Drake may be a global superstar, but on his surprise Iceman trilogy, the Toronto rapper once again proves the 6ix is never far from mind.
From local hotspots to friends turned foes and familiar GTA names, Drake filled triple albums Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour with nods to the city that made him.
For the hometown listeners and the out-of-towners who might have missed the mentions, here are six of our favourite Toronto references throughout Iceman.
Drake spotlights the CN Tower in ‘2 Hard 4 The Radio’
Remember all those antics Drake pulled with the CN Tower? Turns out they were building toward something.
Beyond the massive iced-out spectacle, the rapper also filmed visuals for “2 Hard 4 The Radio” on the tower’s lower white ring. In recent weeks, fans had spotted a mysterious silhouette dancing around near the top of the landmark — and now we finally know why.
What makes the moment especially interesting is that “2 Hard 4 The Radio” leans heavily into a bouncy hyper-West Coast sound, a notable stylistic choice given Drake’s ongoing tension with Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. And even while tapping into that sound, Drake still finds a way to plant the visuals right at home, using the city’s most iconic landmark as the backdrop.
Drake came for DeMar DeRozan on ‘National Treasures’
It seems that Drake has yet to shake former Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan publicly siding with rap rival and fellow Compton native Kendrick Lamar in the “Not Like Us” music video.
The 6ix God penned a scathing verse on Iceman’s “National Treasures,” which positioned him as untouchable in the city. In the song, he seems to take direct shots at DeRozan:
“When you was a part of the team / We used to be plannin’ our Mexico trip in the spring / We must’ve been dealin’ in spur of the moment / ‘Cause why did we think you could get us a ring?,” he rapped, shading DeRozan’s nine-season run on the Raptors that ultimately went championship-less before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018.
“G Pop sent us a real one from Daygo / And next thing we knew, we was doin’ parades,” he adds, referencing Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich trading Kawhi Leonard from San Diago for DeRozan. Leonard was a force in bringing the first-ever NBA Championship title to Toronto in the following season.
The music video for “National Treasures” was also filmed at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus.
Drake is throwing it up sets on ‘Plot Twist’
On the haunting “Plot Twist,” Drake reminds listeners that his ties to the city still run deep.
“I be with them guys from the 6ix that you n***** stay talkin’ on Reddit about,” he raps, in what many listeners interpreted as a nod to Toronto’s online music and gang-affiliated discourse on subreddits like Torontology.
He later spells out “MOB OCTOBER GANG” letter by letter while referencing twisting his fingers to signal affiliations. Drake also appears to reference Toronto collective Reps Up with the line: “Twistin’ that R in his face like Styles and P,” seemingly nodding to longtime affiliates Preme (formerly P. Reign) and Styles.
Later in the track, Drake doubles down on his comfort moving through the city without protection: “I don’t need security to ride ’round town, we can fly downtown just us two.”
He follows it with another Toronto-specific reference: “Unless you know the G-way handshake when we go to shake hands, man can’t trust you,” referring to Scarborough’s Galloway neighbourhood, where several of Drake’s associates are from.
Drake is cool with ‘Burning Bridges’ but isn’t leaving the 6ix
“Burning Bridges” is the eighth track on Iceman, where Drake says that he’s here to stay in the city.
In the song’s intro, he professes his love for a woman who dreams of starting a family with him in Los Angeles. But admittedly, Drake says that’s not something he can commit to.
“They love me too much here, I cannot relocate, I just can’t move away,” he continues before reinforcing that he “cannot relocate.”
The music video for “Burning Bridges” was also shot in Yorkville-based Italian restaurant Sotto Sotto, which is widely recognized as one of Drake’s favourite spots in Toronto.
Drake calls up Maya from GRETA on ‘High Fives’
One of the more unexpected Toronto moments comes from Habibti, and directly shouts out King West arcade bar GRETA Bar.
On “High Fives,” Drake casually references former staff member Maya with the line: “Maya, Maya, you workin’ at GRETA tonight or nah? / Pick up, I need a whole section for the mob.”
The lyric quickly sparked buzz online, and GRETA staff revealed Drake had frequented the venue over the years and built close relationships with employees. The mention ultimately turned into a full-circle Toronto moment for the bar, which says it went on to host one of its busiest weekends yet following the album’s release.
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Drake shows love to the girl from Queen’s University on ‘Slap the City’
Though not exactly in Toronto, Drake has words for his love interest from this Ontario university on this Habibti song.
On “Slap The City,” he turns his energy toward a woman from Kingston-based Queen’s University:
“You went to Queen’s University, now you a graduate, shout-out your family,” Drake said. “Before I met you, I was alone. I feel like I’m always alone,” he sings on the chorus.
