Breakout artist Ice Spice recently grew a large following after releasing the single “Munch (Feelin’ U)” on August 10, 2022, on Spotify. The song quickly gained popularity and has now accumulated over 40 million streams. The song even appeared on the 2022 Billboard charts, catching the eye of Canadian rapper Drake, who cosigned her as a result of the track.
Ice Spice immerses listeners in a stagnant, yet influential, experience with her new EP Like…?. Drawing from the very sound that made her popular, casual Ice Spice fan’s will recognize her repetition of words such as “munch,” “thicker” and rhetorical questions that have become characteristic of her songs. Ice Spice remains consistent with her twist on the traditional New York drill sound, creating an album highly reminiscent of the TikTok audios that were her claim to fame.
In Ha Mood
Ice Spice starts the EP with “In Ha Mood,” a predictable and forgettable track from her. The song’s repetitive chorus is catchy the first time through but quickly gets annoying. What makes this track listenable, however, are the few recognizable lines that trended on TikTok for their relatability; “like what? Let’s keep it a buck” and “she a baddie, she know she a 10, she a baddie with her baddie friend” are a few to mention. “In Ha Mood” sets the tone for the rest of the EP, ad-libs and buzz words in the song such as, “money” and “baddie” are repeated throughout the project.
Princess Diana
The next track, “Princess Diana,” seems to draw from Ice Spice’s exaggerated stage persona. She is obviously highly aware of the discourse surrounding her music and her online presence, and goes as far as to let it inspire her music, including references and playful jokes about it in her songs. Throughout the EP, she plays off her hyper-feminine, almost teenage persona. With “Princess Diana,” Ice Spice draws an association between her and the infamous late princess. She influenced a trend across social media platforms comparing the two figures, many users calling Ice Spice “modern day Princess Diana”. Ice Spice followed the same marketing model with “Princess Diana” as she has with many of her other songs on the EP, gaining support for her music by leaking an excerpt on TikTok, then later releasing the full track. With this specific track, she uses modern day meme culture to her advantage, promoting her music through it. “Princess Diana” is one of the better tracks on the album. She switches up her flow a few times and matches the beat, which differs from her typical sound, well. Her playful lyrics and flow makes “Princess Diana” stand out on the first listen.
Gangsta Boo
“Gangsta Boo” is by far the best track on the EP, giving her listeners a fresh breath of air from the fairly repetitive and boring songs that are characteristic of the rest of the EP. Sampling P. Diddy’s “I Need a Girl (Part 2)” (ft. Ginuwine, Loon and Mario Winans), she puts a unique drill twist on the 2000s hit. Additionally, Ice Spice switches up her “player” personality here, showing a different side of her as she raps about only wanting one person in particular. Lil Tjay smoothly enters the track about halfway through, contrasting her monotone vocals with his own upbeat sound. Rapping on the looping guitar instrumental, the two match the Miami-type beat very well.
Actin a Smoochie
Unfortunately, Ice Spice follows “Gangsta Boo” with another repetitive, uninspiring track, “Actin a Smoochie.” Out of all of the songs on this EP, “Actin A Smoochie” is clearly the worst. This track serves as a clear example of Ice Spice trying to recreate the success of “Munch (Feelin’ U),” evident through her repetition of the word “munch” along with other phrases such as, “you did me wrong” and “what did I do?” which are echoed in a previously released TikTok hit, “No Clarity”. There are no bars that stand out from this song and her simple rhymes make “Actin a Smoochie” sound like background music.
Bikini Bottom
“Bikini Bottom” combines a cartoonish, twangy beat with the production of a New York drill song, making the song sound almost whimsical. Ice Spice clearly knows her audience, naming the song after the popular animated show Spongebob Squarepants, which is often referenced in meme and pop culture. The song’s claim to fame is yet again the few lines that trend on TikTok. Although it is one of the worst tracks on the album, it does demonstrate Ice Spice’s exploration into different beats, showing hints of some versatility.
Munch (Feelin’ U)
The EP’s final track, “Munch (Feelin’ U)” is by far the most popular on the project and is what Ice Spice is most well known for. The dichotomy between the hard New York drill beat and her high, feminine voice and lyrics create quite the catchy song that can get stuck in your head for days on end. Although “Munch (Feelin’ U)” may have been a new sound for her audiences at the time, Ice Spice completely diluted its originality by attempting to replicate its success throughout her EP.
Through Like..? Ice Spice demonstrated slight flexibility, as she hopped on a variety of drill beats that included samples from smooth RnB tracks to twangy guitar. It appears that her diversity was carried through the instrumentals and samples, however, and not through her vocals. Apart from “Gangsta Boo”, the album lacked originality both lyrically and sonically and only further cemented Ice Spice’s career as a TikTok artist. Although Ice Spice may have surpassed the “one hit wonder” title, this EP seems to be a sign of her career coming to a close. We give this album a solid 6, about as many feet underground Princess Diana is… like, what did she do?
