Ice Spice‘s rap career is taking off, which she knew she wanted after seeing Nicki Minaj. In an interview with XXL, she revealed she had her heart set on becoming an MC after seeing the Queens native.
“When I saw Nicki, I was so mesmerized,” Ice said. “She’s the first female rapper that I seen. And ever since then, I was kinda set on what I wanted to be.”
Ice’s father was a local underground rapper, so her love for music and their videos came at 7 years old. By her freshman year of high school, she’d created her moniker and “definitely started growing into myself way more.”
Ice wrote lyrics on the phone and practiced rapping on instrumentals while playing volleyball, and working as a cashier at Wendy’s and Gap. She tried her hand at college, completing one year at SUNY Purchase. There, she met Bronx-bred producer RiotUSA, with whom she’d work after dropping out during her sophomore year.
Riot produced Ice’s first single, “Bully Freestyle,” which was later listed on Apple Music’s The New New York and fueled her motivation.
She’s since released a few more singles, including “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and “Bikini Bottom,” both of which went viral on TikTok.
“All my siblings tell me how they just see me all over [TikTok’s] For You page,” she tells XXL. “And all their friends be singing my song and stuff. It’s crazy.”
Still, she says she has a lot more she’d like to get done. “I just started my career so I got a long way to go before I’m satisfied,” Ice says. “But I want to be remembered for all the things I didn’t get to do yet.”
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