11 Songs That Reference Ice | Playlist

11 Songs That Reference Ice features ‘icy’ music courtesy of Beast in Black, Bring Me the Horizon, Logic, Sabrina Claudio, and Wallows.

One of the first songs that comes to mind when I think of ice is none other than “Ice, Ice Baby,” by Vanilla Ice.  The famous record samples Queen & David Bowie (“Under Pressure”), and instantly gets stuck in your head, even nearly three decades after its release.  That said, there have been a number of songs that reference that stuff that makes your drink cold.  Actually, in many cases, ‘ice’ has taken on different meanings – just ask the rappers.  In many instances on “11 Songs That Reference Ice”, ice is mentioned specifically.  In other instances, we opt for ‘frozen’ and related terminology. 11 Songs That Reference Ice features ‘icy’ music courtesy of Beast in Black (“Blind and Frozen”), Bring Me the Horizon (“Sugar honey ice & tea”), Logic (“Icy”), Sabrina Claudio (“Frozen”), and Wallows (“Ice Cold Pool”).

1. Logic, “Icy”

Ft. Gucci Mane

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind • Def Jam • 2019

“I’m icy / I’m clean / I’m a bad motherfucker / I’m mean.” The ability of Grammy-nominated rapper Logic to release music at a prolific pace is impressive.  That said, in 2019 in particular, it seems as if Bobby Hall has compromised quality for quantity.  That isn’t to say his 2019 album, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a bad project (it’s not), but it doesn’t find him expanding his scope but rather, opting for shallower ideas.  That’s why you end up with a record like “Icy.”

“Icy” appears as the ninth track on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.  Logic taps southern rapper Gucci Mane for the predictable banger.  If anything, “Icy” is a temporary high for Logic, and the comedown is not pretty.  This cut is built on every cliché and platitude you can think of in the rap game. Logic flexes hard, making sure that everyone knows he’s ‘the shit’ essentially: “I’m so cold, I think I’m made of ice.” Furthermore, Gucci Mane asserts himself as “A human glacier, wrist full of frozen water,” well, it’s not surprising in the least.  Still, it fits the criteria of this list…

2. Wallows, “Ice Cold Pool”

Nothing Happens • Atlantic • 2019

“The plant inside that never seemed to die / You cut it down before the leaves were brown / The gate was closed, we know that we’re too old / The pool is cold, the pool is cold.” Rising alternative collective Wallows, comprised of actor and frontman Dylan Minnette (Clay Jensen), Cole Preston, and Braeden Lemasters dropped an intriguing debut LP, Nothing Happens, in 2019.  Among the very best moments from Nothing Happens were “Are You Bored Yet?” and “Scrawny”, where Minnette asserted in tongue-n-cheek fashion he’s a “Scrawny motherfucker with a cool hairstyle.” Another winning moment from Nothing Happens comes by way of “Ice Cold Pool,” the sixth track from the LP.

Question: “And when we tear down the walls completely / Are we left with the same old memories?” “Ice Cold Pool” benefits from its throwback sensibilities, blending elements of old-school rock (think 60s) with a dash of soul thrown in.  No, “Ice Cold Pool” is far from an R&B record, but it does sound as if Wallows were in retro mode when conceiving this particular joint.  It makes sense when you hear Wallows’ commentary about writing “Ice Cold Pool,” via Clash Music: “It’s made up of random ideas of youth and growing up and looking back on your childhood and knowing that entering adulthood is the next step. It’s basically a song about leaving your youth and not being sure what comes next.”

3. Bring Me the Horizon, “Sugar honey ice & tea”

Amo • Sony Music Entertainment UK • 2019

In late January 2019, English rock band Bring Me the Horizon returned with an “emotional” new album, amo.  Fans who hoped that amo would deliver another “Shadow Moses” (Sempiternal) might’ve been disappointed with the pop leanings of amo.  That said, many should appreciate the risks that Oli Sykes and company took on this project.  Among the gems appearing on amo include advance singles “MANTRA” and “Wonderful Life” (with Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth), as the song at hand, “Sugar honey ice & tea.”

