Drake’s new album “Iceman” drops on May 15th. This has been a long awaited announcement as the rapper has been putting out teasers for almost a year. Back in July 2025, he dropped a few singles including “What Did I Miss,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is still the most recent track from a rapper to invade the Hot 100’s top 10 (Billboard). Some Lancaster high school students say they have been anxiously anticipating the album.
LHS sophomore Connor Bevinger shared his thoughts and feelings about collaborations and ideas for the upcoming album.
“I’m hoping to hear more of a rap heavy kind of album, and hopefully a story in the album. I think this could be one of his better albums if he really focuses on what the people want. I am hoping to see Future and maybe 21 Savage on some of his songs,” Bevinger said.
“If he stays with a theme for it, or makes a story out of it, that would really make the album stand out from his others. My expectations are a few great hits and overall just some good music to listen to,” he said.
LHS senior Jeffrey Richard said that he has high hopes for the new release.
“What I’m expecting from “Iceman” is a cinematic experience. As for features, I expect the following; future, 21 savage, Travis Scott. And I hope that the album is not just a single genre and instead it’s a little bit of R&B mixed with trap mixed with pop rap and other genres,” he said.
“He better add the songs he leaked on his Instagram and it will be a 10/10 experience. I will tell my grand kids about Drake and how good he is and how versatile he is and how good of a run he’s had. A good quote from the song, ‘Tuscan Leather’ from the album, was the same and he said, ‘we’ll see who’s still around a decade from now that’s real,’” said Richard.
According to an article published by CNBC, in the past, artists relied on the “big drop” in which they sometimes spent years creating a new album and then releasing all of it at once. But mega stars like Drake and Taylor Swift have adopted a “drip” process in which they slowly leak their progress on a new album one drop at a time. The process increases the hype and anticipation for the album by hinting at the artist’s progress instead of a one-time big reveal (O’Sullivan).
The hype over “Iceman” created intrigue for LHS sophomore Arrayah Conrad, who said that she has high expectations for the long anticipated album.
“I think it could be just as good as the previous albums, if not better. Maybe he’ll collaborate with artists he’s worked with before for a kind of throwback feel,” said Conrad.
The rap star has built anticipation for “Iceman” through a multi-tiered marketing campaign including the recent ice block caper that hid the album’s secret release date.
“I think the hype from his album and the build up is nothing we’ve ever seen before. He uses live streams for his build up which was never done before. And the big ice block in the middle of Toronto that had the release date inside and everyone had to either wait for it to melt or smash it and get it ASAP. “It was like a community event which I’ve personally never seen before. I think this is one of the better album roll-outs in the last few years,” said Richard.
“There are very high expectations for Drake going into this album. It’s been in production for possibly two years as he gave early hints starting as far back as 2024. A lot of people are really eager to see what he’s cooked up for this album and hopefully it will be worth the wait,” he said.
Ultimately, the hype around “Iceman” shows just how much attention his music still receives, even before the release. The buzz around this upcoming album proves that Drake’s influence is still as strong as ever.
