It has been a rocky week for Ice Spice, whose latest scandal has her once again going back and forth online with a former friend. The New York rapper has embarked on her Y2K World Tour, where she will perform her viral hits until its conclusion in January 2025. Ice Spice has made considerable strides in her career, although she is still climbing the femcee Rap ranks. Hip Hop isn't for the weak, and the orange-haired artist is learning that the court of public opinion can be unforgiving.
Days ago, the internet was set abuzz after rapper Cleotrapa released a series of videos to social media detailing a harrowing experience with her fairweather friend. This has garnered reactions from fans and critics, causing Spice's behavior on the road and online to be scrutinized. As those conversations don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon, we thought we'd revisit some controversies plaguing Ice Spice throughout her short mainstream career. It only makes sense to begin with her most recent clash with Cleotrapa.
1. The Feud With Cleotrapa
According to Cleotrapa, Ice Spice asked her friend to join her on the Y2K World Tour. However, Cleo claims Spice only gave her one day to get things together before setting out. Further, Ice Spice is accused of treating Cleotrapa poorly and refusing to allow her team to help her friend with anything, including simple tasks like carrying a suitcase. Cleo alleged she also had to pay for her own hotel rooms, was told she couldn't eat with the tour budget, didn't receive adequate compensation, and sometimes didn't have a dressing room to change in at the concert. "She don’t want nobody to say nothing to her," said Cleo. "She tried to lowkey torture me."
Cleotrapa's comments quickly went viral, forcing Ice Spice to come forward with a scathing reaction. She said Cleotrapa was "crashing out" and defended herself against the allegations. “The scary part of fame, honestly, is the moment that somebody feels like they can no longer use your platform or they’re not getting exactly what they want out of a situation the way that they want it. That’s when they decide to crash out every single time. I’m noticing a pattern." Spice added, “You got less than 10,000 listeners and I’m sharing my stage with you, and you feeling so entitled. Like, you thinking that my peoples that are working for me are supposed to work for you too? That’s so crazy to me.” As far as Ice Spice is concerned, she was "only trying to help."
2. The Copyright Lawsuit
The year started off shaky for Ice Spice after an artist named D.Chamberz took her and her producer and rumored boyfriend, Riot, to court. Spice's "In Ha Mood" gained traction and ushered in new visibility for the rapper; however, D.Chamberz accused her of stealing his sound. He claimed he released his track, "In That Mood," in January 2022 on DSPs. TMZ reported findings from the copyright infringement lawsuit, in which D.Chamberz also speculated that Riot may have heard the song in New York City clubs and radio stations.
"In Ha Mood" has accumulated tens of millions of views online, earning Ice Spice's labels a pretty penny. D.Chamberz wants what he says to be his piece of that pie, including the song's publishing, revenue streams generated from the track, and damages. However, a specific number was not shared. Meanwhile, Ice Spice's attorney denied any wrongdoing. “The claim is baseless," they told TMZ. "We will vigorously defend this case and look forward to our day in court when we will be fully vindicated.”
3. Matty Healy's Racist Jokes
Last year, Ice Spice was at the center of controversy after The 1975 singer Matt Healy appeared on a podcast and disparaged the rapper. Ice Spice made friends with Healy's ex, Taylor Swift, and even collaborated on a song, "Karma." However, that wasn't up for discussion while Healy visited The Adam Friedland Show. Instead, he spoke about DMing Spice, calling her "dumb," a "chubby Chinese lady," and an "Inuit Spice Girl." Ice Spice has claimed she is Dominican and Nigerian. Still, Healy went on to mock Chinese and Hawaiian accents as everyone laughed.
Ice Spice would later say she was perplexed when she learned of the remarks. “When I had heard that little podcast or whatever, I was so confused," she told Variety. "Because I heard ‘chubby Chinese lady’ or some sh*t like that, and I’m like, ‘Huh? What does that even mean?’ First of all, I’m thick. What do you mean Chinese? But then they apologized or whatever. And the whole time, I didn’t really care. But that’s funny because I saw him at the Jean Paul Gaultier party a couple days ago. He was like, ‘Hey, you OK?’ and I’m like, ‘Of course.’ He apologized to me a bunch of times. We’re good.”
4. Accused Of Not Paying For Wigs
When it was time for Ice Spice to get her looks together for her Y2K World Tour, a woman named Gia told the internet that the rapper's team reached out to have custom wigs made. The owner of The Bella Brand stated she had worked with Ice Spice before, so gathering two dozen wigs didn't seem to be a problem. However, things took a turn when Gia came knocking for her payment. She alleged that the team didn't fork over the money, and just 24 hours prior to the delivery date of the items, the entire order was canceled. Still, she wanted some fee for her time, effort, and resources. Gia claimed that Ice Spice's team promised to send her a service fee at least, but she hadn't received any further contact about the cash.
"Things happen, but that is not how you handle someone that respects your business. AND ALWAYS comes through for you at the very last minute LITERALLY!!!!!!" Gia wrote. "Also, you still owe me my wig back because it’s not paid for what’s going on with that??" She added, "Thank you for making us make all of these Nicki Minaj wigs. I’m going to go ahead and not upload the rest of the screenshots since this is supposed to be 'Princess Diana' but it’s really always Queen Onika".
5. The Drama With Baby Storme
Cleotrapa isn't the only one of Ice Spice's friends to have a fallout with the "Munch" hitmaker. Earlier this year, Spice's "good friend" Baby Storme emerged online with some harsh criticisms. The friendship had dissipated, and Storme was ready to expose Ice Spice's secrets. "She forced everyone in her life to sign an NDA, including me," Baby Storme penned on Xitter. "But the only person I'm signed to is God. So I will speak the truth."
Storme then brought receipts through screenshots of conversations showing Ice Spice making disparaging remarks. In them, they show a purported Spice speaking ill of Nicki Minaj, making racist statements, exhibiting fatphobia, and making fun of Cleotrapa. Baby Storme was accused of having a meltdown at the time, but amid this ongoing rift with Cleo, Spice's foes have united. "I tried to warn you & you just threatened to beat me up," Storme said to Cleotrapa. "Nevertheless, I’m sorry that happened to you."
Cleotrapa responded, "Oh I threatened to beat you up cause you was doing all that cause was mad at ice. It didn’t give you had any respect for me boo. You really could’ve dm’d me from the jump with that whole situation if you was on some real b*tch sh*t word but thank you."