Drake just dropped 3 albums at once — here's what they say about his epic beef with Kendrick Lamar

Fans had been expecting his latest project, Iceman, to drop on Friday. The Canadian rapper had been teasing the album through livestreams and viral stunts in the lead-up to the release — including a giant ice installation in Toronto with the release date hidden inside.

But Drake instead unveiled a surprise trio of albums: Iceman, Habibti and Maid of Honour. The LPs have a combined 43 songs and 149 minutes of music.

They mark his first solo releases since his explosive feud with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar dominated headlines in 2024, with the two stars trading seemingly endless diss tracks. And, naturally, fans quickly began dissecting lyrics across his most recent release for any apparent references to the rivalry.

Here's all you need to know about the new albums.

How we got here A new Drake album is always a major pop-culture moment, so three albums at once is an even bigger deal. The musician is the third-most-streamed artist in Spotify history and has scored 14 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.

His last solo record, For All the Dogs, arrived in 2023, although he released a collaborative album with fellow Canadian star PartyNextDoor last year.

Iceman was so eagerly anticipated that fans flocked to Drake's 25-foot-tall ice sculpture in Toronto. They reportedly used pickaxes, hammers and blowtorches to try to uncover the hidden release date in the 3,500 blocks of ice before the installation was eventually melted down for safety reasons.

The performer also generated hype for the album with a livestream series on YouTube and a projection onto Toronto's CN Tower that 'froze' the city's most famous landmark.

He added: "He's masterful at commanding attention. The ice block was smart because it forced people to talk about it. It was a physical impediment to anyone in that community — and that instantly goes viral."

What is the Kendrick Lamar beef about? Drake's beef with Kendrick Lamar is the most high-profile feud in recent rap history. It brewed for more than a decade, reaching its height in spring 2024, when the pair exchanged a series of explosive diss tracks.

It culminated with the release of Lamar's incendiary single "Not Like Us," which included lyrics calling Drake a "certified pedophile," allegations Drake said were "false" and "dangerous."

The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won five Grammys, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The rapper performed it at the Super Bowl 2025 half-time show — which some saw as his victory lap in the beef.

Kendrick Lamar performs onstage. Kendrick Lamar performed his Drake diss track "Not Like Us" at the Super Bowl half-time show. (Logan Bowles via Getty Images) Angered by the song, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), the parent label for both artists. The lawsuit alleged that the track harmed Drake's brand and led to violence at his home.

A judge dismissed the suit, saying "the reasonable listener" would not "believe that 'Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts" about Drake. UMG described the case as "an affront to all artists and their creative expression," but pledged to continue "our work successfully promoting Drake's music and investing in his career."

Does Drake diss Kendrick again? The widespread attention around the rappers' feud only fueled anticipation for Iceman, with fans eager to see how Drake would respond. The Hollywood Reporter's Ethan Millman described the rapper's "overwhelming release strategy" as "about as ambitious a move as possible at perhaps the most consequential moment in his career to date."