Why Drake’s ‘Which One’ single is not a TikTok-first track

Drake’s new single ‘Which One’, featuring Central Cee dropped on July 25, 2025 – not abnormal. Less normal: he launched it with no warning halfway through a 41-minute episode of Iceman, a YouTube series he is streaming in advance of his album of the same name. Another unusual aspect: the song has little formal presence on TikTok.

The art of the obscure release 

Iceman is not a traditional release strategy. The first two episodes run over 40 minutes long and were uploaded three weeks apart. The content itself has a lot of silent footage of uneventful walls stretching on for up to five minutes. They resemble art house cinema more than the flashy, catchy content we have become used to on social. 

Yet episode two has amassed 2.1 million views in three days (up from 1.1 million for episode one). The comments sections are overwhelmingly positive, and the videos are performing well. So is the song itself: ‘Which One’ has over 4.1 million streams on Spotify (according to Viberate). While its official YouTube video has only 383K views, other unofficial versions have between 70 and 100+K views as well.

Technically, the video isn’t quite the first release. The song was first played during Drake’s Wireless performance in Manchester in mid-July, where he shone the spotlight on Central Cee. The performance ties into the second Iceman episode, which was largely shot in Manchester. 

In short, the whole release is seemingly an easter egg for Drake superfans who were at the concert and / or watching the full length of the YouTube series.  

What about TikTok? 

Normally, music releases demand highly involved social media strategies with the whole song and dance of pre-release teases and influencer partnerships. This has not been the case for ‘Which One’.

Drake doesn’t do TikTok. He has no official account and no formal presence on the platform. The sound for ‘Which one’ has only 134 official posts, according to Viberate data. He did post about the song on Instagram – but with a clip from Iceman Episode 1 featuring the tune that turned into ‘Which One’, rather than the song itself.

A day and a half after the song’s release, Central Cee posted a 7-second TikTok about the song featuring Drake and Cole Palmer (a UK football star). The video has 12.2 million views, and 2.5 million likes. However, this engagement is not registering on platforms like Viberate. The song is not a full-length drop and has not promoted use of the song across the platform in a meaningful way. It simply showcases to his fans there that the song exists, and they should go forth and find it.

A post-social album?

The real question this raises is whether music can be successful without all the bells and whistles of social media promotion.

For Central Cee, a more recent artist, TikTok is a huge part of the way he connects to his fanbase. Previous songs of his have seen him post three or four times around the release. ‘Which One’ has only that single 7-second clip, which is comparatively understated. Drake has barely promoted the song at all on his socials, outside of Iceman.

Central Cee is a growing artist, so attaining reach is still important – but partnering with Drake offers reach in a way mere social promotion would not. As a long-time household name, Drake already has mainstream reach. His focus now is on engaging his superfans, the people who really support his work. This is not only a smart fan-first strategy but also reflects his seeming broader personal focus after Drake’s very public spat with Kendrick Lamar last year.

As a result, ‘Which One’ seems to be only a small part of the broader push behind his next album. The end of Iceman Episode 2 features the early beats of what is likely to be his next song. The comments section has more enthusiasm for this next drop than the full release of ‘Which One’. The overall picture is one of a strategy leaning hard into live performance (like Wireless) and YouTube, with the Iceman series drip-feeding singles and hints of the album to come.

It is an unconventional move for Drake to connect with his core fans by hiding a new release halfway through a 40-minute art-house YouTube video. Yet it plays to the changing needs of promotion and performance. The release feels authentic and unique, and it is special for the fans who found it first. It requires buy-in of time and energy and is part of a bigger promise of the next album. It also leverages the partnership between the two artists, without prioritising mainstream channel blasts.

‘Which One’ may not be a viral track, but it has good streams and has built on the relationship with fans. It also acts as a reminder that going to the live show is about more than seeing old songs; it can be your first chance to see new ones, too. In today’s competitive environment, that may skip the social stage but achieves all the major benchmarks of success.