Track Review: Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj, ‘Princess Diana’

From the release of Like…? — her debut EP — to the global success of “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” (with Pinkpantheress), 2023 has been the year of Ice Spice. Her laidback charisma and knack for sticky pop-drill hooks have helped her become the world’s favorite new female rapper, dubbed the "Princess Diana of Gen Z” by her legions of fans on TikTok. In a move that reads as equal parts coronation and corporate strategy, Ice Spice has joined forces with Nicki Minaj for the remix of “Princess Diana."

Complete with a new verse from the “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” rapper, this updated version of “Princess Diana” finds Nicki crowning Ice Spice as the Princess of Rap while she assumes the role of a street-fighting trainer. The Queens rapper announces her presence on the remix by yelling out “Heavy On It,” transforming the song from a run-of-the-mill remix to the first official release of Heavy On It Records — Nicki Minaj’s new record label with which Ice Spice is now partnered. She completes her intro with standard shoutouts to her hometown (“New York, stand the fuck up!”), before invoking Ice Spice’s name and dropping her voice a few octaves to growl “finish ‘em” in a tone akin to a Mortal Kombat voiceover. From there, “Princess Diana” remains largely unchanged from its original version. Once Nicki’s ad-libs reemerge in the chorus, however, “Princess Diana” morphs into one of Nicki’s strongest guest verses in recent memory.

“Nowadays, I be makin' 'em famous / She the princess, so fuck who you lames is,” the “Do We Have A Problem” rapper spits. She simultaneously reemphasizes the importance of her co-sign and officially crowns Ice Spice as the Princess to her Queen. It’s a strong verse, rife with similes that further round out the song’s general Princess Diana metaphor (“They burned they London Bridges / none of them bitches British”) as well as the gaming metaphor that grounds her sensei-esque character (“Of course, I be pushin' they buttons / I hold the control like the gamers”). In fact, Nicki’s performance on this verse — from the clarity of her diction to her ability to add different colors and layers to her lyrics through rapping in different registers of her voice — reminds us of just how skilled she is. Unfortunately, this makes for a dynamic that exposes just how much Ice Spice has to work on as an emcee. Nonetheless, the two rappers share a devil-may-care disposition that makes their somewhat unlikely union one of the strongest collaborations of the year. Also, with Nicki giving her own take on the song’s earworm chorus, she really drives home how undeniable that hook is.

Perhaps one of the most surprising and important collaborations of the year so far, “Princess Diana (Remix)” is great, which only makes its politics — and possible ramifications — even more interesting.

Vote for Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj at the 2023 Bulletin Awards.

Score: 77