Does Drake Still Matter? A Consequence Chat

Wren Graves (Managing Editor): In the ultimate test of the adage that there’s no such thing as bad press, Drake was mocked in front of millions during the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. His comeback has been a long time building, and it arrives in the form of a triple-album megadrop: Maid of Honour, Habibti, and Iceman.

“Who cares,” someone is quick to post on socials every time we write about Drake. It’s a fair question. On the one hand he has more No. 1 LPs than The Beatles, and a tattoo to prove it. Some people care. On the other hand are the reasons many people think of Drake with indifference or active hostility: the bot farm streaming allegations, the things he says about women, the way he behaves with children who might soonish be women, his friendship with some manosphere-aligned streamers, and his cozy support for gambling.

Drake’s fandom endures. He still sells out arenas, and while the numbers aren’t in yet, his new trilogy might take Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on the next Billboard album chart. He’s important in the industry. But is he having a broader impact on the culture? Does Drake matter? And what does that mean for hip-hop?

To help us unpack these questions we have two longtime Drake listeners, Kiana Fitzgerald and Eddie Fu. Both have already been thinking about these albums; Kiana wrote 21 takeaways from the triple-drop, and Eddie cataloged Drake’s disses. Let’s start with the music. Habibti is R&B. On Iceman he’s rapping. Maid of Honour is dance. What did you think of the albums?

Kiana: It’s Iceman then Maid of Honour then Habibti for sure.

Eddie: 100%.

Wren: Wow, nobody likes Habibti, huh?

Kiana: I was soooo over it lol.

Wren: I’m higher on Maid of Honour than consensus, I think. It’s fun.

Eddie: Iceman is better, but if you don’t care about the raps, Maid of Honour is more fun. Drake embracing dance/world music is the most interesting part of this.

Wren: Yeah I guess I’m usually not wowed by his raps anyway. He did “One Dance,” he did “Passionfruit,” this mode is a reliable source of hits. This is more a RETVRN than a new embrace, right?

Eddie: Yeah, but he never made a full album. Honestly, Nevermind is house, a different sound. Not like this, songs with Central Cee, Popcaan.