New York City-based rapper Ice Spice scores her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 4), as her new collaboration with Lil Tjay, “Gangsta Boo,” debuts at No. 82.
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The song, released Jan. 20 on her EP Like..? via Dolo/TenThousand Projects/Capitol Records, opens with 5.1 million U.S. streams, 727,000 radio airplay audience impressions and 3,000 downloads sold in its first week (ending Jan. 26), according to Luminate. It also debuts at Nos. 16 and 32 on the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively.
Like..? concurrently starts at No. 13 on Top Rap Albums, No. 19 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 37 on the all-genre Billboard 200 with 15,000 equivalent album units earned.
Ice Spice (real name Isis Gaston), who hails from the Bronx, is a newcomer to Billboard’s charts. She charted one track prior to “Gangsta Boo”: Her breakout hit “Munch (Feelin’ U)” reached No. 25 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs last September/October. It also peaked at No. 19 on Rap Airplay, No. 23 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, No. 27 on Rhythmic Airplay and No. 28 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Meanwhile, thanks to attention surrounding her new release, “Munch” surged by 67% to 2.3 million U.S. streams Jan. 20-26.
Notably, “Gangsta Boo” samples Diddy and Ginuwine’s “I Need a Girl (Part Two),” featuring Loon, Mario Winans and Tammy Ruggieri. The classic hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 2001.
“Gangsta Boo” is also a tribute to the late rapper of the same name. The Memphis-based rapper (born Lola Mitchell), who was a member of Three 6 Mafia, died Jan. 1 at age 43.
Another Ice Spice breakout track also debuts on multiple charts: “In Ha Mood,” also on Like..?, enters at No. 24 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 43 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Anointed Billboard‘s October R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month, Ice Spice shared that Lil Tjay, who also hails from the Bronx, is her go-to artist for advice. “We like to chat a lot,” she said. “[He] actually goes through similar situations. It helps a lot to be able to talk to somebody and just vent and for them to be like, ‘This is what I did when that happened to me.’ And learning from their mistakes, too.”
Ice Spice says that her inspiration for the new EP comes from Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim, Cardi … “all the greats. I’m definitely inspired by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. But I definitely want to like have my own lane, where like, it’s just mine, and not like really copying somebody.”
