By External Source
Here is this week's MRC Data Market Watch report which features Canadian music stats for the current week and YTD with comparisons to last year. This chart is published every Tuesday. The abbreviation "TEA" is a term used to describe the sale of music downloads or singles. A track equivalent album is equal to 10 tracks, or 10 songs.
A few hours later, Reddit user rocketmunkie posted an overhead shot of a bunch of ice blocks in the parking lot next to Bond Hotel, inquiring about their purpose. Many commenters claimed that it was part of Drake’s Iceman promotion, but nothing has been officially confirmed. Some users on Instagram claimed to have spotted the rapper there onsite.
If it’s true, it’ll be the latest promo for Drizzy’s forthcoming album, which has been ramping up in the last week. On April 12, the rapper reportedly teased the album with “frozen” courtside seats at a Toronto Raptors game.
A few days later, an explosion went off in the Downsview Park area. Many residents reported a sudden burst of flames and loud, repeated booms that rattled nearby homes. The blast was part of a permitted film shoot allegedly tied to Drake.
“Just all of a sudden, everything shook. The bed shook, the floor shook, the windows were rattling, everything,” resident Rosanna Laboni told CBC.
Notices in the area referenced a project called "Video Bot,” which many are linking to Iceman. Downsview Park posted a notice about potential loud noises, flashes and smoke with signage that mentioned a "pyrotechnic event" running between 6 and 11 pm. Yet, local councillor James Pasternak claims that notice didn’t reach many residents.
“While there was no risk to public safety and the fire was controlled, I know it was alarming,” he wrote in a statement. “My office is in contact with Canada Lands Company to improve communication and prevent this level of disruption moving forward.”
On April 18, the management team at Downsview Park issued a public apology to neighbours and the surrounding community. “We understand that the unexpected sounds were alarming and unsettling for many and we are sorry for the disruption this may have caused,” they shared on Instagram.
Despite the chaos, it seems that Iceman could be coming soon. It would mark his first solo release since 2023’s For All the Dogs, which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart and first album since his 2025 $ome $exy $ongs 4 U collaborative project with PartyNextDoor.
It has been nearly one year since Drake started teasing Iceman. It kicked off last July with the first episode of three livestreams for the album, which featured new music. The initial installment premiered "What Did I Miss?" which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. The second and third livestreams included the Central Cee-featuring "Which One" and "Dog House,” a collaboration with L.A. rapper Yeat and singer Julia Wolf — both of which landed spots on the Canadian Hot 100.
Last year, Drake opened up about the livestreams and his creative process. “The game is extremely calm seas right now,” he told Complex in a rare interview. “Nobody is rocking any boat on the water and so once we discussed a livestream rollout, it just sounded like the perfect mix of risk and reward for me.”
In recent months, the rollout has been quieter, outside of a few similarly cryptic carousel posts.
At the Juno Awards in March, Drake sent a special video tribute to Hall of Fame inductee Nelly Furtado from a recording studio. He closed with an album tease: "Iceman coming soon."
Based on all of the recent teases, it might be coming sooner than we think.
