Ice Spice Will Be Featured On Taylor Swift's New Deluxe Album, And 15 Other Facts That'll Make Her Your New Fave

    I know you're dying to know more about that lady with the orange afro puff all over your news feed.

    Mychal Thompson
    by Mychal Thompson

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Hot Topic
    🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Taylor Swift

    We're living in the era of the internet's hottest rapper, Ice Spice.

    Closeup of Ice Spice
    Aaron J. Thornton / WireImage

    And speaking of eras, Taylor Swift revealed that Ice will be featured on a new version of "Karma" from the deluxe version of Midnights (Til Dawn Edition). So, there's no doubt in my mind she's an icon, legend, and the moment

    Um. SO much to tell you. I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch. So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights… pic.twitter.com/OaRrHBWTUw

    — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 24, 2023
    "Um. SO much to tell you. I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch. So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) deluxe album," Taylor wrote on May 24.

    Swifties and Ice Spice fans unite because the new song drops at midnight!

    Myke Thompson / Via tiktok.com

    This is physical proof that I'm on team Ice Spice for life.

    Hot Topic
    Think you’re Blondie’s biggest fan? Put your ~reputation~ to the test.
    See our Taylor Swift Discussions

    And, if you're new to the fandom — here are 15 facts about Ice Spice that everyone should know:

    1. Her government name is closer to Ice Spice than you may think. The 23-year-old rapper's real name is Isis Naija Gaston.

    Closeup of Ice Spice
    Scott Dudelson / Getty Images

    2. She is Afro-Latina. According to an interview with Audiomack, Ice Spice's father is a Nigerian-American underground rapper, and her mother is Dominican.

    Closeup of Ice Spice
    Raymond Hall / GC Images

    3. Ice Spice is from "the block," like J.Lo and Cardi B. She is from the Bronx in New York City, and she is the oldest of five children.

    Axelle / FilmMagic, Robert Smith / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images, Raymond Hall / GC Images

    4. Believe it or not, her love for spicy food is her namesake. In an interview with Elle, she revealed the meaning behind her very trendy stage name. "I chose Ice Spice because it literally rhymes," she said. "Plus, I love spicy food. I put hot sauce on everything."

    Closeup of Ice Spice
    @ELLE / Via youtu.be

    5. She went to college. In an interview with Erykah Badu and her daughter, Puma, the Bronx rapper shared how she briefly attended the State University of New York at Purchase, where she studied Communications and played volleyball.

    Closeup of Ice Spice
    Steven Simione / FilmMagic

    6. She first linked up with "stop playing with 'em Riot" producer RIOTUSA in college. In the same interview, the Bronx rapper shared how she met RIOTUSA at SUNY Purchase. Together they produced her debut single, 'Bully Freestyle,' in March 2021.

    7. Her rap style is more popular than you may think. The beats you hear on Ice Spice's tracks and her lyrical flow are part of a popular rap style known as drill music.

    Arik Mazur / Getty Images, Prince Williams / WireImage

    The technique was popularized in metropolitan areas like Chicago and New York. Many tracks you hear on TikTok are a form of drill music. While trendy, the style has not survived without controversy, sometimes considered an instigator of violence, most notably with the deaths of rappers Pop Smoke and King Von.

    8. Drake's shoutouts helped her hit single 'Munch (Feelin' U)' gain more attention. Ice told Complex, “[Drake] complimenting ‘Munch’ brought even more attention to me and the song. It feels like all the hard work being put in is starting to pay off. My goal is to collab with Drake, as well as artists in the drill scene and beyond."

    Closeup of Ice Spice
    Lexie Moreland / WWD via Getty Images

    Drake originally featured the song on his SiriusXM channel Sound 42 Radio.

    9. The first time she went viral was during a 2021 TikTok challenge. While in college at SUNY Purchase, she participated in the Erica Banks #BussItChallenge on TikTok. The 15-second video received over 3 million views.

    Ice Spice ☆ @icespicee_

    #BussItChallenge 🙈

    Reply Retweet Favorite
    Twitter: @icespicee_

    10. She had the best response to people claiming she was an industry plant. She told Audiomack, "I don’t really care, ‘cause I know what it is. I know what it took to get me here, and I know how much work I’m putting in. I also feel like when they say stuff like that, they don’t really mean it."

    Ice Spice
    Johnny Nunez / WireImage

    "I truly feel like they know I’m not a plant. I think they just say stuff like that ‘cause they’re mad that I’m going up faster than their fave. … If anything, I would say stream your fave more."

    11. She's new to the scene, and she already has some of the hottest collaborations in the game, including remixes to "Princess Diana" with Nicki Minaj plus "Karma" with Taylor Swift — and the latter is already sparking some controversy.

    Ice Spice in a crowd
    Lexie Moreland / WWD via Getty Images

    She's manifesting her career, because, in Oct 2022, she told Billboard, "I'm inspired by Nicki [Minaj], Lil' Kim, Cardi B. All of the greats. I'm definitely inspired by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. But I definitely want to, like, have my own lane. Where, like, it's just, it's mine. And not like really copying somebody," she said.

    12. Ice Spice is sexually fluid. During an interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1, she said she was always attracted to dating "good boys... and girls," and she's looking for a gangster boo to hold her down.

    Closeup of Ice Spice
    @AppleMusic / Via youtu.be

    13. Of course, her fandom already has a nickname. In the same fashion Lady Gaga has Monsters and Beyoncé has the Beyhive, Ice Spice fans have dubbed themselves "Spice Cabinets."

    Ice Spice ☆ @icespicee_

    i loveeee my spice cabinets or whatever tf ya callin yourselves 😂❤️💅🏆

    Reply Retweet Favorite
    Twitter: @icespicee_

    14. Her debut EP, with all the favorite hits, came out in January 2023. According to Rolling Stone, Ice's six-track debut project Like...? dropped earlier this year, and peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 and No. 19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

    15. And lastly, "Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2" with PinkPantheress became a viral hit before the song even dropped. The collaboration started to go viral before the song was released because of several fan videos of the duo filming the music video in New York City.

    View this video on YouTube
    @ponies721 / Via youtube.com

    Once the actual song was released, the remix reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was used in over a million TikTok videos.

    What do you like about Ice Spice? Let's talk about her in the comments.

    Hot Topic
    🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Taylor Swift
    We see you lurking 👀
    Join a Taylor Swift conversation instead.
    See the Discussions