What to know
- Drake dropped a giant ice block at 81 Bond St. with Iceman’s release date frozen inside, and now fans are literally gathering around waiting to see when it melts (or if someone breaks it).
- People downtown are loving the stunt — calling it “crazy” and “unpredictable” — and it’s only building more hype, with many guessing the album could drop within the week or by the end of the month.
- There’s a lot of hometown pride in the crowd, too — fans say they’re rooting for “the home team,” with some hoping for a solo Drake album and others wanting big-name features.
Drake dropped a giant ice block in downtown Toronto ahead of his Iceman album, and Torontonians are hyped.
On Monday, the rapper hid the release date of his album inside the ice block.
@nowtoronto #Drake isn’t playing with the #ICEMAN ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
Torontonians can either wait a few days for the ice to melt to find out, or break the ice themselves — at their own risk.
Now Toronto went to visit the ice block at 81 Bond St. to speak with eager Toronto fans.
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@nowtoronto Drake just dropped a massive ice sculpture in downtown #Toronto ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
A Toronto resident, Pran, was in awe of Drake’s marketing. Following the Downsview Park explosion, this ice block doesn’t fall short of impressive.
“[On Sunday] there was a big sign that said the whole street is closed for Iceman. Like you’re doing all this promo. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s gonna be so much traffic.’ But then I’m seeing this, and I’m like okay, I’ll excuse it for a little bit,” Pran said.
After all, Pran admires Drake, questioning, “How can you not love Drake?”
But there’s no bigger fan than Torontonian Ky. His love for Drake goes so far that he hopes Drake’s album has zero featured artists. “I hope he just does his own thing. I hope it’s just Drake. Hope he brings the heat the people want to hear. Just solo dolo,” he said.
Other Torontonians love Drake too, but hope to hear a variety of artists on the tracks, including Summer Walker, SZA, 21 Savage, PARTYNEXTDOOR, ASAP Rocky, Yeat, and Future.
Toronto resident Alondra shares she’s so excited for the anticipated album to come out that she’s been listening to the last one “like every day.”
The rapper’s recent antics, she says, are definitely keeping the hype going. “[Drake’s] always crazy, unpredictable. You can always expect big things, but I like it,” Alondra said.
Another Torontonian, Mason, shared that the album can’t come at a better time. “It’s playoff time in Toronto for the Raptors, so we need some new music to help carry us to the finals again,” he said.
Mason thinks this album will be the next big thing.
“It’s gonna blow up. It’s gonna go crazy. He’s going all out for this one, so you know it’s about to be a good one,” he said.
Many Torontonians think the release date will be within the month.
Alondra hopes by the end of the week and Mason, too. “I got a good feeling about seven days,” he said.
Another Toronto resident, Oisin, believes it’ll be within 30 days.
Whether the release is sooner than later, Toronto clearly loves Drake. Here’s why.
“He’s from Toronto. It’s authentic, you know. It’s hometown, it’s the home city. It’s everything that we want it to be, so we gotta root for the home team,” Ky said.
