Shortly after the release of For All The Dogs I made a plea to Drake to take a slight break. That album had so much promise of being something revolutionary in today’s music landscape, but it didn’t resonate with the expectations many fans had prior to listening: especially after teaming up with 21 Savage to deliver a masterpiece with Her Loss. 

It felt as if the self-proclaimed “6 god” needed a reset. Some new life experiences and down time to refresh his mind and draw inspiration for new music. 

Thankfully, due to several factors, he was forced to sit down for a bit and work. With expectations built, and anticipation at all time high; the world is ready to hear what he produced. 

If Drake truly wants this album to live up to the hype, and silence his haters, he’s got to factor in these elements to make ICEMAN a classic. 

Avoid The Beef

It’s been two years since two of Hip-Hop’s greatest went to war and had one of the biggest rap battles play out in front of the world. Unfortunately for “The Boy” it wasn’t in his favour. 

As fans, the music was enjoyable from both sides leaving a memorable moment in Hip-Hop’s history books. But at this point in time it’s just that: history.

In order for ICEMAN to be truly great, Drake needs to move on from the beef. There’s nothing that can change the outcome of what occurred.

That means no shots that could reignite the fight or subliminals towards Kendrick. The focus needs to be on the music and his life experiences.

Don’t get it twisted, there will be shots and subliminals for several other artists. A$AP Rocky, Rick Ross, and potentially J. Cole will most likely catch some strays on this album and they’re definitely warranted.

If Drake chooses to address anything from the beef he must do it from a space of introspection. Reminisce on the aftermath: give us thoughts on life post-battle and what you’re choosing to do to move forward without a victim mentality and the music will flourish.

Refuse To Chase A Young Sound 

The biggest issue that plagued Drake’s last solo album was his insistence on appealing to a younger generation. For All The Dogs felt as if Drake was chasing approval rather than pioneering or dictating the sound of the album. 

That’s not to say there were not good songs on the album or that the album was dismal, but there was some elementary level rhyming coupled with certain beats that exhibited an appeal for a younger audience. When your album has influences from Lil Yacthy and you chase a Yeat feature it does not bode well for core Drake fans who’ve grown with his music. 

At 39 it comes off as inauthentic. We don’t want to hear anything close to Drake featuring fakemink.

Keep It Short 

This request is the least likely to occur given Drake’s appeal for astronomic numbers in the streaming era, but it would be an amazing surprise if ICEMAN dropped with 16 songs total. His best projects have been limited to under 20 songs and there’s a reason for that.

An album with 16-18 quality songs that flow together as a piece of art is far more appealing than an album with 19-23 songs that features filler and feels like a collection of songs. It’s why Her Loss is the best project he’s put out since Scorpion, every song felt like it mattered.

With Drake’s current label situation though, it’s hard to see him choosing to risk less streams for mass critical praise and appeal, but here’s hoping he does. 

Work With 40 

Trust Issues. Club Paradise. Hours In Silence. No Guidance…The list goes on. 40 has been one of Drake’s right-hand-mans since the beginning of his career and he’s overseen the best versions of his music. 

While he still works with Drake today, there’s been rumblings of a rift between them. Unconfirmed rumours have stated that he’s not as involved in the creative process as a physical presence anymore, opting to limit his contributions to just mixing. 

He’s had less of a hand in producing Drake’s recent music and played more of a role in tuning the levels post production. The one thing we do know is that 40 has dealt with health issues in the past which could be a major contribution as to why he’s taken a step back. 

Hopefully his health has been in a better state lately and he’s had more of a guiding hand in crafting ICEMAN to greatness like he’s done countless times in the past. 

Featured Image via: Drake – What Did I Miss (YouTube Music Video)