Ice Spice, Like…? (Deluxe) | Album Review 💿

After showing great potential on her debut EP, Like…?, Bronx rapper Ice Spice continues to show her upside on Like…? (Deluxe). 

While Bronx rapper 🎙 Ice Spice (Isis Gaston) makes it crystal clear, “That nigga a munch” (🤣) on her viral hit, that attitude, confidence, and rhymes she’s serving up totally munch like WOO! After exuding ample toughness on her debut EP 💿 Like..?, released in January 2023, she expands the track list from six to 11 songs 💿 Like..? (Deluxe).  Likewise, the duration expands from 13 minutes to 24 – WOO HOO!  So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

“How High?” 

Ice Spice commences Like…? (Deluxe) with 🎵 “How High?” “How High?” is on brand with what listeners have heard from the rapper up until this point.  It is brief, running just two minutes and change.  She works once more with producer 🎛 RIOTUSA, who put in work on 💿 Like..? (EP).  Here specifically, the synths are lovely and the beat bangs. As for Ice, her rhymes are confident. Her cadence and flow truly shines during the verses. Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, which is utterly infectious: “Yeah, I know he want me, but he rather just lie (lie) / If I tell him, ‘Jump,’ he gon’ ask me, ‘How high?’ (High).” Woo! RIOT, alongside 🎛 A Lau, continues to her fire on the second track and second new addition to 💿 Like…?, 🎵 “Butterfly Ku.” He does so with a fab drill beat 💪. Of course, Ice is on autopilot, once more blessing the listeners with a compelling flow.  There are no shortage of ear-catching, unapologetic rhymes such as “Ever since a baddie got put on, in my city I’m causin’ a wreck / Whenever he see me, I got him erect (Damn).”

Of the opening trio, arguably the best is the banger, 🤩 🎵 “Deli.” “She a baddie, she showin’ her panty / She shake it like jelly,” Ice Spice spits in the chorus, continuing, “Hunnit bands in Chanely / But I’m still shakin’ ass in the deli.” Shakin’ ass in the deli, huh? Anyways, the beat is lit, and give RIOTUS credit from differentiating the sound here compared to other productions.  The minimalistic vibes are a pro, contributing to the electrifying, infectious nature of this joint. It’s worth noting, that although she is aggressive more often than not, Spice’s approach is more aggressive on this decadent gem.

“In Ha Mood” 

“Like, damn, she in her mood.” Yup, those are the lyrics that grace the chorus of 🤩 🎵 “In Ha Mood”. Although it barely crosses two minutes in duration, Ice Spice gives the listeners an ample vibe. Why is she “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. Ever 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? 

On Like…? (Deluxe), there are two versions of 🤩🎵 “Princess Diana.” The first that appears is the remix featuring 🎙 Nicki Minaj. Here, Minaj replaces the second verse by Ice Spice. She’s aggressive, eccentric, electrifying, and true to her unapologetic self.  Prime examples: “She the princess, so fuck who you lames is (Grrah) / Of course, I be pushin’ they buttons (Grrah)” and “Bitches is ass if we keepin’ it crack / Bad little redhead, she ‘bout to black.” The second version is the original, where Ice Spice takes the opportunity to flex as the hood Princes Diana, of course! She’s rich, she’s hot, she’s badder than everybody else – male or female – she’s the sugar honey iced tea.  Ice makes her point loud and clear, over another 🔥 backdrop: “Hottest bitch out and they know what I mean.”

“Gangsta Boo” 

Post-Diana, Ice expresses her desires for a 🎵 “Gangsta Boo.” This gangsta boo 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 in 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, this joint keeps the hard-nosed, unapologetic vibes going.

“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 🎵 “In Ha Mood” as well as her viral hit, 🎵 “Munch (Feelin’ U),” that appears as the penultimate track. 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! 

“Bikini Bottom”

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? Her ace-in-the-hole,  🤩 🎵 “Munch (Feelin’ U)”, arrives as the penultimate track. It’s the shortest song yet also the reason why she’s ascending.  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 is if you want to be with Ice Spice, you’ve got to live up to her demands.

One final cut arrives on Like…? (Deluxe): 🎵 “On The Radar.” “On The Radar” samples  🎵 “Phases (Acoustic)” by 🎙 SOLOMON.  The sound is unique given the blend of the acoustic sample and the drill style Ice is known for.  While “On The Radar” is a fitting closer, it doesn’t out-bang the best of Like…?, namely “Munch.” Still, shout out the fierceness, exemplified by lines like, “And I know that she bumpin’ my shit / In the comments they eatin’ my dick / Remember they didn’t believe in a bitch / I be thinkin’ ‘bout me and you fuckin’.” WOO!

Final Thoughts 💭 

Much like 💿 Like..? (EP), 💿 Like…? (Deluxe) shows the potential of Ice Spice.  It’s still a small sample size – 11 brief songs clocking in at 24 minutes – but again, there is plenty of upside.  Eventually, Isis Gaston will need to expand her script but for now, it’s fun to see her unleashing sheer flames with her confident, unapologetic flow.   

🤩 Gems 💎: “Deli,” “In Ha Mood,” “Princess Diana” (with Nicki Minaj), “Bikini Bottom” & “Munch (Feelin’ U)” 

🎙 Ice Spice • 💿 Like..? (Deluxe) • 🏷 Dolo Entertainment, Inc. / UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 7.21.23

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