If you weren’t in the know as to American rapper Ice Spice‘s massive outreach, you’ll have perhaps seen her at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, which streamed live on September 12. She walked away with her very own “Moon Man” award for Best New Artist, winning over the likes of Kaliii, Reneé Rapp, PinkPantheress, GloRilla, and Peso Pluma.
Just like Sporty Spice or Baby Spice, the nickname “Ice Spice” certainly sounds as if it belongs in the English girl group Spice Girls. But is that the case?
Ice Spice, whose real name is Isis Gaston, grew up in the Bronx, New York City, and started her professional career in 2021 after achieving viral fame on TikTok. Her breakout song, “Munch (Feelin’ U),” earned her considerable international attention, eventually leading to singles “Bikini Bottom” and “In Ha Mood,” and her debut extended play, Like..?.
As Gaston reveals to XXL Magazine, she chose “Ice Spice” as her stage name while she was a freshman in high school and it originated from a “finsta” (fake Instagram account) she made at age 14.
It should be a dead give away that every member of the Spice Girls is English, whereas Ice Spice is American. But for the uninitiated, Ice Spice does not belong to the Spice Girls; she is an entirely independent rapper.
The Spice Girls formed in 1994, six years before Ice Spice was even born, and all the members are currently twice her age, so it wouldn’t have been realistic for Ice Spice to be a member.
In October 2023, Ice Spice will begin touring as a supporting act to fellow rapper Doja Cat for her two-month-long show, The Scarlet Tour.
