Pitchfork gives Drake's ICEMAN 4.8/10

Pitchfork published Jayson Greene’s review of Drake’s “ICEMAN” on Monday, giving the album a 4.8 out of 10 and describing it as “part one of Drake’s comeback trilogy.” The review landed three days after Drake released “ICEMAN” alongside two surprise albums, “Habibti” and “Maid Of Honour,” on May 15. Spotify said the same day’s release also produced the platform’s biggest single-day artist, album and song totals of 2026 so far for Drake, “ICEMAN” and the opening track “Make Them Cry.” ### Why did this review get attention so quickly? PRIMETIMER reported Monday that Greene’s Pitchfork review gave “ICEMAN” a 4.8 rating and highlighted his line, “He does not succeed.” The outlet also quoted Greene calling new Drake projects “a buffet of humiliation, mortification, and self-serving delusion,” language that helped push screenshots of the score across X on Monday. (primetimer.com) Pitchfork’s review mattered because “ICEMAN” arrived as the first installment in what Greene called a “comeback trilogy,” a framing that matched the unusual scale of Drake’s rollout. Rolling Stone reported that Drake unveiled all three LPs at once after an “Iceman” livestream ended with on-screen reveals for “Habibti” and “Maid Of Honour.” (primetimer.com) ### What exactly did Drake release on May 15? Rolling Stone reported that Drake dropped three albums simultaneously on Friday, May 15: “ICEMAN,” “Habibti” and “Maid Of Honour.” The publication said the reveal came at the end of an “Iceman” livestream, when text on screen introduced the additional two albums. (rollingstone.com) Spotify’s album page lists “ICEMAN” as a 2026 Drake album with 18 songs. Rolling Stone’s tracklist shows “Make Them Cry” opening the record, followed by songs including “Dust,” “Whisper My Name,” “Janice STFU” and “What Did I Miss?” ### Which streaming records did “Make Them Cry” and “ICEMAN” set? Spotify said on May 15 that Drake became its most-streamed artist in a single day in 2026, while “ICEMAN” became the most-streamed album and “Make Them Cry” the most-streamed song in a single day in 2026 so far. (rollingstone.com) Billboard Canada, citing Spotify’s social posts, reported all three marks on May 16. (open.spotify.com) CityNews Toronto separately reported on May 16 that Drake broke three Spotify records for 2026 with the release of the three albums. That account matched Billboard Canada’s description of “ICEMAN” as the top single-day album launch of the year on the service and “Make Them Cry” as the top single-day song. (ca.billboard.com) ### Why is “ICEMAN” being described as a comeback project? Rolling Stone said the albums arrived as Drake’s first solo project since 2023. The publication tied the release to the aftermath of Drake’s 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar and noted that several songs on “ICEMAN” referenced that dispute. (toronto.citynews.ca) PRIMETIMER said Greene’s review also read the album through that lens, pointing to lyrics about streaming numbers and Drake’s conflict with Lamar. That interpretation came from Greene’s review as summarized by the outlet, not from Drake directly in the reporting reviewed here. ### What comes next in this story? (rollingstone.com) Monday’s review covers only “ICEMAN,” even though Drake released three albums at once on May 15. Greene wrote, as quoted by PRIMETIMER, that he chose to review “ICEMAN” separately “for the sake of honoring each distinct project,” leaving open whether “Habibti” and “Maid Of Honour” will draw their own critical treatment. (primetimer.com) Spotify is still carrying “ICEMAN” as a live album page with 18 tracks, and the three-album release remains available across major streaming services. Any further chart updates, additional reviews or artist response would likely center on the same May 15 release set: Drake, “ICEMAN,” “Habibti” and “Maid Of Honour.” (open.spotify.com) (primetimer.com)