Drake reveals on ‘Iceman’ track his dad has cancer

Toronto rapper shares father's diagnosis on 'Make Them Cry,' and sings about aging, 'fake fans,' and his lawsuit against UMG

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Published May 15, 2026  •  Last updated 4 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

Drake accepts the Top Artist award with his father Dennis Graham during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas. Photo by Ethan Miller /Getty Images

In addition to settling a myriad of scores on his new Iceman LP, Drake reveals on the track Make Them Cry that his father is battling cancer.

Following a fireworks display at the Toronto waterfront late Thursday, the rapper, 39, dropped the highly-anticipated record on Friday, along with two surprise albums Habibti and Maid Of Honour. 

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The revelation about his dad’s illness comes at the end of Make Them Cry, which is the first song on the 18-track Iceman.

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“My dad got cancer right now, we battlin’ stages / Trust me when I say there’s plenty things that I’d rather be facin’ / For real / And this time, ask me to dig deeper, I’ll gladly explain it,” the five-time Grammy winner raps.

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Well wishes sent to Dennis Graham

After the album hit streaming services at midnight, Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, shared a photo to Instagram embracing his son and captioning it, “The Ice Man and The Nice Man just doing what we do, don’t get it twisted.”

Dennis’ post garnered over a thousand comments, with many offering up prayers and best wishes to the drummer.

“F*** CANCER! You got this pops,” one follower wrote, with another adding, “Praying for you pops. Sending so much healing energy your way!”

“Gotta get you healthy pops,” a third person wrote. “Sending love and prayers your way.”

Drake accepts the Top Artist award with his father Dennis Graham during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas. Photo by Ethan Miller /Getty Images

Elsewhere on the confessional song, Drake sings about aging, his “fake fans,” and his lawsuit against Universal Music Group, who he accused of inflating streams during his 2024 feud with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.

“I’m about to turn 40, dog, I’m battling aging/ I’m battling the fact that the album ain’t even drop and already they asses complaining/ F*** it, I’ll battle the label/ F*** it, I’ll battle the majors, I’ll battle the stations ’til my ass is back in rotation … N*****s want me all bent out of shape, rattled, and shaken” he raps.

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He also sheds light on his complicated relationship with his family during other verses on the song, rapping, “I’m an only child, no one could’ve made another/ I have to father my mother and treat my son’s grandfather like my older brother … I know for sure that my parents, they look at me and see an overcomer / I’m looking back at them and these days, I see an older couple.”

The Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud

Iceman, and its two accompanying albums Maid of Honour and Habibti, comes after the Canadian MC lost a very public rap battle in the spring of 2024.

The feud started when Lamar responded to a line in Drake and J. Cole’s 2023 song First Person Shooter, in which Cole tried to call the trio the industry’s three greatest hip-hop artists. “We the big three like we started a league,” Cole rapped.

Lamar dismissed that declaration on Future and Metro Boomin’s Like That, spitting back, “It’s just big me.” He also hit out at Drake on back-to-back diss tracks Euphoria and 6:16 in LA in which he called the lyricist “a terrible person.”

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Drake escalated the quarrel by mocking Lamar for appearing on songs by Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift and making digs at the Compton freestyler’s short stature, calling him a “pipsqueak.”

Then on his Family Matters number, Drake accused Lamar of physical abuse and infidelity.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar appears at the MTV Video Music Awards, on Aug. 27, 2017, in Inglewood, Calif., left, and Canadian rapper Drake appears at the premiere of the series “Euphoria,” in Los Angeles on June 4, 2019. Photo by File photo /Associated Press

But on his Grammy-winning Not Like Us, Lamar took things to another level when he branded Drake as a pedophile. “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one / To any bitch that talk to him and they in love / Just make sure you hide your little sister from him,” he rapped.

Lamar got the last word when he performed the chart-topper onstage at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.

How does Drake address Kendrick Lamar feud?

But Drake seemingly responds to their quarrel on two Iceman tracks —Make Them Pay and Make Them Remember— questioning Lamar’s streaming numbers and once again making fun of his height.

“Muggsy Bogues dunked for once, even I’m a bit amazed, someone give the kid a raise,” he raps, adding, “Damn, who is this guy for real/ I guess a magician/ 100 million streams vanished, no one got questions.”

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Make Them Remember also includes a dig at his former friend LeBron James, who appeared to side with Lamar when he was spotted dancing to Not Like Us at a 2024 concert.

“I shouldn’t even be shocked to see you in that arena/ Because you always made your career off of switchin’ teams up,” he seethes.

Former Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan, who was traded for Kawhi Leonard in the summer of 2018, also draws Drizzy’s anger on National Treasures.

“We must’ve been dealin’ the spur of the moment/ Cause why did we think you could get us a ring?” he raps. “They braggin’ ’bout how you went home, the f*** are they on/ Crodie, we threw ’em away/ G Pop sent us a real one from Daygo/ And next thing we knew, we was doin’ parades.”

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