Late Thursday night, the CN Tower in Canada was awash in an icy-blue glow, heralding an unexpected event set to unfold at the stroke of midnight.
WASHINGTON — The iconic 1,800-foot CN Tower of Toronto seemed to shimmer with frost, not due to an unseasonal chill in May, but as part of a grand tribute to Toronto’s own musical powerhouse, rapper Drake. In a surprise move, Drake released a trio of albums precisely at midnight Eastern Time on Friday. This dazzling light show culminated in a fireworks display illuminating Canada’s largest metropolis.
The newly released albums, titled “ICEMAN,” “MAID OF HONOUR,” and “HABIBTI,” together encompass 43 tracks, offering over two-and-a-half hours of fresh tunes from the 39-year-old artist. While “ICEMAN” had been anticipated, the other two albums caught fans off guard, with Drake teasing their release just an hour before by sharing each album’s cover art on Instagram with the caption “… OUT AT MIDNIGHT.”
In response, Red Bull’s Canadian social media team cleverly edited the phrase “sleep” to “listen to 3 Drake albums” in anticipation of the late-night musical marathon.
The Instagram post for “ICEMAN,” which seemingly inspired the CN Tower’s frosty projection, garnered nearly 3 million likes by the early hours of the morning. The album’s artwork nods to some pop culture icons, featuring elements reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s signature white glove and Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” friendship bracelet. Swift, known for her surprise dual releases, dropped “Folklore” and “Evermore” back-to-back in 2020.
The Instagram post about “ICEMAN,” whose name appeared to be the inspiration for the projection on the CN Tower, amassed nearly 3 million reactions on the social media platform by 3 a.m. The cover art features allusions to two pop stars, a Michael Jackson-esque white bedazzled glove and a Taylor Swift “Eras Tour”-esque friendship bracelet. Swift notably released “Folklore” and “Evermore” simultaneously in 2020.
While the bulk of the new albums feature solo work, there are also reunion tracks off “ICEMAN” with past collaborators 21 Savage and Future. Sexyy Red, the 28-year-old rapper from Missouri, was featured on both “MAID OF HONOUR” and “HABIBTI.”
The three releases were the first studio albums from Drake since 2023’s “For All The Dogs,” which also featured 21 Savage and Sexyy Red. Drake and 21 Savage also collaborated on “Her Loss,” a joint release from 2022.
Born Aubrey Drake Graham in Toronto, Drake has featured the Canadian skyline and Torontonian iconography on many of his tracks and in his music videos. On 2016’s “Views,” the rapper can be seen photoshopped sitting atop the 1,800-foot CN Tower.
