Stanisland Magazine

Driven by hype, rapper Drake’s latest album shows little sign of growth

Music can offer a beautiful array of sound and poetry, with artists finding their feet long after they begin — more common than we think. I especially love to be proven wrong, to see an artist thrive against the grain and lack of interest. Sometimes, though, the artist is inconsistent, seeing frequency over quality as a source of validation; is Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) one such artist?

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Once upon a time, he effused a certain consistency; fast-forward a decade, and you may now hear him on classic radio stations, not because they’re timeless works, but because playlists need filling. But more recently, has he moved the needle in music? That’s debatable, and depends on who you ask. Will his new album, Iceman, be the comeback the Canadian rapper is searching for?

Musical Formula: A Case Study In Banality

Iceman is a case study. Drake’s production choices will likely resonate with his core fan base more than purists and hip-hop aficionados. Graham opens the album with “Make Them Cry,” where the production helps guide listeners to appreciate its narrative, though this quickly breaks down.

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“Dust” is a disruptor, setting Drake up to once again lean heavily into Auto-Tune. Given how prevalent it is on Iceman, it’s more of a gimmick than an artistic or musical contribution. Its application is outdated, and its inclusion remains overused in today’s scene. Throughout the album, its use is underdeveloped or excessive, with imprints that litter the project and likely compensate for structural weak points. Consistently gravitating towards its application will likely incinerate any future musical signatures.

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Composition on Iceman entertains facets of enjoyability; though its overall motif is brittle, which is also the case on “Whisper My Name” and “Janice STFU“, where the rapper parries the belief that he exudes fear in the industry. However, this is contradicted by the latter track, undermining its credibility that he’s misunderstood.

“Ran to Atalanta” continues this same pattern. Its performance is executed to amateur standards, thanks to an over-processed workflow replete with cliché lines, compounded by the addition of Future and Molly Santana‘s lyrically and stylistically watery contributions that convey a pervasively vapid form of rap. As we approach the album’s halfway mark, Iceman feels incomplete, and while it connects a compositional thread of identity, it’s not strong enough to feel cohesive, let alone noteworthy.

Verdict

Drake continues his feud with Kendrick Lamar, and that’s his prerogative. We don’t necessarily have to like it, but how long a rapper continues his beef depends on how deep the cuts were. In this case, these were cavernous wounds; hip-hop is a uniquely competitive genre.

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“National Treasures” ups the ante, but it’s not strong enough to gain traction, while the same can be said for succeeding tracks. Overall, Iceman consummates nothing more than belief in a largely empty set of skills. On “2 Hard 4 The Radio” and “Make Them Remember“, the rapper lays claim to an enduring influence. The rapper’s ninth studio album is indeed a case study, one with little signs of growth, if any at all. Perhaps this is aimed at a specific demographic, but like Drake’s last few albums, I doubt we will remember this.

Full Tracklist

1. Make Them Cry
2. Dust
3. Whisper My Name
4. Janice STFU
5. Ran To Atlanta (feat. Future & Molly Santana)
6. Shabang
7. Make Them Pay
8. Burning Bridges
9. National Treasures
10. B’s On The Table (feat. 21 Savage)
11. What Did I Miss?
12. Plot Twist
13. 2 Hard 4 The Radio
14. Make Them Remember
15. Little Birdie
16. Don’t Worry
17. Firm Friends
18. Make Them Know

Streaming Options

Iceman can be streamed on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Tidal.