LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 21: Dennis Graham and Drake attend the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Polk/BBMA2017/Getty Images for DCP)
Drake gagged the internet early Friday (May 15) with the release of three new albums. Fans were expecting ‘Iceman,’ but were surprised by ‘Maid of Honour’ and ‘Habibiti.’ From fans to celebrities like Rick Ross, the timelines have been poppin’ off for hours with reactions to the projects. Now, one reaction is going viral. And the call is coming from inside Drizzy’s house, his dad, Dennis Graham. He cleared the air following an outpouring of love and prayers from ‘Iceman’ listeners, who learned of his cancer diagnosis on the song, ‘Make Them Cry.’
The triple-release on Friday is the first time Drake has released a solo album in almost two and a half years. His last project was ‘For All The Dogs’ in October 2023 the year before his viral feud with Kendrick Lamar, which culminated in the global hit ‘Not Like Us.’
More than a year after the public beef and a failed lawsuit against his parent label UMG, Drake gave his fans 43 tracks to kick off the summer. As expected by many, Drizzy seemingly threw jabs at Kendrick Lamar with songs like, ‘Janice STFU,’ ‘Make Them Pay,’ ‘Make Them Remember,’ ‘2 Hard 4 The Radio.’ But he wasn’t the only one who caught strays in the lyrics. Listeners have speculated that several songs, like ‘Burning Bridges’ and ‘Whisper My Name,’ take shots at J. Cole, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, LeBron James, Dr. Dre and even A$AP Rocky and Rihanna.
As mentioned, Drake sparked concerned when he rapped about his dad battling cancer in song, ‘Make Them Cry.’ He raps, “My dad got cancer right now, we battlin’ stages / Trust me when I say there’s plenty of things I’d rather be facing.”Following the triple-release, Dennis Graham shared a photo hugging his son on Instagram. His caption read, “The Ice Man and The Nice Man just doing what we do, dont get it twisted, ”
Then, early Friday, TMZ published an article with the headline “Drake’s Dad Dennis Graham My Son’s Living in the Past… I Don’t Have Cancer Anymore!!!”The article also features a video from Backgrid, which shows Dennis briefly speaking on Drake’s “ongoing” stomach issues, celebrating Adonis’ 6th birthday with Sophie and his gambling hobby. He doesn’t speak about the cancer lyrics in the video.
Instead, TMZ mentions it in the copy, writing, “Dennis says he was fighting lung cancer a long time ago … but he got a message that it just cleared up a miracle. He adds he’s all good now he’s even smoking less than he used to and he appreciates everyone’s concern.”
Later, Dennis Graham circled back to Instagram to blast TMZ for their coverage of his cancer comments, specifically called out someone named Guillermo in his caption. He included a photo of the headline.
“Guillermo if you ever put a title like this on a conversation that I have with you, I will never speak to you again, controversy is not a part of my life and I dont speak to you to make your comments controversial to gain attention!!!!!!!!!! I never said to you anything about my Son living in the past, and you didnt have to add that!!!!!!”
Meanwhile, Rick Ross was up early looking at reviews about Drake’s albums in the comment section of Complex’s Instagram page. “He did it, he dropped three mid projects. Hey man it was fun while it lasted, you’re washed,” he said in the video.
Swipe below to see additional reactions to the lyrics on Drake’s new albums.