“You could tell the Messiah / His pants are on fire / I politely decline…” Damn! Atheism goes with the territory when it comes to Sykes and Bring Me the Horizon.  Christians may cry foul to such an atheistic statement, but hey, at least the band makes that ‘S.H.I.T.’ taste delicious (“We’re so full of / Sugar, honey, ice, and tea”). The production bangs hard – synths, programming, and the souped-up, dirty, distorted guitars.  What more can you say but “shit’s awesome” – okay, okay, I’ll stop!

4. Lil Pump, “Too Much Ice”

Ft. Quavo

Harverd Dropout • Warner Bros. • 2019

“Too much ice, too much ice, too much ice on me, bitch!”  Ugh, teen rapper Lil Pump definitely exemplifies the characterizing label ‘polarizing’ – UNDERSTATEMENT.  He exploded with his 2017 flex-fest “Gucci Gang” (Lil Pump), and his profile has only expanded since. After releasing numerous singles in 2018, a sketch second studio album, Harverd Dropout, arrived in February 2019. On this incredibly shallow and vapid affair, it’s not surprising that Pump references his drip on “Too Much Ice.”

As the aforementioned lyrical excerpt from the chorus insinuated, Lil Pump has on shortage of confidence (or cockiness) whatsoever.  The totally dumb hook continues:

“I’m the youngest flexer out here, know you heard ‘bout me, ooh

Bentley coupe, drop top coupe, cost a couple G’s, ayy (Huh?)

I get high every day of the fuckin’ week, ooh (Oh, shit)

Too much ice, too much ice, too much ice on me, bitch (Damn).”

Perhaps Lil Pump looked to strengthen his case with the addition of Migos member Quavo.  While “Too Much Ice” does indeed ‘check off all the boxes’ in regard to ‘banger status,’ Pump still fails to move beyond the surface level nine tracks into the album itself.  The vibe is a pro, and there is a charm about Pump’s boisterous, often profane ad-libs.  Still…

5. Rich the Kid, “New Freezer”

Ft. Kendrick Lamar

The World is Yours • Interscope • 2018

“My bitch too foreign, need a visa / I don’t need her / Pull up drop top with a heater / Two-seater.” Now that’s definitely some ‘drip’ right there.  The drip continues as Rich the Kid asserts, “New bitch wanna fuck to my AP / New freezer / I woke up thinkin’ ‘bout bands / Hop off the jet to a check when I land.” In 2018, the rapper released his debut studio album, The World is Yours.  Among the highlights from The World is Yours is the single at hand, “New Freezer,” featuring Kendrick Lamar.  Within the context of the album, “New Freezer” is the first gem.

A quirky banger of sorts, as evidenced by the aforementioned lyrical excerpt, Rich the Kid raps about ‘ice’ and foreigns (cars and girls that is).  This isn’t a track you’d normally associate Kendrick Lamar with, but he brings his own unique approach as he does with his more meaningful, transcendent solo material.

“How can I shop with like 64Ms?

Talkin’ to Top [Dawg] about business again

He want a lot with new Bentleys again

I want some top from like two sets of twins

Twinnie twin twins, yeah, yeah.”

“New Freezer” previously appeared on the playlist 11 ‘New’ Songs That Will Tickle Your Fancy.

6. LIL PHAG, “Iced Out Dick”

Ft. cupcakKe & Dr. Woke

God Hates Lil Phag • the @ pack • 2018

In 2018, Lil Phag (gay comedian and YouTuber Elijah Daniel), dropped an outlandish, comedic rap album, God Hates Lil Phag. God Hates Lil Phag focused on clout, along with sex jokes and assists from friends including Tana Mongeau and Bella Thorne.  Controversial of course, it’s best to take Daniel and his album “with a grain of song.”  The song at hand, “Iced Out Dick” leaves little to the imagination, but hey, it fits the parameters of this playlist.  We had to include it, right? Right!

