Drake will release his new album, Iceman, on Friday in Toronto, a first full-length project since his highly publicised 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar, and the first real test of whether the Canadian star can rebuild his standing in hip-hop after what many in the industry regard as a decisive defeat.
The clash between Drake and Lamar dominated rap last spring, with the two trading diss tracks in rapid succession. It culminated in Lamar's Not Like Us, a single so dominant it spilt far beyond hip-hop circles. Drake responded not only on record but in court, filing a defamation lawsuit against their shared label. That case was dismissed, and although an appeal is pending, within rap culture the verdict has already been delivered: Lamar won, and Drake's aura of invincibility took a hit.
