Songfacts®:

• "Make Them Pay" is one of the most lyrically dense tracks on Drake's ninth album, Iceman, unfolding as a slow, R&B-tinged inventory of grievances aimed at former friends, collaborators, and rivals from his 2024 rap war.
• Before the accusations begin, Drake opens with a note of vulnerability:
  
  It hurts just like the Philly Eagles
  
  The line works as a pun on Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, but carries added sting: when the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX in 2025, Kendrick Lamar performed at halftime and included the Drake-dissing "Not Like Us" in his set, effectively turning a championship celebration into a very public reminder of Drake's defeat.
• The song moves through a series of pointed callouts:
  
  1. J. Cole:
  
  I love you 'cause of the history, but if we bein' real, I could never forgive you
  And you never called me back, but destiny's written
  
  Drake acknowledges their shared history but questions Cole's loyalty after his brief involvement in the feud with "7 Minute Drill," followed by a public apology. Drake suggests the apology never extended to a personal conversation, leaving the situation unresolved.
  
  2. Kendrick Lamar: Drake revisits the central rivalry, referencing the fallout from Future and Metro Boomin's "Like That" (the song that sparked the entire rap war) and questions the legitimacy of Kendrick's streaming numbers
  
  Hundred million streams vanished, no one got questions
  
  He also has a jab at Kendrick's height (5'5").
  
  And Muggsy Bogues dunked for once, even I'm a bit amazed
  
  Bogues being the shortest player in NBA history at 5'3".
  
  3. Rick Ross:
  
  Dog, I was aidin' Ross with streams before Adin Ross had ever streamed
  
  The lyric is a double play: Drake argues he boosted Rick Ross's career through collaborations and features, then pivots to a reference to popular live streamer Adin Ross.
  
  4. Pharrell Williams / Pusha T / Clipse. Here Drake has a multi-layered dig:
  
  I got all the chains that they ever repped in Virginia
  
  Drake's line about "chains" references "Chains & Whips," a song by the Virginia duo Clipse. Because Clipse are closely associated with Pharrell Williams - their longtime collaborator - Drake is bragging about owning a collection of jewelry that once belonged to the Virginia Beach icon.
  
  The Virginia reference also carries a secondary sting: Pusha T's wife's name is Virginia Williams, making "Virginia" a subtle additional needle.
  
  5. DJ Khaled:
  
  And Khaled, you know what I mean
  The beef was fully live, you went halal and got on your deen
  And your people are still waitin' for a free Palestine
  But apparently everything isn't black and white and red and green
  
  Drake criticizes Khaled for staying neutral during the feud, while also alluding to broader geopolitical silence. The reference to "black and white and red and green" invokes the Palestinian flag, adding a political dimension to what is otherwise a personal critique.
  
  6. Cherokee D and Skyy Black:
  
  Shout out to Cherokee D and Skyy Black
  'Cause they was at my birthday when I was searchin' big-booty ebonies
  
  A nostalgic shout-out to two adult film actresses from the early internet era, evoking Drake's teenage years.
  
  7. Dipset
  
  And like Dipset, they really mean it
  
  A shout-out to the legendary Harlem rap collective, used as a metaphor for genuine loyalty and sincerity
• The track opens and closes with the sampled refrain "I just wanna be free," lifted from "Free" by Deniece Williams, released in 1976 on her debut album This Is Niecy. "Free" is one of Williams' signature songs, a wistful declaration of personal liberation, and Drake uses it structurally as both opener and closer, bookending the track's litany of betrayals with the wish to simply escape it all.
• Production comes from Ovrkast, an East Oakland artist known for his lo-fi, introspective style. He previously collaborated with Drake on the For All The Dogs: Scary Hours Edition tracks, "Red Button" and "The Shoe Fits." Their partnership continues here with a restrained backdrop that lets the lyrics do most of the damage. After Iceman dropped, Ovrkast shared a text message thread with Drake on Instagram in which Drake told him: "You probably got my best raps ever on this one," a rare, direct quote from Drake about a track and a strong endorsement of both the production and his own performance on "Make Them Pay."