Drake’s new music rollout has already turned into a bigger conversation than just album numbers, surprise drops, and streaming reactions.
The Canadian rapper released three albums on Friday — Iceman, Maid of Honour, and Habibti — after announcing the projects during the fourth episode of his livestream series. But while fans were still trying to process the scale of the release, one lyric from Iceman quickly became the centre of attention.
On the track Make Them Pay, Drake appears to criticise DJ Khaled for not publicly speaking up for Palestine during the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. The lyric references people waiting for a “Free Palestine” statement, while also suggesting Drake is now seeing “everyone’s true colours.”
The line is being read as a direct shot at Khaled, who is of Palestinian descent and has faced criticism from some fans and activists over his silence on Gaza. Drake, who is Jewish, has not directly commented on the conflict at length, but he previously signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter in October 2023 calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. He was also seen acknowledging pro-Palestine protesters from a hotel balcony in Copenhagen in August 2025.
The criticism around Khaled is not new. In 2024, his cousin Fadie Musallet, a Palestinian-American social entrepreneur and former Dubai Bling cast member, told The National that many Palestinians felt hurt by Khaled’s silence. Musallet said people felt “let down” and questioned why Khaled had spoken out during the Black Lives Matter movement but had not used the same voice for Gaza.
@celebrities4palestine From his own family: How DJ Khaled turned his back on his Palestinian community @FadieCakes ✊🏾✊🏾 Video source: @7achiwithus
That earlier criticism now gives Drake’s lyric more weight. Instead of being heard as a random line in a new album, it has landed in the middle of an ongoing debate about celebrity silence, identity, and the expectations placed on public figures during political crises.
The moment also adds another layer to Drake’s latest era. Iceman had already been framed as a major return, but the surprise release of three projects at once has widened the conversation around him. With Habibti in the mix and the Palestine lyric now circulating heavily online, the rollout is already being read through both music and Middle Eastern cultural politics.