Culture & Entertainment
Rapper Isis "Ice Spice" Gaston first burst into the scene in 2021 after participating in the viral "Bust It" TikTok challenge, and the star's fame would catapult to new heights the following year when she released her hit track "Munch (Feelin' U)."
The success of Gaston's single, thanks to the support of Drake and social media users, would ultimately lead to the release of her debut EP titled Like..? The 23-year-old's accomplishments don't stop there. Following the release of Gaston's 2023 EP, --which debuted at number 37 on Billboard's 200 album chart-- the lyricist would also drop various singles, including "Gangsta Boo" with Lil Tjay and a remix to PinkPantheress' hit "Boy's a Liar."
Since then, Gaston has been riding the wave of her fame by continuing to collaborate with other artists and landing major brand deals. But with Gaston's immediate success in the entertainment industry in a short time, it has also drawn online criticism.
Many claimed that the emcee's advanced career trajectory was due to colorism because other artists of a darker complexion who have been releasing music around the same time or if not longer than her have not reached the same level of stardom.
During the June cover story for Teen Vogue magazine, Gaston addressed the colorism remarks head-on, how it made her feel, and the steps she takes to limit what she views online.
Ice Spice On The Negative Comments
In the interview, the New York native revealed that she had seen some of the chatter online and didn't take it personally because the colorism conversation had occurred long before she became famous.
"I have seen those opinions. I feel like that's not something personal to me. I feel like that's been the conversation for generations and forever, since the beginning of time," she said.
Gaston would add that the comments hadn't negatively impacted her because she acknowledged that those individuals making the claims were only trying to bring her down.
"I try not to feed into negativity because I also see that when people are trying to make that point, it's not out of a good place,” she stated. “They end up putting somebody else down."
Ice Spice On How She Handles The Negative Remarks
Further into the discussion, Gaston clarified that although the negative remarks haven't impacted her as many thought they would, it doesn't mean she is prone to not getting her feelings hurt.
The "Bikini Bottom" rapper disclosed that because she is on social media, there's a possibility that she could encounter hurtful comments regarding various topics, including her career. When Gaston does spot those remarks, instead of "torturing" herself by reading more, she just leaves the app.
"I'm a human being, so anything hurtful could potentially hurt my feelings. Potentially if I do read the comments and see something negative, I'll leave. I'm not torturing myself," she said. "A lot of the time I know what they're going to say, because the public is mad predictable…. I expect them to just be on my d--k, to be picking at dumb s--t. Like, they didn't need to bring that up."
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Feature image by Kevin Mazur/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
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