If you don’t know who Ice Spice is by now, you’re simply missing out. Unlike most rappers, the Bronx native can capture any vibe you throw at her. From flirtatious verses to lines full of self-confidence, it’s clear that the rapper knows how to capture an audience’s attention. People have even called her the reincarnation of the late Princess Diana for her orange perm and charming personality.
Even though Tik Tok helped launch Ice Spice into the mainstream, it’s important to understand the origins of her career, especially as she continues to gain popularity all around the world.
In a recent interview with The Cut, the rapper admitted she always felt like she would be famous, blaming her popular status in school as a telltale sign of her newfound popularity. She said, “Just the way people would treat me, even when it came to school or being out in public, I always felt stared at. When I was at school, I was really one of the most popular people there, so I always felt like, ‘Okay, I could be famous because I’m so popular.’”
The 23-year-old grew up in The Bronx as Isis Gaston. Her rap name derives from her Instagram spam account she made when she was 14. Ice Spice created music for fun as a teenager and didn’t begin releasing music until 2021.
A communications major and volleyball player at SUNY Purchase in Purchase, NY, her first two singles were “Bully Freestyle” and “No Clarity,” Her real breakthrough didn’t happen until last August when the rapper dropped “Munch (Feelin’ U).” The track was so eye-catching that it caught the attention of Drake, who played it on his Sirius XM radio station.
Soon, the song made its way to TikTok, blowing up throughout the end of summer and into the fall. A month later, Ice Spice signed with Capitol Records and worked to create more hits. Releasing “Bikini Bottom” shortly after, the track also blew up all over social media. She included it in her newest EP, “Like…?,” which dropped Jan. 20.
The EP has been widely successful with new tracks such as “In Ha Mood” and her new nickname, “Princess Diana,” solidifying Ice Spice as a serious rapper who is in tune with the current hip-hop trends found around the Internet. The rapper’s new compilation is also a mindset many of her fans have adopted, inspired to live in the mindset that Ice Spice is slowly becoming known for of luxury and self-empowerment.
Now, Ice Spice is only moving up in the mainstream culture, collaborating most recently with alternative hyper-pop artist PinkPantheress on her TikTok famous song, “Boy’s a liar Pt.2,” which was released on Feb. 3. The track has become a beloved favorite by her fanbase; she’s captured the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – in just a mere 45 seconds of the song.
Massing over three million followers on Instagram, Ice Spice has won over the affection of fans and major celebrities. The rapper was recently seen at a Spotify event with artists such as Doja Cat and at Beyoncé’s annual pre-Grammy’s brunch.
Ice Spice is the moment and will most likely be one of 2023’s biggest stars because of her iconic personality and loyal fanbase. She truly knows how to jump on trends and make them even better with her innovative rapping skills and verses.
