Ice Spice: Is There Substance Behind The Hype?
After dropping her major label debut, what’s the verdict on the Bronx rapper’s young career?
Ice Spice definitely gets people talking. And not just the pundits you’d expect—she’s sparked intense reactions from commentators as randomly wide-ranging as hip-hop godmother Nikki D to standup comic Godfrey. Her outfits, stage performance, lyrical bonafides, a beef with a certain rapper from the Atlanta area — it’s all come under scrutiny as her star has risen.
From the moment her breakout single “Munch” became a viral sensation, the Bronx-born star has been the subject of constant scrutiny. She’s praised as an upstart as much as she’s criticized as a one-trick pony. She’s either part of a brash new wave or a harbinger of hip-hop’s nadir — depending on who you ask. With her new album Y2K! finally out and generating reactions, everybody has an opinion on Ice Spice.
Obviously, this isn’t new. There is a laundry list of artists who have been branded “the problem” with rap music at any given moment; the backlash against Iggy Azalea’s appropriative posturing; the handwringing over what the major label signing of Trinidad James “meant” just a few years earlier; the genuine fear that accompanied Chief Keef becoming a household name with music born of the all-too-real violence in Chicago — Ice Spice is the latest in a long line of polarizing rap stars.
It’s almost taken for granted that Y2K! is a thoroughly enjoyable project. A sonically dark set of bubblegum drill, Spice’s seductive shit-talking persona takes center stage. “Phat Butt” starts things here — singles like “Phat Butt” and “U the Shit (Fart)” set the table for Y2K!’s style and feel; with highlights like the Sean Paul-flipping “Gimme the Light” and the Gunna-featuring “Bitch I’m Packin” serving as Fordham-on-a-Friday anthems.
This set isn’t made for 50 year old Wu-Tang fans — and that should be ok. Ice Spice’s perspective and experience speak to a generation of bodega girls. And they deserve their hero.
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