If you are someone who considers yourself to be connected online at all, you have heard of Ice Spice. Since popping off in late 2022, she has been an absolute force on the internet. Ice Spice has easily become one of the biggest online celebrities in the world, with her polarizing presence taking the world by storm over the last couple of years. Ice Spice rose to prominence when her song ‘Munch(Feelin U)’ went viral on TikTok. ‘Munch(Feelin U)’ turned Ice Spice into an overnight sensation, with people loving her quirky yet hard-hitting Drill sound. After continuing her momentum with the singles ‘In Ha Mood’ and ‘Bikini Bottom,’ Ice Spice dropped her debut EP Like…? near the beginning of 2023. Like…? was very well received by critics and music fans alike, with people once again digging her tongue in cheek and highly eccentric style of music. Ice Spice has continued to pop off and have major success in the year and a half since her debut EP. In addition to doing several highly successful features(such as ‘Pretty Girl’ by Rema and ‘boys a liar pt. 2’ by PinkPantheress), Ice Spice joined Nicki Minaj on the extremely popular track ‘Barbie World’ last year. Ice Spice has continued to thrive in 2024, dropping a few interesting singles in anticipation of her debut album, Y2K!. The most popular of these singles was ‘Think U The Shit(Fart,)’ which once again made Ice Spice go insanely viral because of its ridiculous yet super catchy sound. Ice Spice has been on a very entertaining run leading up to her debut album, and it is exciting to see if she can capitalize on her momentum. With that being said, here is how I feel about Ice Spice’s new album Y2K!. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this record, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole!
Ice Spice opens up the record with one of the four singles, ‘Phat Butt.’ Out of those singles, I would say this one probably received the least amount of hype. Honestly, I do not get why, as I really dug ‘Phat Butt’ when it came out. This song does see Ice Spice venture from her typically upbeat drill music sound, as the tempo of this one has more of an off-kilter Trap feeling. The melody on ‘Phat Butt’ is menacing and the beat pounds, making it feel so massive. One thing I have seen said about this song that I have to sort of agree with is it sounds like Ice Spice is trying to sound like Nicki Minaj. Her flow is somewhat similar to one of Nicki’s fiercer flows, I can not deny that. But I do not see it as a negative to wear your influences on your sleeve once in a while, especially when it is done well. ‘Phat Butt’ is an instance where Ice Spice goes out of her comfort zone a bit and it pays off. ‘Oh Shhh…,’ which features Travis Scott, has an even more enormous sound than the opening track. This song has a larger-than-life NY Drill sound that absolutely pounds. The melody for this track is so foreboding, and the beat completely shakes the room. ‘Oh Shhh…’ has the kind of audacious sound that one would expect to hear from Pop Smoke(RIP) or Fivio Foreign. Both Ice Spice and Travis Scott kill it on this track, completely matching the instrumental’s bold energy. Ice Spice raps with a higher pitch on this track, which contrasts the toughness of the beat and stands out awesomely. Travis Scott’s gruff yet even-keeled gives the song a Trippy element that makes it feel even more intense. ‘Oh Shhh…’ is a total banger, and I would actually be surprised if it does end up being a huge hit. ‘Popa’ has a lot more grand and not nearly as harsh a sound as the first two tracks. Even though this beat is pretty bouncy and the melody is pretty dark, ‘Popa’ feels pretty light after how instance the first two tracks were. I will say that ‘Popa’ does not draw me in as the songs before it. To me, this one kind of feels lackluster compared to the beginning of the record. The melody is enjoyable and Ice Spice’s rap performance is solid, but something about ‘Popa’ just is not pulling me in. Maybe this one will grow on me, but I am not feeling it as much right now. Ice Spice brings back the intensity in a huge way with ‘Bitch I’m Packin’,’ which features Gunna. This one brings back the energy of the first two tracks in a huge way. I love how abrasive the melody for this one is. The blaring synths and robotic sound effects that make up this melody make ‘Bitch I’m Packin’ sound like it came out of a different, dystopian dimension. The beat for this track is just as abrasive as the melody and makes the track sound so rowdy. Both Ice Spice and Gunna rap with a pretty subdued tone and flow on this track. Weirdly, this works super well, as the way their softer tones sit on this beat gives the track texture. On ‘Bitch I’m Packin’,’ Ice Spice successfully returns to the rash sound she excels at in the first two songs.
