Does Ice Spice speak Spanish?

Up-and-coming rapper Ice Spice has made headlines for winning MTV’s Best New Artist award, despite coming from humble beginnings in the Bronx, New York City. Her father, a former underground rapper, is African-American, whereas her mother — a former car saleswoman — is Dominican.

There are variants of the Spanish language, but Dominican Spanish is commonly spoken by natives of the Dominican Republic. Ice Spice is half-Dominican, so due to her Dominican heritage, one would assume that she can speak Spanish.

And you’d be assuming correctly. It’s been called a very “New York thing” for someone who speaks Spanish to speak English as standard, but that’s Ice Spice to a T, and she’s not afraid to admit it. In a podcast interview uploaded by @salvoly on TikTok, Ice Spice admitted that she speaks Spanish, but “only to people who don’t speak English.”

She claims to “understand it” better than “[she] speaks it.” She goes on to explain that if “[she] knows you speak English, it’s over. [She’s] speaking to you in English.”

Her interviewer remarks that it’s a very “New York thing” to do, to which Ice Spice agrees. When asked if others expect her to speak Spanish, Ice Spice says, “not really.”

Ice Spice has cited fellow African-American Lil’ Kim, Afro-Trinidadian Nicki Minaj, and American Taylor Swift as her inspirations. She took a liking to hip-hop at the age of seven and would type out lyrics on her iPhone to practice at a later time.

Ice Spice currently resides in New Jersey and will be joining fellow rapper Doechii as a supporting act for Doja Cat‘s The Scarlet Tour, starting October 31, 2023.