Ice Spice may be one of Hip Hop’s brightest new stars, but holding herself to the same lyrical standards as some of the game’s greats isn’t something she concerns herself with.
In a new interview with Complex, whose latest digital cover she graces, the Bronx native opened up about her songwriting process, admitting that while her music does contain bars, she purposely keeps her raps “super simple.”
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“It’s funny because Hype [Williams] was just trying to call me a lyricist,” she said, referring to the legendary music video director who photographed her cover story. “I wouldn’t consider myself a lyricist. Obviously, lyrics go into music and I do think about them and I do be having bars in my music but they’re just super simple.
“I want them to be digestible, I don’t want them to fly over people’s heads and they never catch it. I want people to hear it right away and be like, ‘OK, that was cute.’ But it’s also fun at the same time.”
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Her go-to producer, RiotUSA, added that she doesn’t write down her lyrics. Instead, her approach involves her “freestyling line by line” in the studio.
Despite her string of successful hits, not to mention collaborations with superstars like Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, Ice Spice hasn’t been immune to criticism since shooting to fame last year.
While she “isn’t interested in” negative comments from keyboard warriors who hide behind usernames and avatars, the “Munch” hitmaker told Complex that she does pay attention to what’s written about her by professional music critics.
“They actually study music and care about it, so I feel like I’d rather hear their opinion,” she said. “I’m more interested in that because at least it’ll be paragraphs explaining why they feel that way and I’ll be able to understand the person better versus just one little hateful ass comment from a private page. At least there’s an author and a face attached.”
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Ice Spice’s Complex cover comes shortly after another major milestone in her rapidly-rising career. This past weekend, the 23-year-old made her debut on Saturday Night Live, where she performed “In Ha Mood” and “Pretty Girl” following a surprise introduction from her “Karma” collaborator Taylor Swift.
