Ice Spice had us all feeling her when she came beating down the blocks of the Bronx straight through the Bluetooth speakers in our bedrooms a couple of years ago. At only 24, the New York native has mastered merging mainstream pop with drill rap like we’ve never quite seen before. From her signature ginger-colored hair to her laid-back, never-have-to-try-too-hard appeal, it goes without saying that she’s one of a kind.
Ice Spice’s Rise Explored: Before the Fame
Born Isis Naija Gaston, Spice entered the world on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2000, to a Dominican mother, Charina Almanzar, and a Nigerian-American father, Joseph Gaston. The celebrated artist grew up in the Fordham Road neighborhood of the Bronx. According to research, Spice’s parents met and formed a relationship while working at McDonald’s but later split when their daughter was young. However, she has since maintained a healthy bond with both, and they’ve each played a pivotal role in who she is today.
Spice’s musical aspirations came from watching her father, Mr. Gaston, a local underground rapper who ran with the likes of DJ Doo Wop in New York City. In a 2023 interview with media personality Ebro, she bragged about how supportive her parents have always been–even down to her father (who now reportedly works in real estate) pushing her to spit bars for him before class.
Influenced by hip-hop icons like Lil’ Kim and Nicki Minaj, it wasn’t long before Spice picked up her pen and pursued the art on a serious tip. At 14, she began using the moniker ‘Ice Spice’ when choosing a username for her Finsta account. Spice said in a sit-down with Shade 45’s Superstar Jay that it came together after she found something to rhyme with her nickname, ‘Ice.’
Spice graduated from Sacred Heart High School (Yonkers, New York) in 2018. As for her siblings, she’s said to be the oldest of 5. There isn’t much solid information about them, but we do know that she has a brother, Joey — who’s a rising model and athlete — and a few sisters. She’s seemingly close to all of them.
So… How Did Ice Spice Get Famous?
Spice attended college at SUNY Purchase, where she played volleyball and majored in Communications. There, she met her now-producer, Riot, the man behind her celebrated sound. Today, you’ll often hear the notable tagline “STOP PLAYING WITH ‘EM, RIOT” at the beginning of her songs, voiced by Spice herself.
“We just clicked,” she said elsewhere in the interview with Ebro last year. “He was just sending me like beats over time. ‘Cause I would like rap. Like… I was just [doing] little freestyles, little dumb sh*t. And he would just like be like, ‘Oh, you should rap. Da da da da da.’ Like, on some serious sh*t.”
After Spic — who’s documented to have worked at Wendy’s and even The Gap store before her big break — dropped out of college in 2020, she decided to focus on her artistry. She went viral for participating in fellow raptress Erica Banks’ infamous “Buss It” challenge on TikTok in 2021 and saw it as an opportunity to capitalize on the moment.
From her debut, “Bully Freestyle,” to “No Clarity,” which both released in 2021, nothing quite compared to the stardom she saw when “Munch (Feelin’ U) hit the scene in 2022. Her relaxed flow with a level of up-north sass stole the eyes and ears of many around the globe. The single became an overnight phenomenon on TikTok and even received a co-sign from Drake. “Munch (Feelin’ U) peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s ‘US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles’ and garnered so much commercial success that it went certified gold.
Four-time Grammy nominee Spice continued her not-too-hardcore, sharp-tongued style on her breakout EP, Like..?, which spawned the massive, chart-topping bops “Bikini Bottom,” “In Ha Mood,” and “Gangsta Boo,” featuring Lil Tjay, which made Billboard Hot 100, “Princess Diana,” and “Deli.” A remix to “Princess Diana” followed, featuring the honorable Nicki Minaj, and reached 4 on Billboard Hot 100, marking Spice’s second ‘Top 10’ song on the charts. It is now certified platinum, along with “Deli.”
Who Is She Signed To?
The VMA winner signed with 10K Projects in a joint venture with Capitol Records in 2022.
Her freshman album, Y2K!, which includes the preceding songs “Phat Butt,” “Think You the S**t (Fart),” and “Gimmie a Light,” dropped in July 2024.
There have long been theories that Spice is an industry plant due to how fast her career took off. If you don’t know, the term “industry plant” generally refers to individuals believed to have been manufactured by the music industry and its connections to generate inorganic reach and revenue.
Well, that’s all for Ice Spice’s rise explored, folks. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
