Iceman

Hasib’s Substack - Vol. 24

Poetry inspired by the themes of Iceman: aging, bitterness, rivals, friends, life!

For
I try to move forward,
To forget,  
To forgive, 
To forbear,
To forsake, 
To fortify, 
To foresee, 
But it’s not for me. 

Devast-aging
The older you get, the less your friends check up, 
They get lost in the rat race, focused on getting their check up, 
Loneliness is its own kind of poverty, 
Financial freedom is a myth, there is no sovereignty,
You realize how poor you are looking at your reflection in the microwave, in your one bed room apartment,
You have tears in your eyes, you don’t know why, but something is tearing you apart man, 
I'm deep in the trenches, I look around, and there is no one to dig with me, 
It’s scary creating, asking for attention? Do I risk all my dignity?
But change is needed, the situation is do or die,
Time to kill the old me, time to commit suicide, 
Burn down everything I used to be, become an arsonist, 
Plant new seeds and help them grow, become an arborist,
Let go of the past, that ship has sailed, no need to harbor it.

Burning Bridges
If could change what happened, I would do it in an instant, 
She was like a star, always distant,
I don’t know what she is up to, I don't know what she is doing,
I tell myself I don’t need her, and that she must be in ruins, 
But that would be a lie, if I am being honest, 
I wonder what's on her mind, and will I ever again be on it?
She was immortal to me, like a statue, 
I wish I could have her all to myself, I wish I could stash you, 
Do you really think you’ve met the love of your life? 
Or do you tell yourself that so you can try to love your life?

Kites
A man stood in the field with kite strings wrapped around his hands.
There were too many of them.

A green kite for his mother.
A red one for the woman.
A blue one for his friends.
A white one for work.
One for his old self, 
One for the version of himself he swore he would become.

The wind pulls each in a different direction.
He tries to hold them steady but the strings burn his palms. 
He could feel himself failing each kite, just a little. 
None of them flew clean, none of them reached their height.
The string tangles, the knots tighten, the sky becomes impossible to manage.

He wanted to believe effort was enough. That if he ran hard enough he could keep them all in the air. But the wind does not care how badly a man wants something.
He thought of how a man can ruin good things without meaning to. 
Just by trying to keep too many alive at once.

He took out his knife.
He cut one string first and watched the kite drift away over the trees. 
Then another, and another, and another, 
The remaining kites climbed higher after that.

He hated them for it, just a little.
And he hated himself too. 

Alain Delon, Cercle Rouge

The Trilogy - Maid of Honor, Habibti, & Iceman

I have never been more excited for an album release in my entire life. I took PTO for this album and got endlessly clowned for it by my friends, but they don’t understand. Cleverness, wordplay, double meanings—those things light up something primal in me. They’re one of my favorite parts of being alive, and Drake, to me, is the greatest living practitioner of it.

I’ve probably heard this man’s voice nearly every day for the last twelve years. Think about that for a second. I’ve heard his voice, his thoughts, his observations more than almost anyone I know in real life. In some strange way, he’s been a constant companion to entire eras of my life.

So when Drake drops an album, it feels bigger than music. It feels like the way people must’ve felt waiting for a new Shakespeare play, or art lovers hearing that John Singer Sargent had finished a new portrait.

Before listening to any of the music, I watched the entirety of the Episode 4 livestream (1hr 24min). Incredible! The fashion, the city, the houses, the flexes, the ladies, the features, incredible! It really stuck with me, best way to first hear the Iceman album, and to understand what Drake intended listeners to feel. Then at the end, to announce 3 ALBUMS?! I was so overwhelmed in the greatest way, it was like all Christmas’ combined. I was so pumped.

I loved Iceman, it is another perfect Drake album. But unfortunately the other two albums are his worst ever. I have to tell myself that he just released this schlop to his 3 remaining albums and be released from his UMG contract. Habibti was too experimental, he went away from what he’s good at. Maid of Honor disappointed me the most. I love House Drake, Get it Together was my 7th song all time. Basically the entire Honestly Nevermind album made my Spotify All Time playlist. For him to butcher the house album really hurts me.

I’ve listed my first reactions to each album, my favorite visuals from the videos, and of course, the lyrics I enjoyed the most on first few listens. I know I will like the music the more I listen to it, and pick up on bars I missed.

Iceman - (18/20 saved, 90% hit rate)

• Only songs I didn’t save:

  • Don’t Worry

  • Little Birdie

• Best Visuals:

  • Shane Gillis in Dust with the OVO chain, iconic

  • Ran to Atlanta - so sick how the strippers are filmed with thermal camera showing heat/orange, then immediate transition to Drake showing all blue/ice from the thermal camera

  • Make Them Remember - the Channel outfit in the second half is special

• First Reactions:

  • Very disappointed Lil Yachty not featured, he deserves it

  • All the features are perfect and did an amazing job, NEW TEAM.

  • Last Verse on “Janice STFU” is “That’s how you Feel” on SoundCloud, I think the originally version is much better than fitting it in as a verse on this track

  • Burning Bridges hits way too hard, I’ve lost a lovely to LA before, and have deep sense of duty to my hometown.

  • Drake/40 are mastering the art of mid song beat changes without completely changing the themes of songs. Here are the ones that he killed beat changes with:

    • I’m Spent

    • Dust

    • Ran to Atlanta

    • Burning Bridges

    • National Treasures

    • Plot Twist

    • What did I miss?

    • Hoe Phase

  • Whisper My Name - top 3 Drake chorus of all time

  • Classic - beat is incredible, but make you uncomfortable, similar to P Power

Habibti - (4/11 saved, 36% hit rate)

• Songs Saved

  • Slap The City

  • High Fives

  • I’m Spent (Loe Shimmy is the man, great pick for feature)

  • Gen 5

Maid of Honor - (5/14 saved, 36% hit rate)

• Songs Saved

  • Hoe Phase

  • Road Trips (special)

  • Outside Tweaking

  • New Bestie

Best Verses

• Sis, You gotta be kidding like nieces and nephews

• Samuel Bankman, fried all my guys up

• All the numbers are final, no t shirt, no vinyl, you about to make me richie Lionel

• Corporate America hit survivor

• When you run into the iceman what are you going to do but freeze?

• If you my nigga than say you my nigga like whats up my nigga come hug me right now

• My YG’s are fast and they praying you lucky it’s Ramadan

• It’s like the bag you bring on the plane, its gonna carry on

• Embarrassment the only thing I’m getting second hand

• Iraq up a tab at Channel because I Dubai, like I’m Middle Eastern

• I’m grater than everyone like im shredding cheese

• 6th sense is kicking in because Im only hearing people that are dead to me

• If I gave you a hand you under the thumb

• I was aiding Ross with streams before Adin Ross was even streaming

• I reserve that shit like I’m indigenous

• They know you’re thorough with bread but there’s shit you gotta pony up to

• Flipping dough like Little Caesars

• They NV me like I’m Nevada

• In the loop like a carabiner

• Got more chemistry than MIT

• Tell her pull up on me like lever

• You could make a blind man see eye to eye

• If its all working out then show your muscles