Drake needed to make a statement. 

The Canadian rapper’s first solo album since his public feud with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar two years ago needed to show listeners everywhere that Drake was a new man since the beef — someone who still could hold the mantle as the best rapper of this generation and produce hit after hit. 

The result: three surprise projects instead of one. Following an announcement on a YouTube livestream, Drake dropped “HABIBTI,” “MAID OF HONOUR” and “ICEMAN,” three albums differing in style and quality. 

While the prospect of having 43 new Drake songs to listen to might sound like the outline for a great comeback, the reality was a confusing mess. Instead of showcasing his great renaissance, the triple-album release only muddied Drake’s intent and slowed his return to the upper echelons of hip-hop.

“ICEMAN” was the most well-made and lyrically-dense album. It was, after all, the announcement of “ICEMAN” that sparked hype around the release. 

The 18-track album contained some of the best rapping Drake has done this decade, highlighted by tracks like “Make Them Pay,” “National Treasures” and “Make Them Remember.” Drake has always been a talented rapper, but after being publicly shamed by Lamar at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime show, Drake needed tracks like these to remind listeners of his prowess as a lyricist and confidence behind the mic. 

Songs like “Shabang” and “Dust” also delivered creative, catchy and hard-hitting instrumentals that accompanied Drake’s best lines. Perhaps no sample was more attention-grabbing than the West Coast beat during the second half of “2 Hard 4 The Radio,” with horns reminiscent of Lamar’s “Squabble Up.”

If there were any doubts as to whether this beat was a subtle jab at Lamar, Drake’s lyrics made it more than clear: “I’ma show you what to do, lil’ boy.”  

However, this example showcases one of the album’s biggest issues. For all of Drake’s successes in his lyrics and instrumentals, he just couldn’t escape the shadow of the beef. 

Almost every track had at least one, if not many more, jabs at Lamar and others who have wronged him, including athletes LeBron James and Demar DeRozan and fellow artists like DJ Khaled and A$AP Rocky. 

Sneak dissing is common in many rap albums, and Drake had good reason to go at all of them. However, there is a difference between having sneak disses on an album and making them a focal point. 

There was a time and place for this: two years ago, during the beef. Drake had plenty of opportunity to come up with his best insults and creative jabs at all his enemies at a time when people wanted to hear him pull no punches. 

Now, it’s 2026. For Drake to continue to throw constant jabs at everyone who’s ever wronged him feels immature, bitter and as if the beef still emotionally impacts him.

“ICEMAN” needed to show that Drake had changed since the beef. Be it maturity, harder lyrics or a new angle on life, listeners deserved to hear a new version of Drake. To some degree, Drake tried to do this, getting vulnerable and rapping about betrayal, loneliness and hardships he’s had to endure, like his father getting cancer. 

But, with every chance of Drake potentially expanding on an intricate topic, the next line, stanza and song would shift to dissing a foe, bragging his might and power and showing off his wealth to the world. 

It got tiring, quick. 

Overall, “ICEMAN” as an album was still very enjoyable if you could ignore the subpar lyrical content of many of the tracks. The same could not be said for the other two albums.

The intent was clear: to show off Drake’s multifaceted talents. “MAID OF HONOUR” was an album full of potential club bangers and summer jams. “HABIBTI” was Drake’s love letter to all of his R&B fans. 

Of the two, “HABIBTI” was more consistent track-to-track. If you are a diehard Drake R&B fanatic, this album is for you. For everyone else, the album drags, and while certain tracks like “Slap the City” and “WNBA” make the album worth listening to, having 11 similar-sounding songs as an album is rarely a method of success.  

“MAID OF HONOUR” is where the album’s quality really dropped off. I don’t doubt Drake and his crew had a fun time making the album. You can see Drake’s witty side in many of the tracks, like “Outside Tweaking” and “Cheetah Print.” 

Unfortunately, that’s about the only good thing this album has going for it. Most of the songs are forgettable, and if they aren’t, it’s because something about the song is really abhorrent. 

For example, Drake’s decision to put a picture of his mother on the cover of an album where the very first track is named “Hoe Phase” was quite the decision. Aside from this, “Cheetah Print” in particular was a painful listen.

On the track, Drake raps to a sample of “(It Goes Like) Nanana” by Peggy Gou, followed by a Sexyy Red feature over a “Cha-Cha Slide” sample. While having witty tracks can make a listener feel like they see a new version of the artist, “Cheetah Print”  lacked creativity, with lazy writing and lazy samples. 

Of course, all three albums will get millions upon millions of streams. No one is doubting Drake’s popularity. But this project as a whole was disappointing. 

Drake didn’t seem to be over the beef, and instead of using three albums to showcase all of his strengths and growth as an artist, he seemed to magnify his willingness to release a mediocre product as long as his fanbase is still there. 

Still, certain tracks in the three albums remind us of the Drake of old — the rapper who can make us dance, bop our heads and recite lyric for lyric. Whether we will get to see that Drake for a whole album is a question that remains unanswered. 

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