The White House Turns Drake's "ICEMAN" Into TikTok Promo For ICE

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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White House Drake ICEMAN TikTok Promo ICE
Nov 23, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Recording artist Drake (white coat) sits courtside during a game between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
The White House already used Drake's "ICEMAN" cover art as an ad for United States President Donald Trump's MAGA movement on social media.

Drake got a lot of brands to hop on the ICEMAN rollout, but it was very strange to see the United States government get a piece of the pie. The White House's official TikTok page posted a video this weekend showing footage President Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, with Drizzy's album outro "Make Them Know" as the musical background.

More specifically, the promo clip shows Trump in snowy environments and ICE agents arresting individuals or walking around in their military gear. Many folks immediately responded with backlash, calling this corny, malicious, hateful, and everything in between. They also posited that OVO isn't or wouldn't be happy about this at all and oppose their music being used in this way. The camp hasn't publicly addressed this inclusion on social media.

Moreover, this follows the White House using Drake's ICEMAN in other ways. They posted an edited image of its cover art, which depicts the iconic Michael Jackson glove holding up a MAGA chain. It's probably the most bizarre and unprompted ICEMAN tie-in from an unrelated party, let alone a political government entity.

The White House Uses Drake's ICEMAN

Furthermore, these moves continue to draw backlash, including hip-hop legends trashing the White House's Drake co-opts. For example, Scarface took to social media to claim the Trump administration promoted white power by using the ICEMAN cover art. While the hand sign on the album cover refers to the 6ix, he theorized the White House's use of it connotes the hand sign stronger to a symbol of white power.

These explicit moves from U.S. government social media accounts follow public criticism of Drake's ICEMAN album title. Many folks found it to be insensitive or poorly timed considering recent ICE developments, as the government agency draws ire for its treatment of U.S. civilians and its xenophobic ideology. Others thought these critics were just looking for an excuse to hate on the Toronto superstar.

He called ICE "fake feds" on ICEMAN and has never publicly aligned himself with these right-wing circles. So Drizzy is probably not happy at all with Canada's neighbors using his music for their bigoted political propaganda.

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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