Toronto police were forced to step in after Drake fans reportedly took pickaxes and blowtorches to an ice block installation containing the release date for the rapper’s new album, Iceman.
On Monday, the “Passionfruit” artist, 39, shared Instagram pictures of a giant, 25-foot ice block sculpture set up in a parking lot in downtown Toronto. “Release Date Inside,” he wrote in the caption, adding the address: 81 Bond Street. The plan was for the date to be revealed once the ice had melted.
Fans quickly flocked to the site to see the structure, with many heeding signs warning the public not to touch.
However, some impatient fans brought tools to chip into the sculpture, according to local outlet CityNews Toronto. Police were seen blocking public access Monday evening after receiving reports that people were climbing the ice sculpture and refusing to come down.
Still, the next day, Twitch streamer Kishka reportedly took a sledgehammer to the ice block, successfully discovering a vacuum-sealed bag inside with the date May 15, along with a book and several $100 Canadian-dollar bills.
Later Tuesday, Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop released a statement, saying they had been called to address “public fire safety concerns related to unsafe conditions” at the site.
“Large numbers of individuals have gathered to attempt to melt the ice using flammable liquids and open flames in an uncontrolled environment, which results in an immediate threat to life,” Jessop wrote.
“As Toronto’s Fire Chief, my top priority is keeping Torontonians safe. As a result, we are initiating measures under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act to mitigate the risk to public safety.”
By Wednesday, Toronto Fire Services were using warm water to melt the sculpture.
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Drake has since confirmed Iceman will be out May 15.
The forthcoming album marks the rapper’s first solo album since 2023’s critically derided For All the Dogs.
In recent years, the Grammy-winning artist has been wrapped up in lawsuits pertaining to his rap nemesis Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping 2024 diss track “Not Like Us,” which Drake has claimed falsely accuses “him of being a sex offender [and] engaging in pedophilic acts.”
He sued Universal Music Group — the music label that represents both him and Lamar — in early 2025 for promoting the megahit despite knowing the lyrics were false. A judge ultimately dismissed his defamation lawsuit, ruling that “the allegedly defamatory statements in ‘Not Like Us’ are nonactionable opinion.”
