Ice Spice won the Best New Hip-Hop Artist award at last night’s 12th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards, hosted by Ludacris.
“She had five – count them y'all: five – number one singles that dominated the iHeartRadio airwaves, including collabs with Heavy Hitters Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj,” Actress Niecy Nash said, while presenting Ice Spice with her award. “Not only that, Ice Spice lit up the stage from Saturday Night Live to Taylor's Eras tour and made Forbes 30 under 30 list … and even found time to star in a Dunkin Donuts commercial with Ben Affleck.”
Once on stage, Ice Spice used her time to thank her fans and encourage them to follow their dreams.
“ I just want to tell all my fans I love you so so much …” Ice Spice said in her acceptance speech. “I just want to let all the young girls … and boys too, whoever you are, like just keep chasing your dreams. You feel me? Like, f^*k what the hater say. Just keep doing you.”
Last night’s win was just one of the many accolades she’s received since she busted onto the music scene in 2021.
Let’s delve into the world of this Afro-Latina sensation and celebrate her path to winning the Best New Hip-Hop Artist award.
Ice Spice's Path to Best New Hip-Hop Artist
Ice Spice is a true millennial baby. She was born Isis Naija Gaston on January 1, 2000, in the Bronx, New York City. She is known for proudly embracing her Afro-Latina roots. Her father, Joseph Gaston, is African-American and was once an underground rapper. And her mother, Charina Almanzar, is from the Dominican Republic.
Her musical journey began while studying in college, where she crossed paths with producer RiotUSA.
“Weeks after her musical debut, Ice Spice went viral on Twitter after doing the ‘Buss It’ challenge,” Hola writes. “Her song ‘Name of Love’ gained popularity on SoundCloud, which led to her becoming famous on Instagram.”
Her relaxed rapping style and magnetic presence quickly caught the industry’s attention.
“Her debut EP, Like…? hit the top 15 of the Billboard 200, and … she has collaborated with PinkPantheress, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift – with all three collaborations becoming top 10 hits,” WGTC writes. “Her second collaboration with Minaj — alongside Europop band Aqua — ‘Barbie World’ was a major part of the soundtrack for Barbie, the biggest hit movie of 2023.”
In addition to last night’s win at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Ice Spice has also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist and the People’s Choice Award for New Artist of the Year. Additionally, she earned nominations for four Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.
Other Winners at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Other Latino artists left their mark last night as well. Latino artists receiving multiple nominations going into the evening included Carin León, Grupo Frontera, Ice Spice, Karol G, Peso Pluma, Selena Gomez, and Shakira.
Shakira had six nominations, including the fiercely contested Artist of the Year category. She won the Latin Pop/Urban Song of the Year award for her collaboration with Bizarrap “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.”
Peso Pluma, the Mexican superstar, had five nominations. He won Regional Mexican artist of the year, Best new artist (regional Mexican), Regional Mexican album of the year. And his track "Ella Baila Sola, with Eslabon Armado, won Regional Mexican Song of the Year.
The Best Collaboration award went to Rema and Selena Gomez for their hit “Calm Down.”
And the Latin pop/urban Album of the Year went to Karol G for MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO.
