In January, the 23-year-old Bronx native (born Isis Gaston) released her six-track debut EP, Like..?, which features tracks that became viral hits on TikTok and beyond, thanks to their unabashedly cocky lyrics about confidence and self-love, such as “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and “Bikini Bottom.” “I’ve always been a baddie, and I’ve always been infatuated with other baddies,” says Spice, “so I wanted to emulate that and make other people feel that way too.”
Spice first released music—the singles “Bully Freestyle” and “No Clarity”—in 2021, shortly after meeting the producer RIOTUSA, known as Riot, while they were students at the State University of New York at Purchase. The two have worked together ever since, with Spice writing all of her own lyrics and Riot executive producing. “I’m open to working with writers at some point when the time is right, but right now, I’m sticking to what got me here in the first place,” she says. “That’s me being creative in the studio with Riot. We just cook up bops, we make vibes; I try not to think too hard and just really have fun.”
As one of few women in drill, a subgenre of hip-hop that combines trap-influenced beats and gangsta rap–style lyrics, Spice is adamant about pushing boundaries. “I feel like I’m bringing a new sound to people that they haven’t really heard before, being one of the few girls to bring drill to a mainstream level,” she says, naming Pop Smoke as one of New York’s leading artists within the genre. “It’s refreshing and fun—I’m really enjoying it.”
While a full-length album is on the way (“It’s definitely cooking up right now, but I’m not promising any dates”), Spice is currently relishing the success of Like..?. “The response to my EP has been like a big warm hug from everybody that’s consuming the project,” she says. “I’m so proud of it and how fun it was to make, and I can tell that right now, this is an era I’m always going to cherish.”
For this issue, Spice curated a playlist with the theme of reinvention, choosing artists whose creativity and vision she admires. Along with Azealia Banks’s energy-boosting “F**k Up the Fun,” which she listens to for an energy boost, she included her favorite feel-good shower song, “Shirt” by SZA, along with “Make Me Proud” by Drake and Nicki Minaj. “It’s a classic for me,” she says of the last track. “I grew up listening to them, and they’re huge inspirations.”
Listen to Ice Spice’s playlist exclusively on Apple Music.
