Drake isn’t known for forgiving or forgetting – but holding on to grudges is supposed to be unhealthy. On “Iceman,” one of three albums the rapper released at midnight, he lets off steam and sets his sights on his current roster of enemies and adversaries.
There are a few recurring characters, but no one’s shadow hangs over the album as heavily as Kendrick Lamar’s – Drake deals with the aftermath of “Not Like Us” in it. The bitter feud between the two rappers flared up in 2024, peaking when Lamar performed at the Super Bowl halftime show and won five Grammy Awards for the diss track. Drake, meanwhile, took stock of burned bridges and betrayals and even filed a lawsuit against UMG, claiming the company had damaged his reputation by promoting “Not Like Us.”
On the album, Drake unloads his pent-up frustration – against Lamar and A$AP Rocky as well as Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge. Here’s an overview of who Drake is targeting on “Iceman” – and what’s behind it.
Kendrick Lamar
Drake goes all out on “Make Them Pay” and raps: “Fuck a big three anyway, there was too many chefs in the kitchen, it was a mess to begin with/And now they got a new GOAT and we gotta test the position.” (Lamar once rapped: “Motherfuck the Big Three, nigga, it’s just big me.”) He gets even harsher when he talks about the alleged streaming manipulation that he accuses Lamar of in his lawsuit against Universal Music Group. “Damn, who is this guy for real? I guess a magician,” he raps. “Hundred million streams disappeared, no one got questions for niggas.”
Another swipe follows on “Janice STFU,” where Drake raps: “White kids listen to you ’cause they feel some guilt and that’s how your soul gets fulfilled.” He also borrows a line from “Not Like Us” for the title of his collaboration with Future and Molly Santana, “Ran to Atlanta,” defending his ties to the city. On “Make Them Cry” he revisits the feud: “Y’all keep on asking me what it did to me, that’s what it did to me,” he raps. “When I dig deep, they say dig deeper/Tell us how it felt to meet the grim reaper.” —Larisha Paul
Lucian Grainge
In January 2025, Drake sued UMG, alleging that the label had promoted Lamar’s “Not Like Us” in a way that was intended to “convey the specific, blatant and untrue factual assertion that Drake is a criminal pedophile.” Significantly, the lawsuit was only directed against the label, not against Lamar personally, who is signed to Interscope Records under the UMG umbrella. The brief named Lucian Grainge, who has led Universal Music Group as chairman and CEO for 15 years. Drake accused him of publicly celebrating Lamar’s Record of the Year Grammy win for “Not Like Us” and claimed the CEO was instrumental in attempting to “devalue Drake’s music and brand in order to gain negotiating leverage for a contract extension.”
On “Iceman” Drake takes up the conflict again – on “B’s on the Table”: “I’m fighting the man, not suing a rapper,” he raps. “You boys aren’t listening.” —LP
Playboi Carti
Playboi Carti gets a lyrical red dot on his forehead on “Whisper My Name” – a smoldering track on “Iceman” where Drake questions his former brother’s street cred and tests his loyalty. Carti allegedly spoke badly about him to an unnamed third party; Drizzy then makes a hidden reference to a track from the Atlanta rapper’s “MUSIC” album to indicate the purpose of his words and warns that all bets are off the next time they meet. “Baby boy please, I heard what you said to lil bro about me,” he raps. “Yeah, and when you run into the Iceman, what you gon’ do except freeze/You not bout to squeeze/You not in the streets.” —Preezy Brown
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna
Drake and Rihanna have a shared history – before A$AP Rocky and Rihanna found their happy ending with three children. This history still seems to be the source of tension between the two rappers. A$AP Rocky got to the heart of it earlier this year: “This thing between us isn’t a real beef, but I’m just not that into him,” he said. “We used to be friends. I think it’s about women. I think he wasn’t happy and expressed it.”
Fans believed A$AP was referring to Drake on “Stole Ya Flow” when he rapped, “Stole my flow, so I stole yo’ bi—/If you stole my style, I need at least like 10 percent.” Now Drake seems to hit back on “Burning Bridges”: “Your baby momma ain’t even post a single, damn, where she at?” he raps, and later: “You saw my brother, you was tryna fix it, now you drop your album and you back dissing.” —Julyssa Lopez
DJ Khaled
Drake and DJ Khaled’s joint discography is long: “Greece” and “Popstar”, plus “No New Friends”, “I’m on One” and more. On “Iceman” Drake now gives him the cold shoulder.
“And, Khaled, you know what I mean/The beef was fully live, you went halal and got on your deen/And your people are still waitin’ for a free Palestine,” Drake raps on “Make Them Pay.” “But everything apparently isn’t black and white and red and green, damn/I’m seein’ everyone’s true colors, for real, I’m sensin’ a theme.” Khaled – whose parents are Palestinian immigrants – has faced intense backlash for refusing to comment on the situation in Palestine. Fans pointed out that in October 2023, Drake’s name appeared on the list of musicians who signed Artists4Ceasefire’s open letter to Joe Biden, which called on him to “call for immediate de-escalation and a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before the next fatality.” Khaled is not on the list. —LP
LeBron James
Drake and LeBron James seemingly maintained a close relationship in previous years, but things cooled when James attended Kendrick Lamar’s “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” concert at the Kia Forum in 2024 – at the height of the Drake-Kendrick feud. Apparently that was enough for Drake to see the LA Lakers star as someone who had officially taken sides – and on “Iceman” he lets his displeasure flow.
On “Make Them Remember,” Drake addresses the concert and taunts James: “I shouldn’t even be shocked to see you in that arena/Because you always made your career off of switchin’ teams up.” Later, he alludes to James’ jersey number and raps, “Please stop askin’ about what’s goin’ on with 23 and me/I’m a real n—a and he’s not, it’s in my DNA.” —JL
Pusha T
In the spirit of rekindling old feuds, Drake vents his displeasure with arch-enemy Pusha T on “Make Them Pay.” The rapper revels in his ownership of pieces from Pharrell Williams’ legendary jewelry collection – which he infamously bought and presented at auction in 2023 – and references Pusha’s alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on “2 Hard 4 The Radio.” In doing so, he proves that he doesn’t shy away from shining a light on his own rumors surrounding his critics. “Ya’ll was island hopping back then now your name’s redacted,” he raps on the song. —PB
