The Coronation of Her Majesty Ice Spice

Born on the first day of the new millennium, rapper and lyricist Ice Spice became an overnight internet sensation after the release of her single “Munch (Feelin’ U)” took everyone by storm.  As she gained popularity, she was jokingly crowned the controversial title of being “this generation’s Princess Diana” per typical internet antics.  Ironic or not, the admiration for the rapper is undoubtedly abundant and growing more and more as she continues to put herself out into the music scene and working on her upcoming EP (Now released!).

The correlation between the late Princess Diana, a member of the royal family, and Ice Spice, a 23-year-old rapper, admittedly seems absurd at first glance.  But by putting aside initial biases from general statements made of the two women and taking the phrase “Ice Spice is the new Princess Diana” with a grain of salt, their presence as figures in media are surprisingly similar in some ways.  

Princess Diana is often remembered as “the people’s princess”; the nickname attributed to her charity and the connections she made through the unprejudiced generosity she gave to everyone while simultaneously being treated unfairly herself in her very public personal affairs.  Both of which making her admirable nonetheless.

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“They need to know, like, we’re here and we’re queer”

— Ice Spice via Genius

Ice Spice’s uprising in popular media can be credited to her appeal to a variety of audiences because of her duality of being someone who may initially come across facetious due to a humorous discography, one of her songs literally being sampled from the “Spongebob Squarepants” soundtrack, but in reality is someone with underlying wit, talent, and an effortlessly charming personality that garners a certain appreciation for her, particularly seen through her delivery of her original lyrics.  By entering the male-dominated genre of rap, regularly giving her support to other women in the music industry, and unapologetically being herself, Ice Spice became somewhat of a pillar, or inspiration to today’s generation that people compare to the impact Princess Diana had during her lifetime. 

San Dimas High School senior Mark Cooley comments on the comparison between the two, saying “people idolized Princess Diana because she was strong person they could look up to, and people appreciate Ice Spice for who she is and what she has to say.  So, they associate the two together.”

Although these women and their influence on society are obviously on completely different scales and don’t mirror one another entirely, Ice Spice still holds the potential to become a largely acclaimed artist and figure in media based on her charisma and authenticity alone.