Before she was the "Princess of the Bronx" with a signature ginger afro and a string of Billboard hits, she was just Isis Gaston. Most people see the viral TikTok clips and the Grammys appearances and think she just popped out of a vacuum in 2022. She didn’t. The reality of ice spice before fame is a lot more grounded—and honestly, a lot more athletic—than the internet's "industry plant" theories would have you believe.
She grew up in Fordham Road. It’s a loud, chaotic, vibrant part of the Bronx that shapes you whether you want it to or not. Her dad was an underground rapper. That’s a detail that gets thrown around a lot, but it’s crucial because it meant she wasn't just consuming hip-hop from the radio; she was seeing the technical, gritty side of the booth before she could even drive. She was obsessed with Nicki Minaj, obviously. She’s been vocal about how Nicki was the blueprint. But she wasn't just a fan girl in her room. She was a kid with a lot of energy and a surprisingly competitive streak that manifested on the hardwood.
The D1 Hoop Dreams
You might have seen the photos of her in a jersey. It’s not a costume. While attending Sacred Heart High School, a Catholic school in Yonkers, Isis was a genuine athlete. She wasn't just on the team; she was a starting point guard.
Think about the discipline that requires. You’re waking up for 6:00 AM practices while trying to navigate being a teenager in New York. Her teammates from that era remember her as being focused. She wasn't the loud, flashy personality you see in the "Munch" music video. She was quiet. Determined. She eventually went to SUNY Purchase, where she continued her athletic career at the collegiate level.
She was a communications major. It’s funny looking back, because her "boring" college years are exactly what gave her the tools to handle the media circus she lives in now. She studied how people talk. She studied how information moves. Then, she dropped out.
Why She Quit College
It wasn’t because she failed. It was because the vibe was off. She’s mentioned in interviews that she felt like she was just going through the motions. The commute was a drag. The structure felt restrictive. She moved back to the Bronx and started working odd jobs, including a stint as a cashier at a Wendy’s and a Gap.
📖 Related: Leonardo DiCaprio Met Gala: What Really Happened with His Secret Debut
Imagine walking into a Wendy's in 2019 and having the future of drill music take your order.
This period of ice spice before fame is what fans relate to the most. It was that "in-between" phase. She was posting on Instagram, trying to find her aesthetic, and experimenting with her hair. The signature curls weren't always there. She spent years straightening her hair, trying to fit a more traditional "baddie" mold before she realized that leaning into her natural texture was actually her superpower.
Meeting RIOTUSA and the Birth of a Sound
The turning point happened at SUNY Purchase, even though she didn't finish her degree there. She met RIOTUSA. He’s the producer behind almost all her hits. He was the son of DJ Enuff, so he had the lineage, but he was also just a student trying to make beats that sounded different.
They started as friends. He saw something in her voice—this relaxed, almost whispered delivery—that contrasted perfectly with the aggressive, high-BPM drums of New York drill. Most drill rappers at the time were screaming. They were trying to sound as menacing as possible. Ice Spice did the opposite. She sounded like she was talking to you on a couch at a party while everyone else was fighting in the kitchen.
Her first song, "Bully Freestyle," dropped in early 2021. It wasn't a massive hit. It didn't break the internet. But it proved the concept. She was finding her pocket.
👉 See also: Mia Khalifa New Sex Research: Why Everyone Is Still Obsessed With Her 2014 Career
The Viral Erika Costell "Buss It" Challenge
If you really want to track the exact moment the gears started turning, look at her Twitter (now X) activity from early 2021. She did the "Buss It" challenge. It went viral. Not "millions of views" viral, but enough that people started asking, "Who is that girl from the Bronx?"
She had a look. She had an aura. But she didn't have the "hit" yet.
She spent a lot of time in 2021 just being a "micro-influencer." She was networking. She was in the studios. She was learning how to navigate the male-dominated spaces of the New York rap scene without losing her identity. It’s a tough balance. You have to be hard enough to be respected but marketable enough to break out of the borough.
Debunking the "Industry Plant" Narrative
When "Munch (Feelin’ U)" exploded in 2022, the internet did what it always does: it claimed she was a manufactured product. Critics pointed to her rapid rise as evidence that a label had hand-picked her and forced her down our throats.
But if you look at the timeline of ice spice before fame, that theory falls apart. She had a two-year lead-up of independent releases. She had a failed college basketball career. She had years of working retail. The reason she "blew up overnight" is because she spent three years refining a very specific, very digestible version of a niche genre.
✨ Don't miss: Is Randy Parton Still Alive? What Really Happened to Dolly’s Brother
Drake played a huge role, sure. He played "Munch" on Sound 42, his SiriusXM channel. That’s the "Drake Effect." But he didn't create her. He just identified what the Bronx already knew: she had the "it" factor.
What We Can Learn From Her Rise
Ice Spice’s pre-fame life is a masterclass in pivotting. She went from Catholic school girl to D1 athlete to college dropout to retail worker to global superstar in less than five years.
- Leverage your environment. She didn't try to sound like she was from Atlanta or London. She leaned into the Bronx drill sound but made it her own.
- Find a partner who gets the vision. Her partnership with RIOTUSA is reminiscent of Billie Eilish and Finneas. It’s a closed loop of creativity.
- Consistency over intensity. She wasn't posting one song and hoping for the best. She was building an aesthetic on social media long before the music caught up.
The transition from Isis Gaston to Ice Spice wasn't a makeover; it was an evolution. She took the discipline of the basketball court and applied it to the recording studio. She took the communication skills from her college major and applied them to her branding.
To really understand her current success, you have to look at the girl who was willing to drop out of a safe path to bet on a sound that nobody else was making. She wasn't lucky. She was prepared.
Actionable Takeaways for Navigating Career Pivots
If you’re looking at her trajectory and wondering how to apply that "pre-fame" hustle to your own life, start with these steps:
- Audit your "useless" skills. Ice Spice’s communications background and basketball discipline weren't wasted; they became her foundation. List three skills you have from a previous job or hobby that could give you an edge in your current field.
- Find your "Riot." Success is rarely a solo act. Identify a collaborator who complements your weaknesses rather than someone who just agrees with you.
- Test the "Buss It" theory. Don't wait for a finished product to build an audience. Use social media to test your "aura" and brand identity before you launch your main project.
- Ignore the "Plant" talk. People will always attribute rapid success to secret help. If you know you’ve put in the years of "unseen" work, the opinions of people who only saw the "overnight" result don't matter.