Drake Fans Are Convinced He Just Revealed "ICEMAN's" Release Date

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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Drake Fans Convinced He Teased ICEMAN Release Date
Dec 5, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canadian recording artist Drake cheers during a game against the Houston Rockets at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images
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The hype for Drake's "ICEMAN" is as high as it's ever been, and rumors of rollout strategies and features are becoming more inescapable.

Drake posts pretty frequently on social media, whether it's on alleged burner accounts or through his main Instagram page. With each new bit of activity, fans gather to speculate on whether that gives them any new information on the upcoming album ICEMAN. As it turns out, we may have just gotten a release date tease.

As caught by Bars on Instagram, he posted a mysterious photo to his Instagram Story yesterday (Friday, March 13). It featured an old Bell Canada ad concerning the "416" area code, prompting folks to add the "1" to reflect a change in dialing practices. "Don't forget 1+416," the picture reads at the bottom.

This immediately got die-hards talking, as they assumed this area code debacle could be a hint as to the album's release date. After all, April 17 (4, 16+1) falls on a Friday, which would follow industry standards. But of course, this is just speculative interpretation and not an actual confirmation.

As such, we will just have to wait and see if this theory actually pans out. Still, fans are confident that we won't have to wait much longer for this highly anticipated LP.

When Is Drake Dropping ICEMAN?

At press time, Drake hasn't officially revealed his ICEMAN release date, but April 17 still sounds like a solid bet. Many folks believe the record will come out any day now, but things are still relatively low-key. For example, Drizzy did say there's one more livestream episode to host before the full-length drops. So maybe an announcement with a quick turnaround regarding this will be the final nail in the coffin.

However, some Drake fans aren't feeling all of ICEMAN. After a snippet leaked, DJ Akademiks took to his livestream to express some disappointment. His issues stem from the apparent references to ScHoolboy Q, as Ak thinks the 6ix God shouldn't be focusing on that Kendrick Lamar battle anymore.

Regardless, we doubt that won't be a significant thematic focus of ICEMAN, but stranger things have happened. Will we find out on April 17 or wait a little longer? In any case, we're sure Drake will deliver when he's ready.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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