ToIce Spice, hes an icon of hard work and hustle.
(out tomorrow).
I think I learned a lot from that show, Ice says.
He never wanted a day off, even when Mr. Krabs would tell him, Go the fuck home.
Hed be like, No, I need to work.
These days, Ice is sort of the same way.
But he made me feel super comfortable, and it was a smooth shooting day.
Tonight, its a long silky beam of fluorescent orange swimming down the length of her back.
Theres even an exclusive Chia Pet designed around her signature curly orange fro.
We was on the jet like, Wait, Drakes flying us out?
Like,gag, she says.
When we saw him, I was like, Nah, this is crazy.
Hes just casually there.
Theres mad random people around, and hes just, like, blending in somehow.
Ice says shes still hoping to one day work with Drake, whom she counts as a major inspiration.
We talk, but we never really was on some bestie shit, she says.
Hes excited forY2K!,he told me.
Of the recent beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, shes diplomatic: Im a music lover.
So, I appreciate the sport of it I think its really cool.
A superstar Ice does count as a bestie isTaylor Swift, whom she calls her closest celebrity friend.
The two have been pals since they worked together on theremix of Swifts Karmalast year.
And Im thinking its going to be some bad news or something.
Hes like, Taylor Swift has a record for you to get on from her album.
Im playing it cool on the phone.
Im like, Oh, thats cool.
And then I hang up the phone and Im hysterically crying.
Im in my walk-in closet, and Im like, Bro, this is not real life.
Riot definitely filmed it.
Thatll probably be in a documentary one day.
She wanted to be the driver of it.
Which is so rude to me, [because] why would she not want to be my friend?
Taylor fucks with me.
I think our personalities mesh really well.
2, racking up four Grammy nominations and successfully beating the one-hit-wonder allegations in the process.
Some listeners homed in on the tracks minimal lyrics and scatological subject matter.
(Think you the shit?
You not even the fart.)
Its so interesting how that took a turn, Ice tells me.
Thats one thing that I didnt expect.
The first time I introduced Miss Poopie was on [the 2023 track] Deli.
I said: Im the shit, Im that bitch, Im Miss Poopie, right?
It just means I like shitting on bitches, I like shitting on niggas.
Its just what I like to do.
Throughout my entire career, I dont think Ive ever had a moment of strictly praise.
I think, through it all, there was always a lot of hate, she says.
Its for people to make their opinions about you.
Before dinner, I meet Ice Spice at a recording studio in downtown Manhattan to hearY2K!
an album on which Ice proves, once and for all, that shes more than a viral sensation.
She arrives at the studio with her team, all of whom move with graceful precision.
I was just like, OK, guys, I can rap, relax.
I just love the Y2K aesthetics as a whole, how people dressed, she explains.
Thats just my shit.
I would just say its very cunty.
Everybody was like, How can I be the cuntiest?
And I just love that.
Id get in the studio and say the first thing that comes to mind.
For Ice, it all starts with the beat.
When I heard it, I was like, Yeah, she says.
I dont like to have to convince myself of a beat.
I want to feel possessive of the beat.
I want to be like, Nobody can get this.
Like many legendary producer-rapper duos who came before them, Ice and Riot have an unshakable chemistry.
Of course, we bump heads sometimes.
I think all collaborators do, especially when youre working on something so important, Ice says.
Its not like we just were the friendliest ever in the studio.
But we probably have the best working relationship.
The tracks rollout, too, feels uniquely Ice Spice.
It really is hard for me to open up to people.
Its, like, trust issues.
With her packed schedule, there was one thing Ice wasnt able to record.
Im like, Girl, thats the vibe.
Im going to clear it for you.
Dont worry about that, Ice says.
She wanted a brand-new verse.
Ill catch her on the next one.
People were smashing their computers.
I dont know what they thought was going to happen.
My pops was always playing a lot of Jay-Z, 50 Cent.
I feel like all of it has some bang out of influence on me in a way.
Her father even spent some time as an underground rapper.
This is finally happening for you and things are moving, she says.
My dad saw it, and he was like, Is everything OK?
But also, what bang out of fucking cry for help …?
I hate my life, carved into my dresser.
I knew hed fucking see it.
