On May 15th, 2026, world-famous artist Drake (Aubrey Graham) dropped his highly anticipated “ICEMAN” album. His first solo album since “For All the Dogs” in 2023, this was one of the most talked about album releases. While everyone knew “ICEMAN” was going to be Drake’s next album, he also released two surprise albums, “Habibti” and “Maid of Honour”, which had not been previously rumored, like “ICEMAN” had. In this article, I will be hyperfocusing on “Habibti,” which focuses more specifically on Drake’s R&B side rather than rap. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard Top 200, yet there have been mixed reviews thus far. In this article, I am going to give you my full and honest opinion on one of Drake’s surprise releases.
Habibti
Rusty Intro – Obviously an intro, making it difficult to compare to the actual songs on his album, but regardless, this intro felt all over the place and the majority of it sounded out of sorts and offbeat. 2/10
WNBA – Centered on a long-distance relationship affected by travel and uncertainty, I did like the lyrics behind this song, which sounded poetic and romantic. Despite this, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the beat switching from slow to fast-paced. Regardless, to me, it is still one of the better songs on this album due to his lyrical style. 7/10
Slap the City (feat. Quendresa) – I initially liked the tempo of this song, but I felt that Drake didn’t seem super enthusiastic about actually singing rather than just talking, the lyrical and melodic style wasn’t really there for me. Along with this I wasn’t much of a fan of Quendresa’s part either; it didn’t really stand out in any special way. 5/10
High Fives – I loved the upbeat feeling of this song, and I think Drake did an excellent job sticking with pretty much one tempo and beat, keeping the overall vibe of the song there. 8.5/10
Hurrr Not Thurrr (feat. Sexyy Red) – Similar to “Cheetah Print” on “Maid of Honor,” both songs represent a high-energy and confident vibe. Yet, I am not really a fan of Sexyy Red , specifically her voice. I don’t really see the chemistry with her and Drake, which was clear in this song. Not much of a pleasure beat or vibe is going on. 3/10
I’m Spent (feat. Loe Shimmy) – I didn’t really love Loe Shimmy’s intro to this song, I thought he overall just didn’t sound great. As well as this, I felt that even though Drake had good lyrics, the beat just overall seemed off and out of place. 4/10
Classic – A blend of melodic rap and R&B, the soft drums with the piano chords create a relaxed tempo and environment, but I felt that the end of the song seemed to drag on and felt a bit unnecessary. Despite the ending, though, I do think the first half of this song was excellent. 7/10
Gen 5 – This song features themes of competition and self-improvement in relationships, and even though I feel that the lyrics told a story, I once again felt that Drake was doing more “talking” than singing. 6/10
White Bone – A great R&B song by Drake. I adore the slow and melancholy beat of this song; it really reminds me of “Marvin’s Room” on Drake’s “Take Care” Album, one of my all-time favorite Drake songs. 9/10
Fortworth (feat. PartyNextDoor) – Easily my favorite song on the two of these albums, I love the slow beat, and I’m personally a sucker for Drake x PartyNextDoor collabs. I believe that when they collaborate, they make very interesting and throughout songs, and I think this really resonated in this song. The chorus of this song is also my favorite part of this entire album. 10/10
Prioritizing – Again, I think Drake really killed it on this beat. The slow and somber vibe of this song really sticks out to me, and I believe Drake really capitalized on his lyrical ability in this song. 8/10
When it comes down to it, I am personally happy with the overall vibes of “Habibti,” and I think that there are a few very good songs on the album that will go down as successes. While I do believe that there are a few songs that underperformed, it’s difficult to be upset at a release when it was a complete surprise. Overall, I think that as time goes on, certain songs such as “Slap The City” and “I’m Spent” will begin to grow on me, and I will reflect in a more positive way than I do now.
