Ice Spice

**Isis Naija Gaston** (born January 1, 2000), professionally known as **Ice Spice**, is an American rapper. She grew up in the Bronx, New York City, and began her career in 2021 after meeting record producer RIOTUSA while attending State University of New York at Purchase.

Ice Spice rose to prominence in late 2022 with her song "Munch (Feelin' U)", which achieved viral popularity on TikTok. She followed it up with singles "Bikini Bottom" and "In Ha Mood", leading up to her debut extended play, *Like..?* (2023). She achieved her first entry on the US *Billboard* Hot 100 chart with the Lil Tjay collaboration "Gangsta Boo". Her remix singles "Boy's A Liar Pt. 2" (with PinkPantheress) and "Princess Diana" (with Nicki Minaj) have charted within the top five of the Hot 100, and her remix of "Karma" by Taylor Swift was released on May 26, 2023.

Music journalists have noted Ice Spice's relaxed rapping style as unique. Publications such as *The New York Times* and *Billboard* have dubbed her as "rap's new princess". She was described as a "breakout star" by *Time*.

## Early Life

Isis Gaston was born on January 1, 2000, in the Bronx, New York City, where she was raised in the Fordham Road neighborhood. She is the oldest of five siblings. Her father, a former underground rapper, is African-American, while her mother, who gave birth to Gaston at age 17, is Dominican. The two first met at a McDonald's and divorced when Gaston was two years old.

Because her parents were frequently busy working, she spent much of her time with her grandparents and cousins growing up. She went to school in the Bronx until she was sent to Sacred Heart High School, a Catholic high school in Yonkers. At age seven, she took a liking to hip hop after listening to rappers like Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, and others and wrote poetry and freestyle raps from elementary school to high school. In an interview with *Billboard*, Ice explained that she grew up listening to the likes of Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Wu-Tang Clan because her father's rap background. She would type out lyrics in the Notes app of her iPhone, listening to hip-hop instrumentals and rapping out loud to them. "When I saw Nicki [Minaj], I was so mesmerized," Ice Spice explained. "She's the first female rapper that I seen [sic]. And ever since then, I was kinda set on what I wanted to be." She chose Ice Spice as her stage name while she was a freshman in high school.

Ice Spice attended State University of New York at Purchase, where she played back row on the school's volleyball team and studied communications. Ice Spice dropped out of SUNY Purchase around her sophomore year. "I left because I felt like I was in the wrong place." Ice Spice also attributed her "strenuous commute" for leaving college.

Ice Spice is the eldest sister to five siblings, and told *The Cut* she was their self-appointed protector. She supported herself as a cashier at Wendy's and The Gap. She identifies as queer, as explained in an interview with Genius about her song "Bikini Bottom".

## Career

Ice Spice started rapping in 2021 after meeting with a record producer, RIOTUSA, while they were attending State University of New York at Purchase. He produced her debut song, "Bully Freestyle", released in March 2021 after a video of Ice Spice doing the "Buss It" challenge went viral on Twitter.

Her song "Name Of Love" gained traction on SoundCloud, which led to her becoming popular on Instagram. Her song "Munch (Feelin' U)", released on August 10, 2022, with a video, and also produced by RIOTUSA and distributed by WorldStarHipHop, gained popularity after getting support from Drake, who played the song on his Sirius XM radio station, Sound 42. It subsequently went viral on Twitter and TikTok, and charted on *Billboard*'s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts. In September 2022, Ice Spice appeared as a featured artist on the song "One Time" by B-Lovee. Later that month, she signed a record deal with 10K Projects and Capitol Records. On October 28, she released the single "Bikini Bottom". Ice Spice's debut EP, *Like..?*, was released on January 20, 2023, and included the singles "Munch (Feelin' U)", "Bikini Bottom", and "In Ha Mood".

In February 2023, Ice Spice collaborated with Lil Tjay on the tribute single "Gangsta Boo" to the late rapper of the same name, which became her first song on the *Billboard* Hot 100 at No. 82. On February 3, 2023, the remix of singer PinkPantheress's song, "Boy's A Liar Pt. 2" featuring Ice Spice and the corresponding music video were released. The song peaked at No. 3 on the *Billboard* Hot 100, the highest charting position for either artist at the time. In April 2023, she released the remix of "Princess Diana" with Nicki Minaj. The song peaked at number four on the Hot 100, earning Ice Spice her second top-ten hit on the chart and the twenty second top-ten hit for Minaj. On May 24, 2023, a remix of Taylor Swift's "Karma" featuring Ice Spice, was announced for release on May 26, 2023. The remix is a bonus track on the special editions of Swift's tenth studio album, *Midnights* (2022). A music video for the remix, featuring Swift and Ice Spice, was released on May 27. *Pitchfork* described 2023 as the breakout year of Ice Spice.