From zero to a hundred thousand, without even having time to catch my breath. Such is the story of Ice Spice, a twenty-three-year-old boy from the Bronx who exploded with elementary but effective expressions. drill which made converts among American teenagers.
Growth was, to put it mildly, dizzying; intrusive and cheeky chorus “Munch (Feelin’ U)” entered TikTok’s rotation in August 2022, and was eventually noticed by Drake as well. This was followed by an uninterrupted string of singles, successful remix performances by PinkPantheress and Taylor Swift, and two songs with Nicki Minaj – one of which was written specifically for the event’s soundtrack.monster Barbie movie of the year. They even wanted to see her as the last guest on the red carpet of the Met Gala, where she arrived on a sprint upset and poorly dressed, but on the other hand, the girl did not even have time to learn how to stay on stage, not to mention how to enter the finicky mechanisms of the world fashion. In fact, just twelve months later, Ice Spice has amassed a massive following on social media and 44 million listeners on Spotify. The current version of his debut EP Like..? this is the third album after the first release in January, dubbed “Deluxe”, which includes another addition to the tracks.
The secret of this success? Difficult to establish with certainty. The rap scene of recent years has shown to be both long-legged and short-memory, with a deafening hodgepodge of first and last names jumping in and out of a moving train with no apparent succession solution, thanks in part to the record industry, which is currently facing a crisis. such rates of consumption.
For its part, Ice Spice is recognized flow a park of virtuosity and color, not to mention flat, but at the same time frank and understandable even outside the sphere of influence of African-American vernacular. The rest is done by the creations of my colleague at RiotUSA, a skilled digital matter manipulator who synthesizes and drains hot spirits here. drill with dark sample Middle East (“Bikini Bottom”), slag bass (“On the radar”) and velvety stilettos trap (“Gangsta Boo”). Some confused millennials will be able to find bridges with old MIA & Diplo work, but it’s worth noting the general non-aggression on the part dance floor in favor of a more disturbing and detached approach.
Topics covered are fairly common at the moment: butad youth, skazzi with enemies, money, parties and ass in the wind. Some of the insults are fun, of course, starting with the aforementioned “Munch (Feelin’ U)”, which gets stuck in your head on first listen (and which, thanks to the growing use of artificial intelligence, someone online saw fit to make Michael “sing” Jackson too: The results are crazy). Street vulgarity is also in abundance on the heavy “In Ha Mood” and another single “Deli” – the latter contains a bold rhyme between cookie (a word for women’s parts) and… pajamas designed by Emilio Pucci.
However, there is room for soft digital scores of “Butterfly Ku” and “How High?”, two moments that come closest to her friends PinkPantheress and Shygirl’s current British production flair – just enough to enrich the listening experience without distorting the sound. origin of the Bronx.
Even with eleven tracks, “Like..? (Deluxe)” does not exceed twenty-five minutes in length, billing itself as lean and lively listening, but slightly improvised and situational, just like the short format that works best with TikTok commands.
What will happen to Ice Spice in a few months? Will he be included in the official album or will he continue to complement this EP indefinitely? Will he be able to perfect his stage demeanor to formally present himself to the general public, or will he remain a fleeting meteor? Perhaps it’s too early to talk about it. But it should be noted that thanks to the Web, the world of female rap is now teeming with names on every corner and in every neighborhood, after the success of Doja Cat, the road to crowning a new sensation in the ranks is open. main stream. Of all of them, Ice Spice currently flies closest to the radar. Let’s hope it doesn’t burn out right away.
09.02.2023