Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Says Drake’s “ICEMAN” Is The Best Album Of 2026: “No Skips”
The NBA’s back-to-back MVP just entered the album of the year debate — and he’s riding with his fellow Canadian.
In a new conversation with Spotify about the music that soundtracks his year, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named Drake’s “ICEMAN” the best album of 2026, and he didn’t hedge it.
“I think Iceman is the best album of 2026,” SGA said. “One, I think it has no skips. And then two, I think just the whole storyline and the back and forth and to produce like that after what the narrative was and what it is now, it speaks for itself.”
He didn’t stop there. SGA laughed that his one take guaranteed to set a room off is calling Drake the greatest rapper of all time. “Whenever I say Drake is the greatest rapper of all time,” he said, “all the older guys go crazy.”
The numbers back up the pick’s momentum. “ICEMAN” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 463,000 first-week units, became the first rap album released in 2026 to pass two billion streams on Spotify — it’s now the most-streamed rap album of the year — and Apple Music just named Drake its Best Rapper of 2026. DJ Akademiks staked the same album-of-the-year claim for “ICEMAN” at ComplexCon last month.
Still, the fans are split three ways: “ICEMAN” vs. Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” vs. J. Cole’s “The Fall Off” — all three debuted at No. 1. SGA has picked his side loud and clear.
So who’s right — is “ICEMAN” really the album of 2026, or does the crown belong to GNX or The Fall Off?
Source: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s conversation with Spotify about his favorite music of the year, with clips shared by RapTV.
