Drake surprised fans by releasing three albums on Friday – Iceman, Maid of Honour, and Habibti – while only Iceman had been expected.
Drake has been promoting Iceman for the better part of a month, having 3,500 blocks of ice set up in downtown Toronto with the date set inside the middle of the pyramid. Additionally, he projected promotional material on the CN Tower, and he had a fireworks display set off to mark the release of the albums.
Fans have often referred to Drake as the Michael Jackson of this generation, and his album cover for Iceman definitely reflects this statement. The image is one of Jackson’s famous white rhinestone gloves, which Drake bought for roughly $123,000 in an auction. It is safe to say that Drake is paying tribute to the late King of Pop, while making a statement about himself at the same time.
Iceman contains 18 songs and is 1 hour and 8 minutes in length. Maid of Honour has 14 songs and 45 minutes in length, while Habibti is composed of only 11 songs and is 36 minutes in length.
Each album provides different sounds. Iceman definitely contains the most energy and rapping out of the three. Maid of Honour is more laid back and feels dance oriented, and Habibti comes back with Drake’s signature R&B sound.
Some standout songs from Iceman include “Dust,” “Ran to Atlanta,” “National Treasures,” “What Did I Miss,” and “Make Them Know.”
“Ran to Atlanta” sees the return of Drake and Future working together after their falling out over the album We Don’t Trust You. It is nice to see that the two have made amends, since every song that they have recorded together is always recognizably good.
“National Treasures” and “Make Them Know” are the two highlights of this album, with Drake establishing his presence over the city of Toronto and calling out any one who might oppose him, particularly other rappers such as Rick Ross and Kendrick Lamar.
Two years ago around this time, Lamar and Drake exchanged songs dissing one another, and it seems that Drake isn’t entirely ready to put a close on the beef. Regardless, the album isn’t entirely focused on fighting back on Lamar’s allegations, which is a relief.
Maid of Honour brings some more features such as Iconic Savvy and Central Cee. However, some of the songs, like “Cheetah Print,” are not very good. Overall, this album works alongside Iceman but only offers two or three noteworthy songs.
“Princess” and “Which One” are the best tracks on this album. “Princess” uses an electric-type beat, which works well with Drake’s lyrics. Central Cee and Drake work hand in hand to produce a very well put together track in “Which One.”
Finally, Habibti puts a nice close to Drake’s three releases. “Classic” and “Fortworth,” which features Partynextdoor, seal the deal nicely.
Ultimately, all three of these albums work in their respective ways. The majority of all of them are good, with only a few questionable tracks. Iceman is the best album out of the three by far, and it is undoubtedly worth a listen.
