In an unexpected turn of events, not only did five-time Grammy winner Aubrey Drake Graham release his ninth studio album, “ICEMAN,” but two more albums simultaneously Friday, May 15. Albums “MAID OF HONOUR” and “HABITI” were released, with 43 total songs across the three. Approaching this release by OVO Sound and Republic Records, Drake’s career has been shrouded in fame, memes and controversy. In one instance, Drake left a giant slab of ice in Toronto with the release date for ICEMAN buried inside. This caught social media attention instantly as creators and ordinary people chipped away the ice with pickaxes, sledgehammers and even flamethrowers in anticipation for the upcoming album. His first album, “Thank Me Later,” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on its debut week of release. Throughout his career, albums like “Scorpion,” “Certified Lover Boy” and “Views” all gained international recognition and drew in an estimated $400 million, according to Social Life Magazine. As the third most streamed person in history with 132 billion total streams according to Spotify, a lot was expected of Drake in his new album. 

On release day, I was actually unable to listen to the album first thing due to the overload of people waiting to hear the new release. Both Spotify and Apple Music crashed as millions of fans tried to listen to the albums all at once. As for my thoughts on ICEMAN, it definitely had an R&B vibe with songs like “Firm Friends” and “Make Them Cry” as well as more fast-paced songs like “National Treasures” which I liked a lot for the hype, upbeat flow. The first song on the album, “Make Them Cry” stands out to me a lot lyrically. Bars like “I really make the roughest days in life look very relaxin’,” and “I’m still healin’ my own traumas, I’ve barely adapted” tap into Drake’s emotional and soft side, showcasing that there’s more to his life and mental health journey than the surface level things he normally raps about. Similar to “Make Them Cry,” “Make Them Pay” has a pleasant lyrical scheme and refined production, which was a consistent trend across the album. 

That being said, I have some issues with the album as well. For one, it hardly rivals Drake’s previous works like “Scorpion” or “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” The sort of original Drake flair and uniqueness that he once brought to the studio seems to have been lost in “ICEMAN” as well as the other two new albums. While the release certainly isn’t bad or unlistenable, it feels slightly sterile and monochromatic compared to his previous works. After making it halfway through “Little Birdie,” I skipped to the next song. It has that digital sound that is common in AI-generated music. Towards the end of the album the quality definitely declined with a complete loss of soul in the song “Don’t Worry.”

All in all, “ICEMAN” isn’t terrible; however, I would for sure label it as hit or miss on a song- to-song basis. Its hits are still average to above average when compared with other albums. As for the other two albums released on the same day, “MAID OF HONOUR” and “HABIBTI,” the quality only declines. Like “Little Birdie,” “Rusty Intro” off of “HABIBTI” was skipped halfway through. However, the song “Slap The City” has a very enjoyable flow and production. The song “High Fives” right after is just another example of the monochrome mainstream slop feel as mentioned previously. To me, “MAID OF HONOUR” takes an even deeper dive into the pit of mediocrity. The first four songs in a row are just straight dumpster fire followed by the already released “Which One,” which got good media attention. However, I still am not a big fan. My final review:

“ICEMAN” 6/10, “HABIBTI” 5/10, “MAID OF HONOUR” 3/10.