Review: Ice Spice, ‘Like…? (Deluxe)'

Deluxe Review

As we approach the one-year anniversary of “Munch (Feelin’ U),” it feels almost fantastical to reflect on just how quickly Ice Spice’s star has risen since the Bronx rapper’s drill smash took over the Internet. In the time since “Munch,” Ice has earned four top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with one of them being a Taylor Swift collab, two of them being linkups with fellow New York rap queen Nicki Minaj, and the other being a top contender for next year’s Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy (PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2”). Her Like..? EP also housed several solo hits, including “In Ha Mood” and “Bikini Bottom.” Now, to keep the momentum going, Ice has delivered a deluxe edition of her debut EP — so a debut album that skirts the pressure of a traditional debut by arriving under a different name.

The expanded edition of Like..? features three new solo songs — “Deli,” “Butterfly Ku,” and “How High” — as well as her months-old On the Radar freestyle and the Minaj remix of “Princess Diana.” Each of the new additions to the EP, particularly the solo ones, expands the ethos and brand of Ice Spice in smart ways. “Deli,” the breakout single from the deluxe tracks, uses a haunting house beat to expand Ice’s pocket of drill fusions. While her peers tend to keep drill either close to its brooding origins or bring it straight to sample-heavy R&B/pop crossover attempts, “Deli” carries drill into the ballroom. A few levels shy of a proper vogue battle-ready house track, “Deli’s” ominous synths provide the perfect foundation for Ice to deliver her trademark Ice Spice-isms (“She a baddie, she showin’ her panty”) and try out some uniquely comedic lines (“I'm the shit, I'm that bitch, I'm Miss Poopie”). From the droning sirens in the background to the slap sound effects, this is easily the most commanding beat Ice has ever ridden.

There’s also “How High,” a lighter dream-pop-adjacent number that finds Ice taking a more narrative-driven approach to her songwriting. She mulls over her compatibility with her current man and questions his devotion to her over an airy, synth-laden instrumental reminiscent of Doja Cat and The Weeknd’s most pop-leaning moments. Pink Friday’s DNA is coursing through “How High”; the song feels like less of a jingle to promote the Ice Spice brand and more of a fully realized song with a dynamic structure. On “Butterfly Ku,” the new addition that is most sonically in line with the rest of the standard EP, Ice continues her penchant for introducing her own personal and regional lingo to global audiences. She nods to the rich convergence of anime and hip-hop by blending her unbothered pretty girl energy with the constant vigilance of Goku for a track that is certain to yield several Instagram captions. There are more teases of drill and Jersey club here, but RiotUSA employs them in a less brash way that pairs well with the lightness of Ice’s tone.

While her lyricism is still largely redundant, there is enough sonic variety here — particularly in the way that she plays with her intonation and the weight of her voice — to keep people interested in the music. What Ice lacks in rap ability and lyrical prowess, she makes up for in her clear vision and mostly seamless execution. She makes it clear what we’re going to get from her, and she delivers exactly that.

Original Review

Few artists have gone from negligible public recognition to dominating the cultural conversation as quickly and as effortlessly as Ice Spice. With a ginger fro that has drawn comparisons to Annie and Cabbage Patch Dolls, irresistible “emotes,” and an attitude that perfectly toes the line between nonchalant and bashful flirtatiousness, The Bronx rapper has emerged as the unlikely new princess of the genre in just a few short months.

Dubbed our (meaning Gen Z’s) “Princess Diana” by a fanbase that has swiftly grown from devout TikTok disciples to the general public, Ice Spice is as skilled at crafting earworm hooks as she is at understanding and harnessing the power of Internet trends. Her debut EP owes its title to her now signature adlib, “like.” What was once a filler word detested by Gen Z’s elders has now become equal parts punctuation mark and warning to shut up when Ice Spice is talking. When she adds “like” to the end of a phrase like “how can I lose when I’m already chose,” Spice is just ever-so-slightly irritated that we can’t see how obvious and rhetorical her question is. That line, which opens “Bikini Bottom,” funnels New York’s trademark bravado into a less obvious host. Spice isn’t the girl in the back munching on hot fries and lounging in Cookie Monster pajama bottoms, she’s the girl that runs the school with nothing more than some lip gloss and an Arizona. And maybe she has a pen on her, but only ever one.

