Drake has returned as the “ Iceman .” And the stakes couldn't be higher. His ninth studio album — and his first since his extravagant loss in a very public feud with Kendrick Lamar — arrives Friday. The beef between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars erupted in the spring of 2024, with the pair trading a series of vitriolic tracks that culminated with Lamar’s release of “Not Like Us.” The hit song was a direct attack on Drake, spurring Drake’s defamation lawsuit against their shared label that was dismissed. Drake’s appeal of the dismissal is pending, but in hip-hop spaces, Lamar’s victory over Drake is undisputed. The Canadian rapper is at a crossroads. He's still one of the most popular artists on the planet, and a successful entrepreneur with businesses spanning music, fashion, sports, online gambling and beyond. But he hasn't had a smash single in a few years. In hip-hop, where reputation is central to cultural clout, where does he stand? Drake after Lamar “The Kendrick battle absolutely dethroned Drake.…