Drake’s Trilogy Couldn’t Break the Ice: A Review of ICEMAN, MAID OF HONOUR, and HABIBTI

Drake’s triple-album release: ICEMAN, MAID OF HONOUR, and HABIBTI.

Daniel Corretjer Rios

Writer

May 18, 2026

The long-awaited release of Drake’s ICEMAN came with the release of two other albums on the same night, MAID OF HONOUR and HABIBTI. Whether this was a bold artistic statement or a distraction from other possible projects, it’s undeniable that coming up with the material for three complete studio albums is a difficult feat for most artists. Unfortunately, a common thread of stagnation binds the trilogy together. Across all three albums, brilliant production is consistently undercut by listless flows, uninspired songwriting, and flat vocal deliveries. It is a trilogy where the production shines, but the artist falls behind.

ICEMAN: 1.5/5

ICEMAN is the headlining release of the three, and has the most to offer. Throughout the entirety of the record, the production was on point, providing beautiful beats using soulful samples. “Shabang” is the clear highlight, where Drake raps on an electric beat and Quavo’s hype ad-libs bring the energy. Similarly, “2 Hard 4 The Radio” is an energetic banger where Drake finally gives the listener a dynamic rap performance. While both tracks struggle lyrically, the raw momentum of the performances carries them through.

On the other hand, where the energy of the track lacks, the lazy lyricism is on full display, which is where this album struggles the most. Tracks like “Make Em Cry” and “Burning Bridges” both carry soulful production, but Drake’s contributions on top of them make the songs just underwhelming. On the few cuts where even the production falters, such as “Janice STFU” and “Ran To Atlanta,” the illusion breaks and collapses into emptiness. This highlights the core issues of ICEMAN: it is too long and overreliant on its producers to compensate for an artist who structurally checked out.

MAID OF HONOUR: 0.5/5

MAID OF HONOUR seems strictly meant for the clubs, which would be fine if it delivered. Instead, the lackluster vocals and sloppy production fall completely flat. In fact, the utter crudeness of some of the tracks, like “Cheetah Print” — essentially a vulgar parody of the “Cha-Cha Slide” — borders on comedy. While “Outside Tweaking” and “Amazing Shape” both showcase the most creative production on this record, similarly to other cuts on ICEMAN, Drake just completely strikes out. MAID OF HONOUR lacks artistic direction and is clearly the weakest of the three.

HABIBTI: 1/5

HABIBTI is a hybrid of the other two albums. It contains interesting production throughout, where “WNBA,” “Slap The City,” and “Classic” all have something going for them, sonically speaking. On this album, listeners get hints of “old,” melodic Drake, instilling hope in many of his fanbase. However, just like MAID OF HONOUR, the vocal performances lack effort, leaving practically the entire album without a single highlight.

Whether or not the quality of the music was sacrificed for the overwhelming quantity of songs he dropped, the choice to release a total of 43 songs in one night was not entirely an irrational one. Drake recently went public with his falling out with UMG Records, even going as far as suing them. For Drake to finally be free from UMG taking ownership of his future records, he had to release three more studio albums, therefore dropping the three on ICEMAN’s built-up release date.

All things considered, Drake’s talent is still there, but what kills the music is the consistency. It feels like there is a disconnect in his artistic direction, as the production and vocal performances feel like they never have equal amounts of effort being funneled into them. Even though releasing these albums was a huge moment for him in becoming a free artist, releasing three projects should never feel like a clearance sale.

Edited by: Stephanie Rodriguez