Ice Spice Speaks On Signing To A Major Label

BYGabriel Bras Nevares3.0K Views
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Ice Spice 2023 Rolling Loud Los Angeles
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 05: Rapper Ice Spice performs onstage during day 3 of Rolling Loud Los Angeles at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 05, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Not many rising stars get ownership of their masters and publishing in a major label deal right out the gate.

Ice Spice recently sat down with Billboard for an interview, where she detailed the process of signing to a major label. Moreover, the "Princess Diana" hitmaker is currently signed in a partnership deal with 10K Projects and Capitol Records. Despite the usual connotations of a big label deal like that, the Bronx star actually knew her worth and fought for the best deal possible. After all, especially for rising and viral stars, they can get sucked into a deal that ultimately screws them over. However, as she recalled, the decision came after a long process of establishing her potential and scoping out her best possible path.

"I met with a bunch of labels and stuff like that," Ice Spice began her breakdown of her signing process. "I just felt like 10K and Capitol was the good fit for me." In addition to her own remarks, her manager James Rosemond Jr. elaborated on the process. "You don't want to just take any deal, and deals came to her, you know?" he stated. "There was production deals, 360 deals, but it was deals that I know that it can be better.

Ice Spice Fought For Her Worth When Signing To A Major Label

"In order to get a better deal, you have to go out and do it yourself," Rosemond Jr. continued. "And that comes with us putting money where our mouth is and we did that with 'Munch.' We rolled it out independently ourselves. We leveraged the success and the hype around that, and we got the best deal, you know? Now she owns her masters, she owns her publishing, and not a lot of people can say that." His words ring especially true in a time during which artists like Ice Spice are exploited for their meteoric rise.

"I'm still learning a lot, to be honest," Ice Spice added. "Recording used to be very, very stressful for me. But now, I'm getting more comfortable with it. Like, over the past year, I would say I've been more comfortable. Learning to record while learning songwriting processes and everything was a lot, but I'm so happy I put in that time and that work, you know what I'm saying?" For more news and the latest updates on the Princess of rap, keep checking in with HNHH.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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