Isis Naija Gaston (born January 1, 2000), known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, she embarked on her musical career while studying at college in 2021 after meeting producer RiotUSA.
Ice Spice first gained major recognition in late 2022 with her song "Munch (Feelin' U)", which achieved viral popularity on TikTok. After signing with 10K Projects in a joint venture with Capitol Records, she released the follow-up singles "Bikini Bottom" and "In Ha Mood" in promotion for her debut extended play (EP), Like..? (2023). The EP contained the Billboard Hot 100-charting song "Gangsta Boo" (featuring Lil Tjay), spawned the single "Princess Diana" (with Nicki Minaj), and contained the single "Deli" on its deluxe edition. She saw further mainstream success with her collaborative singles that same year; "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" (with PinkPantheress), "Karma" (with Taylor Swift), and "Barbie World" (with Nicki Minaj and Aqua) each peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, making Ice Spice the first rapper to release four songs which did so that year. Her 2024 single, "Think U the Shit (Fart)" is preceding the release of her forthcoming debut studio album, Y2K.
Music journalists have noted Ice Spice's relaxed rapping style. In 2023, Time described her as a "breakout star". Billboard has dubbed her "rap's new princess". She has been honored with the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, the People’s Choice Award for "New Artist of the Year" and the Impact Award from the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, as well as nominations for four Grammy Awards including Best New Artist.
She made her musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live on October 14, 2023, which is the season premiere of Season 49 of Saturday Night Live, hosted by former longtime cast member Pete Davidson; which coincidentally, was the first episode for new cast member Chloe Troast. She performed her two songs "In Ha Mood" for her first set and "Pretty Girl" with Rema for her second, with Taylor Swift introducing the latter.
She was also impersonated by current cast member Punkie Johnson on November 11, 2023, the fourth episode of Saturday Night Live's 49th season, hosted by American and French actor Timothée Chalamet, with musical guests Boygenius, during the pre-recorded "The Woman in Me: Audio Book Auditions" sketch.
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