“Iced out wrist, iced out dick / Lil Phag came and stole your bitch.” “Iced Out Dick” ends up being a bold opening statement on God Hates Lil Phag – UNDERSTATEMENT. Daniel taps the ever-unapologetic cupcakKe for the assist, not to mention the album’s most frequent collaborator, his boyfriend, Dr. Woke.  There’s no shortage of outlandish lyrics by Daniel including “White stain on his shirt like toothpaste / played your man like 2K.” Think about it… its funny, but absolutely filthy. Dr. Woke and cupcakKe follow suit with their own wild, left-of-center rhymes.  Expectedly, cupcakKe devotes her share of bars to her own private parts…

7. Beast in Black, “Blind and Frozen”

Berserker • Nuclear Blast • 2017

“Once I touched your heart / Held you in closed arms / Built a haven for your love…” Ah, changing the pace completely, we move on from “iced-out dicks” to being “Blind and Frozen.” Actually, the contrast goes even further than subject matter.  We move from American comic-rap to Finnish heavy metal – Holy shit what an about-face! “Blind and Frozen” comes courtesy of Beast in Back (Anton Kabanen, Yannis Papadopoulos, Kasperi Heikkinen, Mate Molnar, and Atte Palokangas), who drop a heavy metal joint that sounds as if it would have been at home in the 1980s.  The production is a bit sleeker mind you, but the core, retro sound is fully intact.

“Blind and Frozen” has EVERYTHING that you expect from a heavy metal, arena rock cut.  The vocals are outlandish, especially amped-up on the irresistible chorus.  After initially being centered in E minor, by the end of the chorus, “Blind and Frozen” concludes on the relative major key (G). Lead vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos sings:

“God, I miss you like hell
I was wrong I can tell
For the heart can be blind and frozen
Now I live with the pain
Every night, every day
As I read those letters you wrote me
How I long for the time
When your lips would kiss mine
And the promise was still unbroken
I will wait for tomorrow
That may never come
I will wait in the name of love.”

Also, worth noting are the lyrics beyond the chorus such as “My forlorn heart faintly beats / Your absence makes me weak” which appears on the second verse.  Beyond the lyrics and the high-flying, overblown vocals, the music is also dramatic to the nth degree.  There are bright, exuberant horns, pummeling drums, and jagged, incredibly rhythmic electric guitars. Additionally, the keyboards, synths, and programming add another dimension – more excellence.

8. Sabrina Claudio, “Frozen”

About Time • SC Entertainment, LLC • 2017

“The flowers will be blooming / The leaves will be turning / And snow will be falling while we’re making love…” Ooh la-la! If for some reason you haven’t heard rising R&B singer Sabrina Claudio yet, well, you’re totally missing out.  Claudio is still gaining steam as an artist, but she’s a youthful talent that definitely deserves wider recognition in the now.  Before she’d release her debut album No Rain, No Flowers in 2018, she dropped a mixtape, About Time, in 2017.  That’s where our icy triumph, “Frozen” hails from.

Claudio delivers silky-smooth, sexy vocals throughout the course of “Frozen.” “Frozen” is a radiant, romantic, and sensual slow jam.  Her tone is quite appealing; she sounds breathy, singing with a sense of chill and poise. Even given this approach, Claudio still manages to deliver a sizable punch. Her upper register is absolutely gorgeous.  The pre-chorus, a key part of the song excerpted above, continues:

“And the sun will be shining

The flowers still are blooming

Then leaves will turn again.”

So, where does the ‘frozen’ part of “Frozen” come into play? Sabrina isn’t singing about literal ice y’all.  No, she’s referring frozen in the context of being at a ‘stand-still.’  This stand-still is positive though, per the chorus: “But time will be frozen for us…”

9. Drake, “Ice Melts”

Ft. Young Thug

More Life • Cash Money • 2017

Logic isn’t the sole prolific rapper to appear on this playlist.  Before Bobby Hall started dropping multiple offerings in the same year Drake would do the exact same thing.  In 2017, rather than dropping a new ‘studio album’ that would serve as the follow-up to his Grammy-nominated Views, Drake decided to release a playlist, More Life.  Just like he said, More Life felt like a playlist (or mixtape) as opposed to a cohesive project.  Still, gems like “Free Smoke,” “Portland,” and “Fake Love” made it worthwhile.  We also get an icy joint, “Ice Melts.”

