Ice Spice and the fastest route from TikTok to the Grammys

Some careers take a decade to build. Ice Spice's took about two years. A short, catchy song recorded with a friend from college spread across TikTok, and suddenly the rapper from the Bronx was everywhere, from the Barbie soundtrack to the Grammy nominations.

A Bronx kid and a college friend

Ice Spice, born Isis Naija Gaston in 2000, grew up in the Bronx in New York. She started rapping seriously while at college, where she met the producer RiotUSA. Their partnership gave her a sound: light, bouncy beats built for her calm, almost conversational delivery.

Munch

In 2022 they released "Munch (Feelin' U)". It was short, funny and full of lines that worked perfectly as clips, and TikTok did the rest. Within weeks the song was all over social media, and Drake was among those sharing it. For an artist with almost no profile, it was the kind of break most rappers only dream of.

Working with the biggest names

What followed was a run of collaborations few new artists ever get. "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" with PinkPantheress became a big chart hit in early 2023. Nicki Minaj joined her on "Princess Diana" and again on "Barbie World" for the Barbie film. Taylor Swift brought her onto a new version of "Karma". At the 2024 Grammys she was nominated for Best New Artist.

A look as recognisable as the music

Her long orange hair and bold outfits became part of the brand from the start, as instantly recognisable in a photo as her voice is on a track. In an age where a song often travels as a short video, that matters as much as the music itself.

What it shows

Ice Spice's rise is a picture of how music works now: a song can find its audience in days, and an artist with a clear sound and look can go from a college dorm to the biggest stages in a couple of years. The hard part is what comes next, turning a viral moment into a long career.

I photographed Ice Spice at Rolling Loud Europe near Vienna in July 2024. See the Ice Spice gallery, or read more stories on the blog.