The 23-year-old rapper’s legal name is Isis Gaston. She was born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y.,
and is of Nigerian and Dominican descent. She came up with a name for her persona when she was 14, when making a finsta account
(a secondary, more personal Instagram account) simply because “ice” rhymes with “spice,” and she loves spicy food.
She went to high school in Yonkers, 10 miles north of the Bronx, where she played volleyball.
The sport would eventually take her to SUNY Purchase, a university in upstate New York, where she ultimately left in 2020.
Although her father was an underground rapper,
Spice got her start in music after meeting with fellow Bronx native and SUNY Purchase student RIOTUSA,
a record producer and son of Hot 97’s DJ Enuff.
They collaborated on her first songs, including the two singles “Bully Freestyle” and “No Clarity,”
which were released in March 2021 and November 2021, respectively.
Since emerging onto the scene last summer, American rapper Ice Spice has become inescapable.
From TikTok’s For You Page to the front row of New York Fashion Week shows,
Spice’s signature orange curls and catchy songs (think New York drill music meets pop) are ubiquitous,
making her one of the biggest breakout stars of the year so far.
Her latest appearance is on the Billboard Hot100 list, for her hit song “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress,
another artist who grew her audience on TikTok.
SOURCE: TIME
