Ice Spice, Like..? | Album Review 💿

After earning traction with her single, “Munch (Feelin’ U),” Bronx rapper Ice Spice shows ample potential and upside on her brief, debut EP, Like..?.

Guess what season it is? It is 🎙 Ice Spice season! Isis Gaston hails from the Bronx and exudes ample toughness on her debut EP, 💿 Like..?. Like..? is incredibly brief, running just north of 13 minutes in length. Even so, the EP does what it is intended to do: showcase the potential and upside of this ascending rapper.  All six songs from Like..? are worth mentioning. 

“In Ha Mood”

“Like, damn, she in her mood.” Yup, those are the lyrics that grace the chorus of 🤩 🎵 “In Ha Mood”, the opening song from 💿 Like…?. Although “In Ha Mood” barely crosses two minutes in duration, Ice Spice gives the listeners ample vibe. Fueling the fire on this brief single is production courtesy of 🎛 RIOTUSA. Why is Ice “In Ha Mood?” Basically, she’s a bad bitch.  Even though “he packin’, I know by his pants,” she makes it clear, he “don’t got a chance” with her. Her flow is on-point throughout – rhythmic and not too slow or too fast. Always confident, she also spits, “They like, ‘Ice, how you always stay hot?’ / Oh, they mad ‘cause I keep makin’ bops.” The second verse continues to find her locked-in and loaded with no shortage of biting, unapologetic lines.  A surefire bullet: “Lamborghini roarin’ when I hop out the truck / Pretty bitch like Lauryn with a big ass butt, yup.” No further explanation or analysis necessary. “If I was bitches, I’d hate me a lot.” That says it all, doesn’t it? I

“I know he want me, his bitch is a lame and she make in a year what I spend on a chain.” Woo! After expressing her mood, Ice Spice honors late royalty with 🎵 “Princess Diana” – well – sort of.  Actually… not really! Gaston asserts, “In the hood I’m like Princess Diana.”  Interesting! Essentially, the rapper takes the opportunity to flex.  She’s rich, she’s hot, she’s badder than everybody else – male or female – she’s the sugar honey iced tea.  Spice makes her point loud and clear, over another lit RIOTUSA backdrop: “Hottest bitch out and they know what I mean.”  Post-Diana, Ice expresses her desires for a 🎵 “Gangsta Boo.”

What does a gangsta boo entail? Per Ice Spice, he is “One of the dangerous kind.”  Of course, attaining a gangsta boo is easy given how awesome she is. “All on my body, I’m the bestest / Diamonds keep dancin’ on my necklace / Bitches stay mad just like the rest is.”  Furthermore, Gaston is quick to point out those jealous bitches – “His bitches mad that he getting’ me wetter / Damn, I ain’t felt this way in forever.” Basically, it’s ample trash talk on her end.  🎙 Lil Tjay guests on the second verse, feeling himself much like and embracing being gangsta, basically (“I don’t think you should play with me / ‘Cause you gon’ end up like the last opp”). All in all, “Gangsta Boo” keeps the hard-nosed, unapologetic vibes going.

“Actin A Smoochie”

“Baddie, I get in my mood (Get in my mood) / Nigga a munchie, he eat me like food, damn.” Damn is right, Ice Spice.  She keeps on delivering bullets on 🎵 “Actin A Smoochie.” Notably, those lines reference the opener (🎵 “In Ha Mood”) as well as her viral hit (🎵 “Munch (Feelin’ U)”) that concludes Like…?.  What is actin’ a smoochie? Per Urban Dictionary – a reputable source – a smoochie is a hoe, treesh or THOT.  Her rhymes, which are highly sexual, speak for themselves, including the fact that she’s “Throwin’ it back, put it right in his face (In his face) / He like how it taste (How it taste),” and “Throwin’ it back and I watch him get bigger.” Wow!

The penultimate joint, 🤩 🎵 “Bikini Bottom” marks the second shortest song on Like…?, only behind the closing cut, standout 🤩 🎵 “Munch (Feelin’ U)”. On “Bikini Bottom,” the script is much the same.  Ice Spice is the sugar honey iced tea, and everybody is literally shit, lol. “Got the jatty, I’m a make it move (goddamn) / Breakin’ records and I’m breakin’ news / Bitches be pressed, like, ‘Who you?’” If Ice Spice makes nothing else crystal clear, she is not into bitches… Well, actually, in the second verse, she admits, “I like niggas, bitches too.” Which is it, Ice?

Of course, her ace-in-the-hole concludes Like..? “Munch (Feelin’ U)” is the shortest song but also the reason why Ice Spice is on the rise.  The Bronx rapper is unapologetic – blunt and straightforward: “You thought I was feelin’ you? (Nah) / That nigga a munch.” Woo! What a way to emasculate him, which, to some extent, is the brilliance of this number!  Also, munch is sexual, as in cunnilingus, so, there is no shortage of NSFW references. What is clear about this closer, however, is, if you want to be with Ice Spice, you’ve got to live up to her demands, which seem rigorous judging Like..?.

Final Thoughts 💭

All in all, 💿 Like…? shows the potential of Ice Spice.  It’s a small sample size – six songs clocking at just over 13 minutes – but there is plenty of upside.  Will Ice Spice need to expand her script eventually? Yes, but for now, it’s fun to see Bronx rapper unleashing sheer flames with her flow.

🤩 Gems 💎: “In Ha Mood,” “Bikini Bottom,” & “Munch (Feelin’ U)”

🎙 Ice Spice • 💿 Like..? (EP) • 🏷 Dolo Entertainment, Inc. / UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1.20.23

[📷: Dolo Entertainment, Inc. / UMG Recordings, Inc.]