If you notice anything strange in the city, odds are it’s probably Drake working on his new album.
Massive blocks of ice were arranged neatly in a downtown parking lot Sunday night, and Drake has now teased that the release date of his upcoming album ”Iceman” is hidden somewhere beneath them as the ice structures build higher and higher on Monday.
The latest stunt comes on the heels of an explosive fireball that lit up the North York skies on Thursday. It spooked residents as the star is filming his latest music video, and it may even prompt action from City Hall.
The “Iceman” rollout is taking over Toronto. Here’s how residents and the city are responding.
The latest stunts are taking over Toronto
In the past eight days, Drake has sent a loud inferno into the skies near Downsview Airport, froze his courtside seats at the Raptors game, and taken over a parking lot near The Bond Hotel at Church Street and Dundas Street East.
Locals took to social media to report the ice block sightings, with videos capturing dozens of frozen cubes spread across the parking lot beside workers unloading more. Drake was even spotted walking around the premises before he posted a blurry photo of himself measuring an ice block to his Instagram story.
The ice blocks were multiple rows high, creating a stagelike look.
Drake confirmed that the explosion near Downsview Airport on Thursday was part of a shoot for an upcoming music video.
How the city is responding to Drake
For some in the area, Thursday’s fiery stunt was a callback to a 2008 explosion at the Sunrise Propane facility in North York that killed two people and forced 12,000 residents to flee.
“I thought our neighbourhood was reliving what we endured tragically 18 years ago. It was very scary,” one user called “the.conscious.mile” wrote on Downsview Park’s Instagram account.
The rapper did secure a permit for his video, according to city spokesperson Saira Virani, and local officials had warned residents earlier in the week about loud noises, flashes and smoke tied to “pre-approved controlled activity” at Downsview Park.
Though the locals say the only warning was given on a website and social media, which is easy to miss.
Tawnya Mahoney and her husband were at home in their condo facing Downsview Park, when their bedroom suddenly lit up in bright orange from the explosion.
“I turned around because I knew it was coming from outside and I saw this giant fireball, like a mushroom cloud,” she said. “We both shot out of bed and thought, ‘Oh my God, is it a plane crash? A house explosion? What is it?’”
Mahoney said she did not receive any written notice ahead of the explosion. Once it happened, she immediately explored Reddit threads and social media, and an hour later saw a post saying it was on Drake’s music video set.
York Centre councillor James Pasternak said his office received dozens of online and email complaints from “shocked and outraged people” just like Mahoney, who thought the explosion was an industrial accident or were awoken from their sleep.
“This is outrageous. The notification for this special effects explosion was totally inadequate,” he said in an email to the Star, adding that local officials were not informed about the event.
The ice blocks on Sunday have prompted a lighter response. One fan who spotted the rapper walking around the parking lot started blasting “God’s Plan” from his window, but admittedly messed up the lyrics because he was so excited.
It’s unknown what Drake will do next, as he introduces a scavenger hunt element to the rollout. Pasternak wants to make sure everyone at least gets more notice next time.
“I plan to bring an urgent motion to council this coming week to make sure shoddy notifications like this do not happen again,” he said.
What do we know about his new album?
Drake has been slowly launching his ninth solo album, “Iceman,” with months of cryptic social media posts, stunts and the occasional single.
His latest era began July 5, 2025, with an hour-long video, “Iceman Episode 1,” showing the star driving around Toronto in a van borrowed from family-run ice business The Iceman Toronto. The video also served as a vehicle to release the debut track, “What Did I Miss?,” before he dropped two more singles via similarly Toronto-themed livestreams. First, a collaboration with U.K. rapper Central Cee, “Which One,” and then “Dog House,” featuring Yeat.
The project introduces a new ice-cold persona, arriving after Drake made headlines for his feud with Kendrick Lamar. “Iceman” will be his first solo effort since that beef.
Despite all of the teases, Drake has yet to lock in a release date, growing more enigmatic as the months roll on, though a post to his Instagram story on Monday may mean the day is inching closer.
Drake posted Google Maps co-ordinates to the parking lot, with the caption “Release Date Inside,” hinting that the big day is protected inside one of the blocks.
With files from David Friend.
