TORONTO — Rapper Drake has ignited fresh controversy with a new track preview from his upcoming album ICEMAN, taking lyrical aim at A$AP Rocky and other industry critics just weeks after a U.S. court dismissed his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).
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The snippet, which surfaced online on Wednesday, features the Toronto artist delivering sharp bars over a dark, minimalist beat, interpreted by fans as a direct jab at Rocky’s ongoing legal issues and tensions within the A$AP Mob collective.
“Talk about Drake and you get a whole lot / Talk about Drake and you get you some streams,” he raps — before appearing to reference Rocky’s assault trial involving A$AP Relli.
“Man, how the f*** is your day one gonna testify so you can sit in a box? / Either you ain’t never did s*** for your brothers or they must’ve forgot.”
The verse marks Drake’s first musical response since losing his high-profile legal battle tied to Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping diss track Not Like Us, in which Lamar branded him a “certified pedophile.” The court dismissed the case earlier this month, ending Drake’s claims that UMG manipulated streaming numbers and defamed him.
A$AP Rocky, who recently described the legal fight as “counterproductive to Hip-Hop culture” in an interview with ELLE Magazine, had urged Drake to respond “on the mic, not in court.”
The timing of the track’s release appears calculated, as anticipation builds for ICEMAN — Drake’s ninth studio album — expected to drop in November, according to former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel. The project reportedly includes singles such as “Which One,” “What Did I Miss?” and “DOG HOUSE.”
The leaked verse also hints at Drake’s attempt to reclaim his dominance in rap’s competitive landscape following widespread perception that Lamar emerged victorious from their much-publicised lyrical feud earlier this year.
Drake has not yet confirmed ICEMAN’s official release date.
