Music Review: Ice Spice flexes her flow on brief debut album, ‘Y2K!’

Virality, it could be assumed, is a gift and a curse.

Hit big online and channel that momentum into mainstream appeal, then the work comes: How does an artist sustain success? Ice Spice, the laidback Bronx rapper born Isis Naija Gaston with the too-cool-for-school, lackadaisical flow and the bright orange curls now iron straight, knows a thing or two about the topic. First came the raunchy “Munch (Feelin’ U),” with its delightful dismissal of “You thought I was feeling you?” (the song inspired the name of her fanbase, who are called Munchkins). Then there was the effortless, SpongeBob SquarePants-referencing “Bikini Bottom.”

Her 2023 debut EP, “Like..?,” produced by her longtime collaborator RiotUSA, only further confirmed her talents; “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” with U.K. hyperpop-garage producer-artist PinkPantheress became the song of the summer. Hell, even Taylor Swift tapped her for a remix of her hit “Karma.” Ice Spice, in two short years, has become a four-time Grammy nominee — and one of the most divisive names in mainstream rap — before she even released an album.

“Y2K!” is Ice Spice’s first full-length project, but don’t expect an introduction. (The title functions in that way, sort of: Ice Spice was born on Jan. 1, 2000, perhaps emblematic of her aesthetic ideology and prescience for her future, social media-indebted success. It is hard to think of another MC that better encapsulates the current moment.) At the core of “Y2K!” are her immediately quotable — and let’s be honest here, meme-able — booty-shaking bars, ripe for internet consumption. And so are the cheeky hooks that made her household name.

A few songs directly recall the Ice Spice listeners have grown to know: Like “Think U the S—- (Fart),” which leans into her characteristic playfulness while maintaining her necessary bravado. “Think you the s—-?” Ice Spice recites in the chorus. “You not even the fart.” Or “Gimme A Light,” which samples Sean Paul’s dancehall classic “Gimme the Light.”

Across the release’s 23-minute run time, drill is still a priority, as she mentions on “Gimme A Light”: “Let’s talk drill / Who bigger than she?” she posits. Brevity is also a strong suit of Ice Spice’s — she understands modern attention spans and she cuts the fat across the album.

Previously released single “Phat Butt” might’ve been the clearest tease of some new sonic explorations in the world of Ice Spice, still one indebted to Nicki Minaj. She launches into a quick nod to Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” in the intro (“Uh, Man”) and works in a sample of the 2005 hit “I Think They Like Me” by rap group Dem Franchize Boyz with Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Bow Wow. Closer “TTYL” sees Ice Spice raising her voice for a rare rap-rock kiss-off. Standout “BB Belt” is bed-squeaking Jersey Club.

The 10-track release uses collaborations sparingly: the self-referential, trap “Oh Shhh…” with Travis Scott, nods back to “Deli” in certain lyrics, the hard-hitting “Bitch I’m Packin’” with Gunna, and the infidelity-revenge anthem “Did It First,” brings the hottest contemporary rapper, Central Cee.

Across “Y2K!”, Ice Spice flexes her lackadaisical flow and traverses new territory, pushing her voice in subtle moments — if only there were more. If anything, this is the New York rapper further manicuring her distinctiveness, offering listeners a hot, short and sweet album.

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press