Interestingly, “Ice Melts” features idiosyncratic, melodic Atlanta rapper Young Thug for the second time on More Life. The tale imparted is about a girl who Drake is into but comes off as ‘ice cold,’ hmm.  Her coldness is attributed to coming out of a bad relationship in which she wasn’t treated as she should’ve been.  Nonetheless, Drake asserts, “I still need some satisfaction / A little less talk and a little more action…” Young Thug doesn’t get his own verse, but rather provides the chorus that supports Drake’s assessment on the situation.

“Feelin’ rough, rough
Baby, I’m needin’ somethin’, somethin’
I wan’ beat it up with somethin’, somethin’
You’re a diamond out the rough or somethin’, somethin’.”

10. Muse, “Big Freeze”

The 2^nd Law • Warner Bros. • 2012

Throughout the years, British alternative/neo-prog rock band Muse have delivered some truly intriguing music. Not only have the songs themselves been unique but they have eye-catching titles to match, including “Megalomania” (Origin of Symmetry, 2001), “Thoughts of a Dying Atheist” (Absolution, 2004), and “Supermassive Black Hole” (Black Holes and Revelations, 2006).  Since those early projects in their career, the band has continued to deliver some impressive music.  The 2^nd Law (2012) wasn’t my favorite Muse album, but it provides us with the perfect frozen, ‘icy’ song for this list, “Big Freeze.”

“Big Freeze” doesn’t quite earn the same accolades as the crème de la crème of The 2^nd Law – “Supremacy”, “Madness”, “Survival”, “Follow Me”, and “Explorers” earn such honors first – but it’s still worth noting.  Compared to the gem (“Explorers”) that precedes it, it features a quicker tempo.  Among the excellent features of the record are the rhythmic electric guitar, and a harmonic progression that possesses a blues/gospel sensibility.  While arguably the first and third verses are a bit calmer, Matthew Bellamy and company bring more heat on the second and fourth verses.  Muse definitely ‘packs a punch’ on the chorus: “Heal me – what words just can’t convey /Feel me – don’t let the sun in your heart decay.”

11. Omarion, “Icebox”

Ft. Timbaland

21 • Sony BMG Music Entertainment • 2006

“Girl, I really wanna work this out cause I’m tired of fighting / And I really hope you still want me the way I want you / I said I really wanna work this out, damn girl I’m trying / It’s no excuse, no excuse.” Sometimes, playlists on The Musical Hype fail to include cuts that arrive prior to 2010.  Obviously, pop music didn’t just begin in 2010, but to keep things a bit more ‘in the now,’ the focus is often on some of the newer songs.  In this case, we make an exception with an Omarion classic, “Icebox” (21, 2006). Maybe ‘classic’ is a bit of an overstatement, but in the context of the R&B singer’s discography, “Icebox” ranks at or near the top.

While the aforementioned pre-chorus is pretty sweet, the most memorable lines from this Timbaland-produced joint (alongside King Logan and Johnkenun Spivery) occur on the chorus.  That’s where Omarion sings: “But I got this icebox where my heart used to be / But I got this icebox where my heart used to be.” Timbaland assists as well as he follows O with the lyrics “I’m so cold, I’m so cold, I’m so cold, I’m so cold.”  Beyond the memorable lyrics, the chorus is dramatic.  One easily believes and relates to how heartbroken the R&B singer is.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a superb backdrop to fuel the fire, sigh.

[Photo Credits: Atlantic, Cash Money, Def Jam, Interscope, Nuclear Blast, Pexels, Pixabay, SC Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment UK, the @ pack, Warner Bros., Warner Bros.]