Drake surprise drops three albums and mentions the Kendrick Lamar beef

The world was waiting for one Drake album. Along came three.

The rapper's dropped his anticipated solo record, Iceman, plus two more - Habibti and Maid of Honour - with 43 songs in total.

They include collaborations with artists including Central Cee, 21 Savage and PARTYNEXTDOOR.

And, yes, he does bring it up on the new record.

So, is the "iceman" no longer "nice man", as he raps?

Drake's three new albums are a mixture of musical styles.

Iceman is more rap and hip-hop focused, Habibti leans more towards R&B, while Maid of Honour is dance music-inspired.

The big question about the heavily hyped new release was whether Drake would use his new music to reignite his bitter feud with Lamar.

He appears to take aim at his rival with some lyrics, accusing him of using his birthplace of Compton, Los Angeles as a backdrop for acts of charity, while escaping to a celebrity life elsewhere.

"Handin' out turkeys on camera inside of your hood, then you go back to the hills," he raps on one track.

And on Iceman album opener, Make Them Cry, it looks like Drake has given a glimpse into his feelings at the height of the rap beef.

"Tell us how it felt to meet the grim reaper / This album better have some big features / Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm all alone for my mental [health]," he raps.

Drake also appears to call out other rappers and stars who were seen to take Lamar's side.

On one track, he appears to target LA Lakers basketballer LeBron James, who attended a Lamar gig when the beef was at its peak.

Most critics have yet to share reviews of Iceman and Drake's two other new releases, but reports suggest that streaming services were hit with crashes and slowdowns as fans rushed to hear his new music.

When BBC Newsbeat speaks to music journalist and radio presenter Mary Mandefield about Drake's new music, she's still digesting the massive drop.

But she says there was never any doubt Drake would tackle the feud in some way.

"He's a smart businessman, as well as a great musician," she says.

"It would have been a massive miss to have three albums and not to mention Kendrick at all."

Mandefield says fans have been waiting for Drake's reaction to Lamar's Not Like Us, the diss track he memorably performed at last year's Superbowl half-time show.

While Lamar and Drake's beef was rightly framed as a battle, both stars will have benefited, she says.

"It keeps people talking about it, it helps with streaming numbers," she says.

"Externally it looks like beef, but on the whole, it helps both artists out."

Is three albums quantity over quality?

Dropping 43 tracks at once is likely to attract accusations Drake is "stream trolling" - publishing multiple songs to boost overall listening figures.

If Drake is looking to get his streaming numbers up, Mandefield says, leaning into his "broad appeal" with three different sounds could help.

But, she says, the rapper isn't the only person doing it. Rap group Migos, with a 24-track album, and R&B star Chris Brown, with a 57-track deluxe edition of Heartbreak on a Full Moon, have previously been accused of stream trolling.

"Other artists would do this in a way where they might have a remix album, or they might do an acoustic version," she says.

Mandefield admits three albums at the same time "feels excessive".

"But I would not be surprised to see this more in the future," she says.

Drake fan Nathan Gibson says he's managed to give the albums a skim through and he's "not overly impressed".

"Quantity doesn't match quality," he tells Newsbeat.

"I think Drake's kind of past the point in his career where he needs to prove anything.

"But I do think if you're going off reputation, it definitely took a hit."

Gibson still thinks Drake will "dominate the charts regardless" and still sees him as "the number one rapper in the world".

Drake has been building excitement for his new album with a series of Iceman livestreams.

Each episode has featured new music, guest appearances from collaborators, and been packed with easter eggs and references hinting at the themes of the full release.

At the end of episode four, broadcast just before Iceman went live, Drake teased the triple album drop with a closing shot depicting three hard drives.

He was also seen torching a bot farm which appeared to show multiple phones streaming Kendrick Lamar's Grammy winning diss track, Not Like Us.

Both rappers have accused each other of using bots to artificially inflate their listening figures - something that was mentioned in Drake's lawsuit against his own label, Universal Music Group, which was eventually thrown out.

Drake's also staged a series of stunts to drum up hype for Iceman.

His courtside seat at basketball team Toronto Raptors' stadium was recently decorated with icicles and, last month, a giant pile of ice blocks appeared in the city with the album's release date encased inside.

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