I was doing a live Q&A on hip hop earlier this year when I was asked, “What do you think is the secret to Ice Spice’s popularity?” I’m interested in her music and I had wondered the same thing myself. Despite having been a music critic as long as I have, I find it hard to fully grasp the complexities behind how a twentysomething woman rapping has become such a phenomenon among such a wide range of ages and genders (not to mention our differing cultures). What’s clear at least is that the catalyst was the song “Munch (Feelin’ U).” 

Released back in August 2022, the song quickly went viral and was all over TikTok, a platform already known for propelling up-and-coming talents into the mainstream. Rap star Drake’s support likewise played a crucial part. Drake played the song on Sound 42, his channel on satellite radio service SiriusXM. The channel has a huge audience, so the song reached countless ears. TikTok users posted endless reaction videos and remixes using one particular part of the song, with the hashtags #munch and #IceSpice, generating billions of views. For his part, Drake DMed Ice Spice on Instagram to show his support for the song and even invited her to perform at his OVO Fest.

Ice Spice acknowledges the major role Drake played in everything. “Drake complimenting ‘Munch’ brought even more attention to me and the song,” she revealed in a 2022 interview with Complex. “It feels like all the hard work being put in is starting to pay off.” The song not only catapulted her to stardom—it also perfectly encapsulates her musical style: calm, peaceful rapping over the trademark ominous beat and irregular rhythm characteristic of drill. Her rap style and the beats she uses feel like they should be at odds with one another, and yet they work so well. Most notably, her concise lyrics and catchy choruses with their effortless feel have instant appeal for anyone who creates short-form content, including challenges.

The word “munch” captured people’s imaginations all by itself. Even those who live in the United States, and even more specifically New York, where the slang has its origins, were unfamiliar with the term and didn’t know what to make of it. It’s a word that’s typically associated with sex. Ice Spice told website Genius that the word can also mean “somebody that’s obsessed with you, or it could be a hater,” which makes sense: “Munch (Feelin’ U)” openly takes shots at unfaithful men and the rapper’s haters. It’s her personal take on drill’s violent, nihilistic lyrics.

All the stories surrounding this song and the performance it’s had go a ways to explaining Ice Spice’s rise to fame, but it doesn’t quite explain the absolute mania surrounding her. Besides her impressive rap skills, fantastic music, and success across TikTok, there are still other reasons why Ice Spice has utterly stolen the hearts of Gen Z. I could already see the data-driven analysis; now I was curious to hear thoughts and feelings directly from real people. I went digging into online forums and communities of music fans around the world, and there I found a lot of discussion around the source of Ice Spice’s popularity.

Ice Spice’s fans tend to be between roughly 14 years old and in their late 20s. That corresponds with the age group that listens to and keeps up with mainstream music and the trends of the day. They said they found her unique looks and sense of fashion appealing, especially her orange curls, and were impressed by her overflowing confidence, including the fact that she likes to listen to her own songs. A number of people also pointed out how cool and down-to-Earth she is. Based on a lot of the responses, I got the impression that most of Ice Spice’s fans look to her as a friend or sister. That makes sense, as the rapper’s actively engaged with her fans through multiple channels. That seems to be the basis of her passionate following and the strong community between listeners. Consequently, Ice Spice has a very dedicated fanbase, most notably in the form of her social media fandom, known collectively as the Spice Cabinet, or Munchkins.

Before she ever released “Munch,” Ice Spice went viral on TikTok with her take on the Erica Banks “Buss It” challenge, in early 2021. She showed a natural propensity for digital-era branding and for making community-driven viral hits long before she was a star. The fandom she has today is the result of her uncanny eye for promotion that lines up perfectly with what contemporary listeners are looking for. And it’s not just listeners who love Ice Spice—her meteoric rise has been accompanied by praise from other celebrities, too.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s daughter North West, for example, went viral with a TikTok video of her drawing Ice Spice with the rapper’s song “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” in the background, while Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X dressed up for Halloween as Ice Spice in the “Munch” music video. Beyoncé, meanwhile, personally selected Ice Spice to be the face of the campaign behind the bright orange adidas x IVY PARK collection.

Ice Spice was born smack dab in the middle of the New York drill rap movement, seeing its inception, spread, and mass popularity, and thus was herself heavily influenced by the genre. She cites the late Pop Smoke, a pioneer of the genre who had a major hand in bringing it to the mainstream, as one of her influences. Yet her music doesn’t follow the typical drill formula. She grew up listening to a variety of different artists like Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, and Shakira, and her music consequently is a combination of pop and drill.

Because lyrics that focus on violence, crime, and gangs are considered fundamental to drill, there’s debate around whether Ice Spice’s music belongs under the umbrella. Either way, it’s clear that the genre has had an influence on her early output. She’s taken drill and reshaped it around her own style and it’s paying off. Her hit “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2,” made in collaboration with another Gen Z star, the English PinkPantheress, speaks to Ice Spice’s good judgment and incredible talent, and proved that she wasn’t a one-hit wonder.

Swimming beneath the surface of Ice Spice’s blunt, laid-back raps are bold, very explicit lyrics about sex. She also takes a strong stance, showing herself to be a woman who’s proactive and in control when it comes to sex and relationships. Nor is she afraid to diss her haters—hard. She takes the viewpoints of the hip hop world emphasized by earlier female rappers—Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, and Gangsta Boo from the 1990s; Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion from the 2000s—and works in the new generation of drill and pop.

Ice Spice has found unprecedented loyalty among her fans thanks to establishing her own identity through acknowledging existing trends without feeling the need to conform to them. It’s rare for an artist and their fans to have such a strong connection, and that’s why Ice Spice’s influence isn’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon. It’s not just her music that’s trending right now—it’s Ice Spice herself.