Here's How Toronto Celebrated Drake's 'Iceman' Release
With the surprise release of the albums Habibti and Maid of Honour in addition to Iceman, the city showed out for Drake. The CN Tower turned blue, Mayor Olivia Chow welcomed the rapper to City Hall, he threw a private party at Casa Loma and the city was treated to a 10-minute fireworks display on the waterfront.
Drake
After nearly a year of teasing, Drake’s latest album, Iceman, is finally here.
A known champion of his hometown, the rapper has spent much of his decades-spanning career boosting his city, Toronto. The rollout for Iceman was no different.
Last night, Drizzy took over the CN Tower, projecting parts of his fourth livestream on the symbol of the city, turning it Iceman blue. From a triple-album drop to a shoutout to Mayor Olivia Chow to a spotlight on Canadian brands, Toronto is Drake’s playground, and we’re just living in it.
Here are the hometown highlights from Drake’s Iceman rollout:
The CN Tower Goes ‘Icy’ Blue
A day before Iceman dropped, there were whisperings that Drake was gearing up for some kind of stunt at the CN Tower. The rumours were true.
Last night (May 14), the city monument went icy blue to promote Iceman, while a segment of his fourth livestream was projected onto the building. During the clip, the rapper performed atop the CN Tower, as eager fans gathered in real time to witness the attraction.
To much surprise, towards the end of the stream, a caption appeared announcing that two additional albums, Habibti and Maid of Honour, would be dropping at midnight along with Iceman.
A Massive Downtown Fireworks Display
Concluding the livestream, Drake erupted a massive fireworks display over the water at Harbourfront Centre that lasted over 10 minutes.
This weekend is a long weekend in Canada for the celebration of Victoria Day on Monday (May 18), but the fireworks came early. Fans who looked south towards Lake Ontario could see the show paired against the Iceman blue CN Tower.
Drake's Private Release Party at Casa Loma
While many fans flocked to the CN Tower, Drake and his team hosted a private release party at the historic castle-like residence and event venue Casa Loma, in collaboration with Yorkville restaurant Powder Room.
He was spotted celebrating with rapper Sexxy Red, who guests on multiple songs on the new album.
Toronto’s Mayor Olivia Chow Is a ‘Crodi’
During the fourth Iceman livestream, one clip showed Drake roaming around inside an empty Toronto City Hall. He even sat at Mayor Olivia Chow’s desk while wearing her chain of office — a ceremonial symbol of authority and duty. To show his gratitude, he left a brief handwritten note for Chow on her desk.
“Thank you my crodi. Olivia Chow!” it reads, referring to the mayor with the Toronto slang term for a close friend or brother (Kendrick Lamar notably used it against him in his diss track, "Euphoria"). The 6 God ended the note with “Iceman 2026,” signing his government name — Aubrey Graham — and “6’er.”
Mayor Chow shared the note to Instagram, with the caption: “You’re welcome Iceman 🧊,” noting that Drake “is a big booster of our city. Happy to host his team at City Hall.”
It’s not the first time Mayor Chow has championed local talent. Last August, she presented Scarborough native The Weeknd the key to Toronto, while she declared the first of the R&B singer’s two weekend performances at Rogers Centre, The Weeknd Weekend.
Drake Visits The Brass Rail
It’s no secret that the Toronto-born superstar is Canada down. Beyond performing atop the CN Tower in his livestream, he opened the stream with shots of an Iceman-branded truck driving on the Don Valley Parkway en route to the CN Tower as the album's opening track "Make Them Cry” played. Drake reflects on the past couple of years of his life and shared that his father, Dennis Graham, was diagnosed with cancer.
At one point, infamous Yonge Street strip club Brass Rail Tavern was front and centre as Drizzy raps inside the space during Iceman’s “Little Birdie.”
Toronto has served as a major source of inspiration for Drake since the beginning of his career. Throughout the promotion for Iceman, he often popped up at various recognizable spots in the city during his livestreams.
To reveal the Iceman release date, he unveiled a massive ice block structure in the Bond Hotel parking lot, where the date was hidden inside. The stunt prompted many fans to flock to the ice sculpture to catch a glimpse and made global headlines. It came days after an explosion was seen around North York, which Toronto police claimed was tied to Drake’s album promotion.
It was true: Iceman track “Shabang” showed a fairly similar eruption during its three-minute runtime.
A Fur Coat Covered in Canadian Brands
Did we mention that Drake is Canada’s No. 1 fan? For the Qendresa-featuring “Slap This City” — a track from Habibti — the Toronto rap star stood on an undisclosed ice rink, wearing a lush fur coat adorned with patches from multiple nostalgic Canadian businesses, including Sleep Country, Canadian Tire, Molson Canadian, Manchu Wok, the Chinese fast food chain, and even Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
