Drake has turned a surprise triple-album release into a wider argument about celebrity silence, using one track to criticise DJ Khaled for not speaking publicly about Palestine during the Israel-Gaza war.
The Toronto rapper released Iceman, Habibti and Maid of Honour simultaneously on Friday, delivering more than 40 tracks across a sprawling rollout that immediately shifted attention from streaming numbers to the political edge of one song. Make Them Pay, part of Iceman, takes aim at Khaled’s public posture, contrasting his Palestinian family background with what Drake frames as silence at a time of mass civilian suffering in Gaza.
The line has drawn particular attention because Drake and Khaled have shared one of hip-hop’s most commercially successful partnerships. Their collaborations have included I’m On One, No New Friends, For Free, Popstar, Greece and Staying Alive, records that helped reinforce Khaled’s image as a curator of star-heavy hits and Drake’s role as one of his most reliable marquee guests. The new lyric therefore lands not as a passing jab at a distant peer, but as a public rupture between two artists whose careers have repeatedly intersected.
Khaled, born Khaled Mohamed Khaled in New Orleans, is the son of Palestinian parents and has often spoken of his Arab heritage in interviews and public appearances. He has built a global entertainment brand around optimism, luxury, fatherhood and cross-genre collaboration, while often avoiding direct engagement with divisive geopolitical questions. That positioning has come under sharper scrutiny since the Gaza war intensified after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza produced a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Drake’s decision to raise the issue is notable because he has also faced pressure over where he stands. The Canadian artist, whose father is Black American and whose mother is Jewish Canadian, signed an Artists4Ceasefire letter in 2023 calling for de-escalation, a ceasefire, the release of hostages and humanitarian access. His signature placed him among entertainers who sought to frame the issue around civilian protection rather than partisan alignment, though public reactions to celebrity statements on the war have remained deeply polarised.
Iceman appears to carry the hardest-edged material of the three projects. Its track list includes Make Them Cry, Dust, Whisper My Name, Janice STFU, Ran To Atlanta, Make Them Pay and other songs that suggest confrontation, legacy-building and score-settling. The album arrives after Drake’s bruising feud with Kendrick Lamar and amid continuing debate over his standing in rap following a year in which rivals, critics and fans reassessed his dominance.
Habibti, by contrast, carries a title rooted in Arabic affection, commonly translated as “my beloved”, and signals Drake’s long-running interest in Middle Eastern and North African aesthetics, language and markets. The title alone helped fuel discussion among Arab audiences before listeners even reached the Khaled reference on Iceman. The album features a separate sonic and visual identity from Maid of Honour, which leans into themes of relationships, performance and intimacy.
The three-album strategy underlines Drake’s continuing ability to command attention at scale. Few artists can release multiple full-length projects at once and expect each to become part of the online conversation within hours. Yet the size of the drop also risks scattering focus, with listeners treating the release less as a coherent artistic statement and more as an event built for social media dissection, playlist placement and fan-led debate.
Make Them Pay has already become the focal point because it links pop rivalry to a war that has divided cultural industries. Artists who speak about Palestine have faced professional pressure, online campaigns and accusations of selective outrage. Those who remain silent have faced the opposite charge from activists and fans who argue that celebrity influence carries moral obligations during mass suffering. Drake’s lyric places Khaled squarely inside that debate.
The Toronto rapper released Iceman, Habibti and Maid of Honour simultaneously on Friday, delivering more than 40 tracks across a sprawling rollout that immediately shifted attention from streaming numbers to the political edge of one song. Make Them Pay, part of Iceman, takes aim at Khaled’s public posture, contrasting his Palestinian family background with what Drake frames as silence at a time of mass civilian suffering in Gaza.
The line has drawn particular attention because Drake and Khaled have shared one of hip-hop’s most commercially successful partnerships. Their collaborations have included I’m On One, No New Friends, For Free, Popstar, Greece and Staying Alive, records that helped reinforce Khaled’s image as a curator of star-heavy hits and Drake’s role as one of his most reliable marquee guests. The new lyric therefore lands not as a passing jab at a distant peer, but as a public rupture between two artists whose careers have repeatedly intersected.
Khaled, born Khaled Mohamed Khaled in New Orleans, is the son of Palestinian parents and has often spoken of his Arab heritage in interviews and public appearances. He has built a global entertainment brand around optimism, luxury, fatherhood and cross-genre collaboration, while often avoiding direct engagement with divisive geopolitical questions. That positioning has come under sharper scrutiny since the Gaza war intensified after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza produced a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Drake’s decision to raise the issue is notable because he has also faced pressure over where he stands. The Canadian artist, whose father is Black American and whose mother is Jewish Canadian, signed an Artists4Ceasefire letter in 2023 calling for de-escalation, a ceasefire, the release of hostages and humanitarian access. His signature placed him among entertainers who sought to frame the issue around civilian protection rather than partisan alignment, though public reactions to celebrity statements on the war have remained deeply polarised.
Iceman appears to carry the hardest-edged material of the three projects. Its track list includes Make Them Cry, Dust, Whisper My Name, Janice STFU, Ran To Atlanta, Make Them Pay and other songs that suggest confrontation, legacy-building and score-settling. The album arrives after Drake’s bruising feud with Kendrick Lamar and amid continuing debate over his standing in rap following a year in which rivals, critics and fans reassessed his dominance.
Habibti, by contrast, carries a title rooted in Arabic affection, commonly translated as “my beloved”, and signals Drake’s long-running interest in Middle Eastern and North African aesthetics, language and markets. The title alone helped fuel discussion among Arab audiences before listeners even reached the Khaled reference on Iceman. The album features a separate sonic and visual identity from Maid of Honour, which leans into themes of relationships, performance and intimacy.
The three-album strategy underlines Drake’s continuing ability to command attention at scale. Few artists can release multiple full-length projects at once and expect each to become part of the online conversation within hours. Yet the size of the drop also risks scattering focus, with listeners treating the release less as a coherent artistic statement and more as an event built for social media dissection, playlist placement and fan-led debate.
Make Them Pay has already become the focal point because it links pop rivalry to a war that has divided cultural industries. Artists who speak about Palestine have faced professional pressure, online campaigns and accusations of selective outrage. Those who remain silent have faced the opposite charge from activists and fans who argue that celebrity influence carries moral obligations during mass suffering. Drake’s lyric places Khaled squarely inside that debate.
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Entertainment