Here's Why Ice Spice Allegedly Passed on The 2023 XXL Freshman List
On the heels of a breakout year, fans assumed Ice Spice would be at the top of XXL's annual list.
Ice Spice apparently gave room for other Gen-Z rappers to shine on the 2023 XXL Freshman Class cover. According to TMZ, the Bronx rapper, whose legal name Isis Gaston, reportedly passed on the opportunity due to her stacked festival performance schedule and collaboration requests.
Responding to TMZ’s tweet was XXL editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten, who said “Not really the whole story or given excuse but okay." She also tweeted “lol” in response to a post from RapTV about Gaston’s decline.
GloRilla, Lola Brooke and TiaCorine, comprise the only three women selected featured on this year's list, while Rob49, Luh Tyler, Fridayy, tenth place winner DC the Don, and others filled out the roster for the annual cover.
“Narrowing down over 80 artists this year to 12, these talents have not only been the cream that has risen to the top, but serve as a representation of the current pulse of this year’s sound: inimitable, eclectic, vibe-y, nostalgic and damn good,” XXL wrote about the class picks.
While the ten artists are thriving in their own right, Gatson’s rise to prominence has just begun. On Friday (June 23), the 23-year-old is releasing her second collaboration with Nicki Minaj, titled “Barbie World” as part of the Barbie soundtrack. The two last linked up for the “Princess Diana” remix, and the original appeared on Gaston’s debut EP Like..?
Despite the anticipation for "Barbie World," controversy around the song has surfaced. A co-songwriter on Saweetie’s unreleased “Icy World” has alleged that Minaj “stole” the song from the Bay Area rhymer.