‘Plenty Sun’ kind of feels like a combination of the giant sound we get from ‘Phat Butt,’ ‘Oh Shhh…,’ and ‘Bitch I’m Packin’’ and the more anthemic sound we get on ‘Popa.’ The beat on this track is huge and the track is riddled with weird sound effects that make it sound futuristic. The melody, however, has an almost triumphant sound, making the song a tad bright. ‘Plenty Sun’ has what is probably the least engaging rap performance from Ice Spice so far on the record. Her flow and tone are fine, but she does not do enough to grab my attention very much. ‘Plenty Sun’ has a pretty solid instrumental, but the vocals do not quite match its energy. I will say, this one is emerging as a fan favorite, so I am definitely in the minority. Once again, maybe it will grow on me. Ice Spice completely changes the sound and tone we have had up until this point on ‘Did It First,’ which features Central Cee. This was the last single released in anticipation of the record; it has generated a lot of buzz due to the supposed drama around it regarding Central Cee and Ice Spice; seemingly, Central Cee left his ex for Ice Spice, and this song calls out the situation. Central Cee raps about him falling for someone other than his girlfriend, while Ice Spice raps about taking someone else’s man. Sonically, ‘Did It First’ is a lot softer and more poppy than the rest of the record. The melody for one is pretty sweet, and the beat is jumpy and feathery. Regardless of the drama surrounding the track, Central Cee and Ice Spice’s chemistry is palpable; their tones and flows complement each other so well. Even if there is some controversy involved with it, one can not deny that ‘Did It First’ is a hit. ‘BB Belt’ may have the most raw sound of anything on this record. This track hardly even has a melody. The melody, if one can call it that, consists of alarms ringing and a very whooshy synth that sounds like the icy wind on a frigid winter day. Frankly, everything about this song feels so cold. The beat for ‘BB Belt’ sounds just as raw as the “melody.” This beat is pretty quick and punchy, making me think this one has the potential to be a big dance floor track. Ice Spice may deliver her best rap performance of the project so far. Her flow is enticing on this one, and there are so many earworm lyrics that I could see hitting big. ‘BB Belt’ is yet another track that feels like it could be a major favorite from this record.
After one of the most frigid songs on Y2K!, we get another brighter moment in the iconic single, ‘Think U The Shit(Fart).’ I feel like I do not have to say a ton about this track because I would assume you know it if you are reading this. ‘Think U The Shit(Fart)’ was everywhere to begin the year, and it is easy to see why. Everything about this one is engaging, from the funky melody to the frantic beat to Ice Spice’s excellent rap performance. Although the bars on the track are pretty silly, Ice Spice delivers them with a ferocity that makes the track pop. ‘Think U The Shit(Fart)’ is another online classic from Ice Spice that will probably go down as one of the top singles of the year. ‘Gimmie a Light’ is the other track released as a single, having come out not long after ‘Think U The Shit(Fart).’ This one did see a decent amount of viral success, but it didn’t pop off nearly as much as the first single. Honestly, I do not understand why this one didn’t succeed as much, as it has all the qualities to make it a hit. The melody for ‘Gimmie a Light’ samples the legendary Reggaeton track ‘Gimme the Light’ by Sean Paul. Honestly, the instrumental for this one feels like a sped-up, Drill version of the original track. Ice Spice’s rap performance in this one is more than decent, as her flow and tone match the energy of the instrumental nicely. ‘Gimmie a Light’ is a charming little banger with the energy of tracks like ‘Bikini Bottom,’ and I do feel like it should have gotten a bit more love. Ice Spice closes out Y2K! in a big way with the song ‘TTYL.’ This is one of the most brash songs on the record, which is saying a lot. The bassline, which drives this whole instrumental, completely rattles and bangs. The melody for ‘TTYL’ is as foreboding and mean as anything on the record. This melody has a very daunting tone, which goes so well with the energy of this extremely powerful beat. Ice Spice’s rap performance on ‘TTYL’ is very high-key and in-your-face; she does a great job of matching the energy of the beat and making this song all the more fun and memorable. Ice Spice definitely wanted to end Y2K! with a bang, and she totally achieves that with ‘TTYL.’
As I mentioned in the introduction, Ice Spice is a super polarizing star. As many people as there are out there who dig what she is doing and what she is about, there are just as many people who dislike it and try to tear her down. This is super noticeable from the discourse that has surrounded Y2K! since it came out. Like I expected, Y2K! Is getting some love, but it is also getting way too much hate in my opinion. Now obviously, Y2K! is not one of the most sophisticated albums you will hear this year. But if you accept it for what it is, this record is enjoyable. For what it’s worth, nothing about this album is boring or tame. Ice Spice’s lyricism is not the most sophisticated you will ever hear, but she does have a lot of entertaining bars and amusing hooks that will get stuck in your head and make you come back to these tracks. Overall, Y2K! is a lively and fun album where Ice Spice sticks to what she knows and (somewhat)succeeds.
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