Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Somewhere inside a massive formation of ice blocks in a downtown Toronto parking lot lies the answer many hip-hop fans have been waiting for: the release date of Drake’s forthcoming album.
On Monday, the Toronto rapper took to Instagram to share images of the glacial installation along with coordinates to its location and the caption: “Release date inside.”
Locals soon descended on the structure, capturing photos and videos while trading theories about when the ice might melt and reveal the drop date for Drake’s long-awaited project, “Iceman.”
Some then ascended the tower of ice. Videos of the crowd appear to show people at the top of the pile, bashing the ice with sledgehammers, or attempting to melt it with blowtorches. Some even lit fires on top of the ice. Someone also appears to have set up a keyboard on it.
Several people took to the ice with pickaxes and hammers, Laura Brabant, spokesperson for Toronto Police Service, confirmed Tuesday morning. She said police were called to the intersection of Bond Street and Dundas Street. just after 11 p.m. Monday after getting reports of people standing on top of the installation.
“Large pieces of ice began falling, creating a dangerous situation for people on the ground, as well as those who climbed the structure,” she said in a statement to CBC News.
Though no one was injured, officers stayed around the area to manage crowd and traffic control out of concern for public safety, said Brabant.
There are now metal barricades around the site, which is directly in the city’s core, just east of the Yonge-Dundas intersection.
The sculpture quickly gained attention online, with people livestreaming from its location or sharing photos of it on social media.
One Canadian influencer with over nine-million Instagram followers, Zachery Dereniowski, posted a video on social media showing him on the pile, throwing a set of car keys into the blocks of ice and telling the crowd whoever finds them would win a free car. A later video shows Dereniowski gifting the car to a young fan who found the keys.
The ice pile is the latest in a series of headline-grabbing stunts promoting the album. Last Thursday, a thunderous explosion lit up the skies over Downsview Park in North York — images Drake later shared to his Instagram Story. Toronto police said the blaze was tied to a film shoot.
Earlier this month, the “God’s Plan” rapper’s regular courtside seats at Scotiabank Arena were sealed in sculpted ice during a Toronto Raptors game, turning his empty spot into a viral spectacle.
On Monday, locals gathered around Drake’s ice block structure expressed a mix of excitement, curiosity and skepticism, with several calling it a fitting way to signal the rapper’s first solo effort since his feud with Kendrick Lamar two summers ago.
“It’s perfect marketing for the album,” said Caleb O’Donoghue, a 21-year-old student who rushed to the area after seeing Drake’s post.
“The anticipation is just going to keep building; it’s already so high, but this is going to take forever to melt away with so many ice blocks.”
O’Donoghue predicted the ice could take several days to melt, pointing to the city’s current frigid temperatures. Still, he said he believes the album will be worth the wait.
“I hope he drops some nukes on there and gets back at Kendrick a little bit. There hasn’t been a good rap album this whole year, so he’s going to come save the industry, save the summer. It’s going to be Drake’s summer.”
Sculpture, stunts have people talking, fans say
But some onlookers said they found the build-up to “Iceman” underwhelming.
“It’s been, what, like 300, 400 days that he’s been rolling this out?” said Michael Barrett, a Toronto content creator who goes by DJ Natural.wav.
“What this really is, is the ice version of an hourglass. And then when it runs out, it’s not like the album’s out — we just find out when it’s going to be released. So it could be a week from now, it could be a month from now. Another year from now? I feel like he’s just buying himself time.”
Barrett said he believes expectations for Drake’s album are high following his feud with Lamar and his subsequent defamation suit against Universal Music Group over Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” which the court dismissed last fall.
“That was a chink in his armour, for sure.”
Nevertheless, Barrett said he appreciated the way the towering blocks of ice are bringing people from Toronto together.
“This is very cool for the city, something we could all come out to. Even me being here for 10 minutes, I’ve already interacted with so many different content creators.”
Security guards checked visitors’ IDs to confirm they were over 18 before allowing a closer look at the installation. A notice on Monday also warned people not to touch the ice blocks, though some ignored it.
