Y2K! by Ice Spice | Album Review
The Bronx breakout star Ice Spice has finally dropped her debut album Y2K!
LISTEN TO Y2K! : SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
Since the success that the rapper has found with EP Like..?, and her break-out single “Munch (Feelin’ U)” Ice Spice just continued her domination. Whether those were countless captivating TikTok dances or collaborations with different celebrities, she is been on top.
With her long-awaited debut album Y2K!, I did not have any expectations or biases, so as a record I tried to approach it as objectively as possible. What I expected though, is that for this album, Spice’s opportunities were enormous. The rapper has got the attention of stars like Central Cee, Gunna, and Travis Scott, all of whom are being featured on the album. Additionally, she had access to all of the top producers, raising the question of whether were those opportunities properly utilized.
If you thought that Ice Spice’s Y2K! signifies a significant improvement in quality and production compared to Like..?, you would be mistaken.
This album’s executive producer Riotusa, has a track record of helping Spice create several hits. Whenever they team up, you can bet on another song in the jersey club or drill style. However, if in the beginning, it was fun, now it is just boring.
Despite the possibility of Spice delivering a more fresh or diverse sound like on “Poppa”, the narrow-minded production completely kills it off and brings it back to drill.
Riotusa strives for a grand and epic sound with booming bass, memorable kicks, and hi-hats, but their chemistry on the record wears off pretty quickly. Those self-made constraints limit Ice Spice in her filter bubble, making her release the same sounding song again and again.
What you’ll find on this album is a blend of trap, drill, and jersey club tracks, which creates absolutely soulless music.
While I initially found the lead singles to be quite weak, upon seeing the entire picture, I believe that “Think U The Shit (Fart)” and “Did It First” stand out as the most interesting ones. They faintly capture the Y2K aesthetic, incorporating elements of synth wave and a retro vibe that add an interesting touch.
The concept of Y2K could have been implemented as a really cool one, as Spice was on the right track with website design, and video clip curation, but it doesn’t go further than that. The whole Y2K thing seems forced and bizarre. When we take the fact that Spice was just born in 2000, it means that she barely experienced the remnants of that culture, making the album look like a big commercial mess.
Despite my efforts to approach this album with an open mind, Ice Spice pales in comparison to other rappers like Travis or Gunna. Without the song even starting, you already know how it is going to end. Her ad-libs and delivery become so annoying and monotone that closer to the half of the album you start questioning why are you even listening to this.
In conclusion, this is atrocious. It is bad. With Rich The Kid, it was just super boring and poorly directed, but here this is just horrific. You won’t find any essence or diversity in it, and when you do, the atmosphere is going to be ruined by the useless presence of the poop bars.
FINAL RATING: 0.9/10 ( DRAMATICALLY BAD )
FAVORITE TRACKS: “Think U The Shit (Fart)”, “Did It First”
LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS: The rest of the album
Scores guideline:
0–2 (dramatically bad)
2.1–4.5 (bad)
4.6–6 (mediocre/mid)
6.1–6.9 (Ok)
7–7.5 (good)
7.6–8.6 (great)
8.7–9.9 (amazing)
10 (perfect)
