Ice Spice is clearing the air about one of the biggest narratives surrounding her artistry.
In a new sit-down with Nylon, the Bronx rapper addressed the recurring criticism that she isn’t a lyricist—something she admits she accidentally fueled by not pushing back against it.
“I think my mistake was basically… what’s the word? Letting people feel like they were right a little bit,” she said. “Like people were trying to say that I’m not a lyricist, and I just kind of went in with the attitude of, ‘Yeah, they’re right. I’m not.’ But it’s just not true.”
She explained that her silence gave critics the upper hand: “I didn’t really feel like having to prove that. But I figured I’d let you know that I definitely knew I was [a lyricist]. The whole time. I just let them say what they want and be happy with that.”
Since her breakout in 2022 with “Munch (Feelin’ U),” Ice has faced both acclaim for her unique delivery and doubt about her pen game. But her meteoric rise—landing collabs with Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, and PinkPantheress—shows just how much weight she carries in pop culture.
Now, with her next era on the horizon, Ice is ready to own her spot as both a rapper and writer. Last month, she wiped her Instagram clean and teased a new track, seemingly titled “Baddie Baddie,” which flips M.I.A.’s 2012 hit “Bad Girls.”
“They said they wanted a bop, I was just poppin’ my shit / I ain’t even really mean to go pop,” she spits in the snippet, before adding: “He was just begging to hit, I don’t be giving you n****s a shot. I know he don’t want me for me / I know he just wants what I got / Baddie, baddie, I’m feelin’ nasty.”
