Elliott Wilson admitted he had to set his personal opinions aside while praising the quality of Drake’s ICEMAN tracklist.
Hip-hop fans have already seen several major album releases this year from artists like A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Baby Keem, and more. Still, few projects have generated as much attention as Drake’s latest trilogy, with ICEMAN standing out as the biggest talking point.
The album is even earning praise from some of Drake’s longtime critics in hip-hop media, including Elliott Wilson.
The veteran journalist recently took to Twitter to share updated thoughts on the rap-focused project, revealing that he now considers 13 of the album’s 18 tracks strong enough to make his rotation.
“I give him 13 now. hip-hop album of the year,” Wilson posted on Monday, May 25. “Gotta put my personal feelings aside. Sending a rat emoji is a nefarious action. SMH Ha. Janice + Shabang > Future reunion (Told y’all in ‘24) + Mac Dre s**t.”
Wilson notably left “Ran To Atlanta” featuring Future and Molly Santana off his list, along with the West Coast-inspired “2 Hard 4 The Radio.” Other songs he excluded from his rotation included “Dust,” “B’s On The Table” featuring 21 Savage, and “Plot Twist.”
For those unfamiliar with the situation, Drake and Elliott Wilson have been at odds due to Wilson’s criticism of Drake and what many fans viewed as his support for the “Dot era” during the rapper’s feud with Kendrick Lamar.
At one point, Drake allegedly sent Wilson a rat emoji, seemingly implying that he believed the journalist had shared information about him with Kendrick or others during the chaos surrounding the battle.
Wilson later denied those accusations, although conversations around the alleged “rat” claims have continued online. DJ Akademiks also recently claimed Kendrick confronted Elliott Wilson directly over the accusations, though Wilson later explained the interaction as more playful than serious.
Despite the tension between them, there are still several reasons fans believe Elliott Wilson frequently critiques the 6ix God, while Drake appears to feel similarly about him. Even so, Wilson has occasionally given Drake credit when he believes it’s deserved, previously praising things like the “NOKIA” music video and the rapper’s overall career run.
Whether ICEMAN will still hold the title of album of the year by the end of 2026 remains to be seen, but it’s clearly one of the projects dominating hip-hop conversations right now.