Drill, the current sound of New York, is the dominant influence on Like…? Nearly every track is built around stuttering snares and booming 808s. Nonetheless, Spice and RiotUSA, the EP’s executive producer, smartly shy away from the more sinister undertones of drill and instead opt for soundscapes that highlight the airiness of her delivery. “In Ha Mood,” the EP’s opening track, finds the pair settling on a mixture of New York drill and Jersey club, melding the unbothered nature of the song’s lyrics with the braggadocio that courses through hook. It’s an effective opener that deftly sets up the Ice Spice Universe. She’s the round-the-way girl who’s really just worried about herself, her business, and her success. When it’s time, she'll throw shots when needed, as she does on “Princess Diana” and “Actin A Smoochie,” but why waste time doing that when you can bask in being a baddie with your baddie friends?

When Spice isn’t trying on the infectious bounce of Jersey club beats, she delivers a formidable entry into the admittedly shaky drill-pop lexicon. From Pop Smoke’s masterful “Something Special” to Fivio Foreign’s overly self-aware “City of Gods,” drill-pop isn’t the most consistent subgenre of New York drill. With “Gangsta Boo,” a flirtatious collaboration with fellow Bronx native Lil Tjay, Spice dances around an “I Need a Girl” sample. The track bridges two eras of New York rap while simultaneously allowing Spice to take on a lane that’s markedly different from the scores of female rappers who are bold and brash in their sexual proclamations. “A baddie gon' get what she like / So what's your sign 'cause I like you? / Got a place we can stay for the night but I'm too shy to invite you,” she raps. Her confidence coexists with her coyness, and that’s what makes the Ice Spice brand so refreshing.

Branding, more so than music-making, is currently Ice Spice's greatest strength. There’s a strong case to be made that she’s the artist to best understand the Internet since Lil Nas X exploded with “Old Town Road.” “Princess Diana” and “Bikini Bottom” are titles that are equally the products of her fans’ online conversations and Spice’s own artistry. The entire EP, which houses six tracks in total, clocks in at just over 13 minutes. The songs are perfectly tailored to the snippet culture of the TikTok generation that boosted her to fame. Even the EP’s artwork, with its pussy grab pose and Poi & Keely-designed character, nods to how Spice’s natural charm has spawned several trends across social media platforms. Nothing feels forced and everything feels effortless simply because her artistry is intrinsically tied to her relationship with and understanding of the Internet. By the time the project closes with “Munch,” one of last year’s defining songs of the summer, the track feels like a well-deserved victory lap.

While her debut EP is filled with enjoyable moments and indisputably catchy tunes, Ice Spice’s redundant flows and rudimentary lyrics expose how little time she has had to hone her craft before being thrust into the center of music’s mainstream. When the project is at its clunkiest, it’s difficult not to think of how colorism has allowed Ice Spice to accrue so much notoriety and cultural capital with music that pales in comparison to that of her darker-skinned peers. Nonetheless, the EP is held together by how utterly unique her take on drill is, and how self-assured she sounds in this liminal space of ominous hi-hats and kooky samples. Ice Spice hit every mark that she needed to with this EP; she’s cemented the fact that she’s not a one-hit-wonder while also reminding us that she’s more than a few catchphrases and emotes. With ample room to grow and a strong foundation in her partnership with RiotUSA, Like introduces an artist that will continue to flip hip-hop on its head in the most endearing and entertaining ways possible.

Vote for Ice Spice at the 2023 Bulletin Awards.

Key Tracks: “Gangsta Boo (with Lil Tjay)” | “Princess Diana” | “Bikini Bottom”

Score: 60

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