What’s better than celebrating your birthday on the first day of the year? Born on January 1st, 2000, Ice Spice turns 24 today. The young rapper took the music industry by storm with her 2022 viral hit “Munch (Feelin’ U),” and since then, it has been a continuous rise to stardom. In 2023, she dropped her debut EP “Like..?” which earned her the first entry on the Billboard 200. The year didn’t stop there. The award-winning talent delivered several hit singles throughout the year, including “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” “Princess Diana,” and “Barbie World,” all of which reached the top 10 of the Hot 100, making Ice Spice the first artist to garner four Hot 100 top-10 singles in 2023.
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The incredible success achieved last year led Ice Spice to collect her first industry awards, particularly the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, and led her to earn her first Grammy nominations (Best New Artist, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Song Written for Visual Media).
To celebrate the 24th birthday of the incredibly talented Ice Spice, we bring you five fascinating facts about her.
Real Name and Stage Name Choice
Born on January 1, 2000, Ice Spice’s real name is Isis Naija Gaston. She chose her stage name while she was a freshman in high school. In an interview with SiriusXM, Isis revealed how she came up with her stage name, “I came up with the ‘Spice’ part when I was like 14. I was just trying to come up with a finsta name, and I was like, ‘What rhymes with ice?’ It was spice.”
What If She Wasn’t a Singer?
Before launching her music career, Ice Spice planned to go to beauty school and was making her first steps into sports. While attending the State University of New York at Purchase, she was a member of the volleyball team, playing seven matches as a freshman and finishing with six points, two kills, three assists, four aces, and nine digs over 15 sets played.
How She Became So Famous?
We live in the trends era, and Ice Spice became very notorious thanks to a challenge. She took part in the TikTok challenge created by user Erika Davila with Erika Banks’ song “Buss It.” The “Buss It” challenge begins with users wearing no makeup and everyday clothing before another clip plays, which shows them in makeup and twerking. The video of Ice Spice doing the ‘Buss It’ challenge went viral on social media.
The Release of Her First Song
Ice Spice didn’t start making music early. In fact, she began rapping only three years ago, in 2021, while studying at college. It was during this time that she met the record producer RiotUSA, who produced her debut single “Bully Freestyle”.
A Fulfilled Dream
Isis grew up listening to hip-hop icons such as Lil’ Kim, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and especially Nicki Minaj. “When I saw Nicki, I was so mesmerized,” she said. “She’s the first female rapper that I saw. And ever since then, I was kinda set on what I wanted to be.” Now, at only 24, she can boast two collaborations with the Queen of Rap: “Princess Diana” and “Barbie World.”
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