It was just like any other teenager at the time….
It was just a lot.
Ices parents, wary of the activity in the neighborhood, were pretty strict about her going out.
Im literally Rapunzel watching this [violence] happen, she recalls.
And so, Id be on the fourth floor looking down.
A lot of shit like that would happen.
She always knew shed make something more of her life.
And its like theres just this whole self-fulfillment thing.
I never want people to use my vulnerability against me.
Because it really is hard for me to open up to people.
Its, like, trust issues.
Riot cites Ices New York background as the reason shes been able to navigate a quick rise to stardom.
Shes hella strong, bro.
I think its the New York in her.
She used to tell me that in high school she was always the hot topic.
Riot, also a Bronx native, met Ice at SUNY.
And thats when I really heard her for the first time.
Im just like, Bro, Ive never heard nothing like this, ever.
How do I deal with the hate?
I dont give a shit, because I won, bro.
Eventually, shed stop attending school altogether.
Our boss was mad cool.
(In something of a full-circle moment, shes working on merch with the brand now: Its coming.
We have BBC x Ice Spice merch.)
Ice took on a few other jobs, too, namely babysitting.
Thats when we learned theres always more work to do, Riot says.
We were like, Oh, shit, we got to keep going crazy.
We got to do bigger things than this.
Thats how we were feeling.
After weeks of commentary focused on poop, the haters are treated to a triumphantly well-executed live show.
Performing live is something Ice is becomingverygood at, in fact.
She remembers watching awards-show performances on TV growing up: Id be like, Oh, that was awkward.
Why the fuck would they do that?
Why was she looking there?
When youre doing it yourself, youre like, OK, this is a lot.
Theres like 10 different cameras.
There are cues, and everything is just so much, but its fun, though.
At the end of the day, when its over, its fun.
Theres an issue with the wardrobe.
The thing is, Im going to cry before I start yelling, she tells me.
I cant get loud because Im going to start crying.
I literally had to stop talking because I was about to start crying.
I was getting so frustrated.
Its like tears of frustration, its not sadness.
You know what I mean?
I love my job.
So, its crying out of restraint.
When she finally makes her way to the stage to rehearse, I notice just how self-aware Ice is.
Every camera angle, every possible permutation of perception is accounted for.
Everything has to be perfect.
Its a burden typically reserved for women in the public eye, as Ice notes to me later.
Im like, Hasnt there been?
Im pretty sure there has been.
I think there are some going on right now, Ice tells me in her hotel room later.
I just feel like that narrative is so dead.
There are so many rap girls that have just done so many big things simultaneously.
Its not like one or the other.
Theres so many different flavors to choose from now.
And women in rap shouldnt be seen as a monolith.
TakeLatto, whos made hits like Big Energy and traded subtle jabs with Ice Spice in their music.
I feel like if we ever spoke and I asked her Whats the issue?
itd be like a blank stare.
Itd really be no issue whatsoever.
Especially from me, Ice says.
Like, bro, Think U the Shit is from January.
Youre going to post a piece of shit cake to announce something thats good news for you?
Despite rumors to the contrary, Ice says her relationship with Minaj is in a good place.
We dont have the closest relationship, you know?
But were definitely good, she tells me.
We had smash records together.
I love us together.
I think the world does too.
So that was the saddest part really, just feeling used, basically.
Minaj hasnt commented on the leaked messages, and there hasnt been any public rift between the two since.
Shes busy as hell, Ice says.
I dont really think she cares about shit like that coming from a random girl.
But what I said in those texts was just in a moment of frustration around contract negotiations.
I could have chose different words.
More salmon, which she shares with me.
The moment triggered something of an epiphany.
It literally made me sad.
I was just like, Fuck, bro.
When I think about that, it really humbles me and it makes me so grateful.
So when people ask me, Oh, how do you deal with the hate?
I dont give a shit, because I won, bro.
I win at life.
I can only just be grateful for people talking shit, for people supporting me.
Everything that comes with the territory, I can only be grateful for.
Leadman: YUMA SHISHIDO.Art Department Assistant:EDRICK RIVERA.Production Assistance:SYDNEY KAPLAN.Photographed atPIER 59 STUDIOS.
