Make Them Pay

"Make Them Pay"
Song by Drake
from the album Iceman
ReleasedMay 15, 2026
Length5:01
Label
Producers
Music video
"Make Them Pay" on YouTube

"Make Them Pay" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his studio album Iceman (2026). Produced by Ovrkast and Flywilliums, it samples "Free" by Deniece Williams.[1] The song is a diss track towards numerous artists, chiefly rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Background

Drake first previewed the song on May 14, 2026 in the fourth episode of his Iceman livestream series.[2]

Content

In the song, Drake takes shots at Kendrick Lamar with references to the escalation of their highly publicized feud in 2024.[3] He then targets hip-hop artists who were once friendly with him for staying neutral in the feud (J. Cole and DJ Khaled)[2][4] or turning against him (Rick Ross); Drake mentions that he helped advance Ross' career[3] and further criticizes Khaled for not expressing support for Palestine in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[2] Drake also disses the musician Pharrell and rapper Pusha T, subtly referencing the song "Chains & Whips" by Clipse.[3] He insists that Lamar's streaming statistics are inflated[5] and expresses a desire to be an independent artist.[6]

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews. Armon Sadler of Billboard ranked it as the fourth best song from Iceman.[7] Peter A. Berry of Variety wrote Drake "clips Rick Ross and DJ Khaled with petty wit and efficiency. Imagine John Wick sniping two henchmen with one bullet".[8] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME opined that the song "work[s] because Drake finally sounds his age instead of endlessly chasing younger rappers' cadences."[9] Los Angeles Times described Drake as almost evoking sympathy on the song with the lyrics "I need compliments 'cause lately it's just falling-outs and disagreements / Industry is really evil / And I faced the way they paint me, but it hurts just like the Philly Eagles"; they added, "Drake is a rococo master of self-pity, but damned if he doesn't have a real reason for it this time."[10]

Charts

Chart performance for "Make Them Pay"
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 31
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[12] 14
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)[13] 11
Global 200 (Billboard)[14] 12
Greece International (IFPI)[15] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 28
Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100)[17] 94
Norway (IFPI Norge)[18] 100
Portugal (AFP)[19] 26
South Africa Streaming (TOSAC)[20] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 30
UK Streaming (OCC)[22] 31
United Arab Emirates (IFPI)[23] 15
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 10
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25] 9

References

  1. ^ Fitzgerald, Kiana (May 16, 2026). "Drake Is Still Chasing Ghosts on His Three-Album Megadrop". Consequence. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Cowen, Trace William (May 14, 2026). "Drake Calls Out DJ Khaled on New Song: 'Your People Still Waiting for a 'Free Palestine'". Complex. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Saponara, Michael (May 15, 2026). "From DJ Khaled to Kendrick Lamar, Here's Everyone Drake Appeared to Diss on 'Iceman'". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  4. ^ Joe, Price (May 15, 2026). "Drake Seems to Address J. Cole Exiting Kendrick Lamar Feud on 'Iceman': 'I Could Never Forgive You'". Complex. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  5. ^ Attard, Paul (May 18, 2026). "Drake 'Iceman' Review: An Insular Ode to Self-Pity". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  6. ^ Petridis, Alexis (May 15, 2026). "Drake: Iceman / Maid of Honour / Habibti review – triple-album comeback is a boring, bloated disaster". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  7. ^ Sadler, Armon (May 15, 2026). "Drake's 'ICEMAN' Album: All 18 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  8. ^ Berry, Peter (May 15, 2026). "Drake's 'Iceman' is exactly the fun and vindictive comeback record he needed: Album review". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  9. ^ Williams, Kyann-Sian (May 22, 2026). "Drake – 'Iceman'/'Habibti'/'Maid Of Honor' review: a stumbling rap king's valiant attempt to keep his crown". NME. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  10. ^ Wood, Mikael; Brown, August (May 15, 2026). "Breaking down Drake's Temu haul of an album drop". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  11. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 25, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  12. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 25, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  13. ^ "Drake Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  14. ^ "Drake Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  15. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 20/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  16. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. May 22, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  17. ^ "TurnTable Nigeria Top 100: May 15th - May 21st, 2026". TurnTable. Archived from the original on 29 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  18. ^ "Singel 2026 uke 21". IFPI Norge. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  19. ^ "Drake – Make Them Pay". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  20. ^ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 20 − Week 21, 2026". The Official South African Charts. Archived from the original on May 29, 2026. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  21. ^ "Drake – Make Them Pay". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  22. ^ "Official Streaming Chart on 22/5/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  23. ^ "The Official MENA Chart | Weekly Chart – Week 21, 2026 – 15/05 to 21/05/2026". The Official MENA Chart (Select year 2026, week 21 and UAE chart to view peak.). May 22, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  24. ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  25. ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
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