{"id":430349,"date":"2026-05-16T09:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/430349\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T09:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:08:13","slug":"drake-calls-for-sam-bankman-frieds-release-in-new-critically-panned-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/430349\/","title":{"rendered":"Drake Calls for Sam Bankman-Fried’s Release in New, Critically Panned Album"},"content":{"rendered":"

In brief
\nDrake referenced imprisoned FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on a new song, appearing to call for his release.
\nThe lyric appeared on one of three albums Drake released Friday, which critics largely panned.
\nThough Bankman-Fried and his family have pushed for a pardon, President Trump has downplayed the possibility.<\/p>\n

After years in exile following a brutal rap battle with Kendrick Lamar, Drake is back, and he has a message: free Sam Bankman-Fried.<\/p>\n

The rapper released three albums simultaneously on Friday, featuring 43 new songs. One of those tracks, \u201cDust,\u201d from the album Iceman, includes an apparent appeal to pardon FTX\u2019s disgraced founder.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn FTX penthouse high-riser, yeah,\u201d Drake sings. \u201cSamuel Bankman, free all my guys up, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later on in the song, the artist refers to himself as \u201ca BTC crypto big-timer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The albums have already been widely panned by multiple<\/a> critics<\/a>, with The Guardian<\/a> deeming the new collection of songs a \u201cboring, bloated disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year sentence<\/a> at a federal prison in California for the fraud he committed while operating FTX, a major crypto exchange headquartered in the Bahamas.<\/p>\n

Almost immediately following President Donald Trump\u2019s return to power last year, Bankman-Fried\u2019s family\u2014and the convict himself\u2014embarked on an aggressive mission<\/a> to secure a pardon from the crypto-friendly, pardon<\/a>–doling<\/a> leader.<\/p>\n

Bankman-Fried has routinely posted on social media from prison in recent months, praising the president\u2019s decision-making and celebrating recent achievements of the Washington crypto lobby.<\/p>\n

But the industry and its friends in Congress have come out swinging against a potential pardon, seeking to distance themselves<\/a> from Bankman-Fried\u2019s politically toxic reputation.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, President Trump indicated in an interview with The New York Times<\/a> that he had no plans to pardon the one time crypto mogul.<\/p>\n

But all that baggage seems to be no problem for Drake, who himself is no stranger to crypto-related controversy. The musician has been named as a defendant in multiple<\/a> lawsuits<\/a> centered on his yearslong promotion of Stake, an offshore, crypto-fueled online casino.<\/p>\n

Daily Debrief Newsletter<\/p>\n

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