” and “Burning Bridges.”Check out the lyric breakdown here.
Moving away from feuds and toward positivity, listeners worldwide praised Drake’s “ICEMAN.” Applauding his talent, it’s a no-skip, straightforward listen-through and replay value. The 1-hour-and-19-minute album received praise, with some fans even stating they had not listened to anything else since the release of “ICEMAN.” Shabang, with its “mid, mid, mid, skip, skip” line, is a fan favorite, as are “Ran To Atlanta” and “Janice STFU.”
‘HABIBTI’
“HABIBTI,” an 11-track R&B-style album, contains vocals in comparison to the raps that Drake usually delivers. Pouring his heart out on certain tracks, fans describe “HABIBTI” as an album for the yearners. “HABIBTI” features his previous collaborator on his previous album, PARTYNEXTDOOR, as well as Sexyy Red, Loe Shimmy, and Qendresa. Singing intensely about relationships, communication issues, intimacy, heartbreak and more, listeners could relate, even describing how the album came right on time for their current personal experiences. Fans have credited Drake for the good writing on tracks “Rusty,” “Gen 5” and “Fortworth.”
But truthfully, “HABIBTI” has mixed reviews; others call it a top 3 Drake album, while a select few have listed it as his worst album ever. Demonstrating his versatility, public opinion is conflicted, with views on both sides of the spectrum.
‘MAID OF HONOUR’
Exploring a little more of a cultured, fun, adventurous, diverse aesthetic, “MAID OF HONOUR” definitely had an exciting and upbeat energy compared to the heartbreak tone on “HABIBTI.” Throughout the 14 tracks, Drake showcased Jersey club production, Jamaican Patois and dance anthems, once again proving his versatility. On TikTok, fans are already making up trends to “Cheetah Print,” featuring Sexyy Red. Some are laughing at the lyrics and explaining that Drake could have kept the track to himself.
Gaining recognition for its raunchy hook lyrics blended with Sexyy Red sampling the cha-cha slide, some fans find it to be the best on the album because of its ability to make them dance. Other memorable fan favorite tracks are “Hoe Phase,” “Road Trips” and True Bestie.” However, of course, with praise comes criticism. Online Drake fans are explaining that although Drake’s name is certain in the conversation of Greatest artists of all time, “MAID OF HONOUR” is the “worst album anyone who’s in the GOAT conversation has ever dropped.”
Final Verdict
Ultimately, despite public opinion, facts speak for themselves, and Drake’s three newest releases have recently made history. Surpassing the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Drake has broken the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. The rapper has become the first artist to hold the top three spots on the Billboard 200. Moreover, Drake has 12 albums on the Billboard 200. Such achievements are significant for Drake and Black artists in general. It is evident that no matter what fans think, “ICEMAN,” “HABIBTI” and “MAID OF HONOUR” were worthy of huge milestones.
Featured image credit: sourced from @bootlegkev X account
