Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Calls Drake's ICEMAN the Best Album of 2026

By Miles Carter, November 15, 2026

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has picked his album of the year, and it belongs to Drake. In "Spotify Conversations With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander," a 10-minute video Spotify posted to its YouTube channel on Nov 12, 2026, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard called ICEMAN "the best album of 2026," as Billboard Canada quoted him. Billboard Canada and XXL both quoted him saying the album has "no skips."

How he ranked Drake

Asked to rank Drake's albums, Gilgeous-Alexander did not put ICEMAN first. XXL reported that he placed Take Care and Nothing Was the Same together at the top as "1a and 1b," with ICEMAN right behind them. Billboard Canada and XXL both reported that he also credited the story around the album and the narrative around Drake.

Bleacher Report noted that he had put ICEMAN ahead of Take Care in a blind ranking video the Thunder posted in September, and that he said in the Spotify interview he might have gotten that order wrong after talking it over with friends.

He went further on Drake's place in rap. Billboard Canada and XXL both quoted him saying that whenever he calls Drake the greatest rapper of all time, the older guys "go crazy."

The album and the partnership

ICEMAN came out on May 15, 2026, through OVO and Republic Records, according to its Apple Music listing, which shows 18 songs. Take Care arrived in 2011 and Nothing Was the Same in 2013.

Spotify's video description says the conversation also covers his musical upbringing and his new partnership with the platform, and it links his curated Heat Check playlist.

KAZI covered Drake's "Hate Sleeping Alone" arriving on Spotify for the 15th anniversary of Take Care.

Spotify Conversations With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander