Drake is currently gearing up to drop his anxiously awaited ninth studio album, ICEMAN, and he’s setting expectations high. During a recent chat with Complex over email, he opened up about the rollout. So far, it’s included three ICEMAN Episodes, or YouTube livestreams featuring unreleased music.
His latest one took place in September, and today (November 18), he dropped a condensed version. This has resulted in theories that a fourth one is imminent, though that’s unconfirmed. During his interview, however, Drake was able to confirm that there’s more on the way.
In fact, the Toronto rapper claims the best is yet to come. “The finale will be our best work,” he told the outlet. This is far from all Drake had to say about the rollout, however.
Drake ICEMAN
Jun 26, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Canadian rapper Drake poses for photos on the red carpet before the 2017 NBA Awards at Basketball City at Pier 36. Brad Penner / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“I was asked by a creative partner what I love and hate about rolling out an album,” he recalled. “I expressed that I love the opportunity for a clean slate of thoughts and excitement and messaging when it comes to the music. What I hate is the redundancy of this formulaic approach that’s engrained in our brains from early label days. Single, video, single, video, album cover post, etc.”
Drake had his sights set on something totally different, which is where the livestreams came it. While they’ve been far from easy to execute, he says they’ve managed to scratch the creative itch he’s been feeling for quite some time.
“I have been dying to act and have been dying for a challenge,” he explained. “The game is extremely calm seas right now. Nobody is rocking any boat on the water and so once we discussed a live stream rollout, it just sounded like the perfect mix of risk and reward for me.”