Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | May 15, 2026
What's worse than a new Drake album? How about three of them, all released on the same day?
That's right, we've got 43 new songs by the OV-hoe and some people are excited, I imagine. Following his absolute annihilation at the hands of Kendrick Lamar, Drake's fans were waiting to see how he'd respond, since it had gone so well the last time. They knew that the album Iceman, a rap and hip-hop focused record was coming. But then they also got Habibti, an R&B-inspired one, and Maid of Honour, a dance-esque album, at the same time. I suppose it's like Beyonce's three acts but without the patience or build-up.
According to the BBC, he does take a few swings at Kendrick, rapping on one track, "Handin' out turkeys on camera inside of your hood, then you go back to the hills." I'll leave that one to the Pitchfork writers.
Drake is known for releasing albums with literally dozens of tracks on them so that he can dominate streaming charts through sheer volume alone. It's a tactic beloved by many artists, including Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen (and Chris Brown released a 57-rack deluxe edition of his new album, ick), and it seems to be working right now for Drake. Spotify's struggling to keep up with the demands.
Still, and I know this is some of my anti-Drake bias showing here, this is excessive, right? This feels flop-sweaty, especially if the reviews end up being as middling as they've been for his past four records. It's a not-so-silent plea to your fans to do everything in their power to make you look popular. Drake may have taken a cultural blow after Kendrick called him a you-know-what, but he's still a big deal on those charts. How much of that can really feel authentic if you have to pad out the numbers so blatantly? Remember, Drake tried to sue Kendrick over "Not Like Us" and claimed that he was using bots to artificially inflate his listening figures. You know who else was accused of that? Drake.
But this is also just what the music industry is now: a ceaseless cycle of begging for $0.004 per stream. I feel like we're only a few days away from Drake announcing 67 different vinyl variants that his fans just have to bulk-buy as soon as possible. All the publicity stunts to promote Iceman also fell flat. Last month, a giant pile of ice blocks appeared in Toronto that, when melted, would reveal the album's release date. Firefighters were eventually forced to melt it down after fans attempted to thaw the sculpture with blowtorches. His courtside seat at the Toronto Raptors game was decorated with icicles too. Is it his fault they didn't make it through to the next round of the playoffs? Answers in the comments (and keep this man away from the Tempo!)
Kendrick made Drake seem soft and phony (and a potential criminal), but it's hard to cancel a rich guy with bops. Again, look at Chris Brown. If the music is there, people will stick around. I'm not sure it is, though. Even die-hard fans have said he's dropped off in recent years, with disappointing and bloated albums that all sound the same and have gotten increasingly bitter and misogynistic in their lyrics. We're not short of amazing rap right now so why settle?
