celebrity

Who is Ice Spice? The woman who is everywhere right now.

It's the name on so many people's lips right now — Ice Spice.

Without any prior context or knowledge, one might think it's the name of a fancy iced chai latte. And I can't blame you.

But in actual fact, Ice Spice is a very popular American rapper who has millions of followers on her socials. She's had songs top the music charts, and is now bumping arms with countless celebs

Now you still may not know who Ice Spice is, but chances are you've heard one of her trending songs while scrolling through an IG Reel or TikTok video.

Watch part of one of Ice Spice's viral songs. Post continues below. 


Video via Ice Spice/PinkPantheress YouTube

Given the news that Ice Spice has collaborated with Taylor Swift on one of her hit songs, (yes details to come below!) we've done the digging into everything to know about Ice Spice.

Funny enough, Ice Spice isn't her real name. 

Ice Spice's real name is Isis Naija Gaston. She grew up in the Bronx in New York and has Nigerian and Dominican heritage. 

She explained to Billboard recently that Ice has been her nickname for a long time, and she simply chose to add Spice to the end "because it rhymes". Plus, the 23-year-old loves hip hop and rap culture, so felt a career in music was the way to go. 

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"Growing up, I would always be Googling 'how to be rich' and sh*t, and careers that paid a lot," she said. "I was wondering whether to be a doctor, or a lawyer, but I just loved music. That's how it fell into place."

She is an absolute gun at all things TikTok.

Part of Ice Spice's rise to fame this year has been her and her team's ability to harness the power of TikTok.

Two of her arguably best-known songs are 'Boy's a liar Pt. 2' and 'in ha mood' — sections of both being used in various social media clips by everyday users, influencers and celebrities. And it's certainly paid off, the rapper having millions of streams on Spotify, as well as recently attending the Met Gala

Ice Spice and Taylor Swift have collaborated together on 'Karma'. 

This week as part of her juggernaut concert tour, Taylor Swift performed a new remix of her hit song 'Karma' on stage — alongside none other than Ice Spice.

The performance was an immediate hit with the audience, and the song was officially released on the same day as part of Swift's album Mignights (The Til Dawn Edition). Ice Spice has a verse in the song where she raps. 

Reflecting on the opportunity, Ice Spice said to Taylor Swift in an Instagram post: "Thxx for being the coolest person on earth I love you."

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Per the Hollywood Reporter, Swift said it was Ice Spice who reached out to her for a collaboration opportunity. But Swift said that at the time she received that message, she in fact was "listening to pretty much exclusively just her music every single day".

"I just not only fell in love with her but just decided she's the entire future. I've been around so many artists and so many artists that are starting out, but I've never been around someone who is that prepared and curious and focused on what she wants. So I was absolutely blown away," Swift said at the concert.

Interestingly though, the song has been swept up in backlash, in relation to Swift's rumoured relationship with The 1975 lead vocalist Matt Healy. 

Healy previously appeared on a podcast where racist comments were made in reference to Ice Spice. The podcast episode was subsequently removed from Spotify and Apple Music following criticism. 

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Healy apologised to Ice Spice for his role in the podcast. He said during a concert of his that he "felt a bit bad".

"I'm kind of a bit sorry if I've offended you. It's not because I'm annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. It's because I don't want Ice Spice to think that I'm a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I'm so sorry."

Some fans of Ice Spice and Swift have since suggested Swift's decision to collaborate on the song with Ice Spice could be a PR move and a way to protect Healy from further controversy. Alas, it's just speculation at this stage, with Ice Spice herself yet to comment on the matter. 

The Kardashians love Ice Spice. 

Look, this isn't the be-all-and-end-all in terms of how much social currency a person has, but it surely counts for something when one of the world's most influential families can't get enough of you.

@kimandnorth

🧊🌶️

♬ Ac r7sheed - rhy 🎸🍃 🕸️

Earlier this year, Kim Kardashian invited Ice Spice to her home.

They filmed a bunch of TikToks, particularly Ice Spice dancing or lip-synching alongside Kim's daughter North and her young friends. North who is nine, also dressed up as Ice Spice for one of the TikTok videos, fit with lots of bling, matching tracksuit and red permed wig. 

In April, Ice Spice then featured in Kim's new Skims campaign. 

Image: TikTok/Instagram.

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Her necklace is just as iconic as she is.

Lastly, can we just have a moment for her necklace... ICONIC.

She has worn it a bunch recently, and the necklace has become quite synonymous with her brand. The rapper also wore it on stage with Taylor Swift at her recent concert. Given the amount of eyeballs on that event, it's certainly a smart PR move. 

The pendant is about the size of a baseball, is covered in giant diamonds and is an animated version of Ice Spice's face. In case you're wondering, those diamonds are in fact real. Estimates for the price of the necklace stand at a cool US $100,000.

She recently said on a podcast that this piece of jewellery is the most she has ever spent on a single item, saying "I'm going to be wearing it every day".

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Image: Instagram.

Simply put — Ice Spice is a bit of a Gen Z legend.

And if she already has the likes of Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift backing her, her profile is only going to get bigger and better from here. 

Feature Image: Instagram @icespice/Getty/Mamamia.

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