This new wave of female rappers has had a lot of hip-hop fans, especially the purists, upset over their success. Artists like Sexyy Red, GloRilla, Latto, and Saweetie all have an abrasive and raunchy approach that has been nothing but controversial. Listeners continue to highlight that their sex appeal is why they are relevant, while blasting them for their lack of writing and substance. All of these criticisms are certainly being applied to Ice Spice as well. Seeing her immense success has angered the masses, and while the New Yorker might not care about the noise, her debut was set up to quell the hate. In the eyes of Pitchfork, Ice Spice certainly did that with Y2K!.
The music reviewing publication has long been viewed as one of little validity by fans of the genre. That narrative is being pushed once more after they gave Ice Spice's LP a 7.6 out of 10. It seems that almost everyone has been dragging Y2K!, even labeling it one of the worst projects of the year. However, with this rating, it is officially the highest score out of all of the mainstream rap tapes in 2024. Some Twitter users were asking Hip Hop All Day if ScHoolboy Q's BLUE LIPS counts. While that certainly is a compelling argument, the Cali rapper does not have the same pull as Ice Spice, especially numbers wise.
Ice Spice's "Y2K!" Has Highest Mainstream Review By Pitchfork
In their write-up, Pitchfork does point out the lyrical shortcomings as being the major drawback. However, they feel Ice Spice put forth an album that "sounds like nothing her peers could make, swerving from one sonic inspiration to the next". They credit her for her "agile and adaptable flow, assembling simple syllables into unusual cadences". Overall, Pitchfork, deems Y2K! as ambitious and appreciate her willingness to make what she loves, instead of conforming to previous expectations. For context, Ice Spice received higher scores over her mainstream counterparts such as Metro Boomin and Future, Megan Thee Stallion, and Eminem, just to name a few.
What are your thoughts on Ice Spice's debut album Y2K! getting a 7.6 out of 10 from Pitchfork? If you disagree with this score, what would you rate it? What songs are you revisiting the most from the project? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Ice Spice. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
