Photo:Prince Williams/WireImage
Prince Williams/WireImage
Get to knowIce Spice’s parents.
Ice Spice(whose real name is Isis Naija Gaston) was born to mom Charina Almanzar and dad Joseph Gaston on Jan. 1, 2000, and grew up in the Bronx.
In a January 2023 interview withCosmopolitan, the breakout rapper, who is the eldest of five siblings, recalled the moment she went viral, revealing that her mom and siblings were equally as shocked at the immediate increase in views her take on Erica Banks’ “Buss It” challenge received on social media.
In a separate interview withApple Music’s Zane Lowe, Ice Spice opened up about the positive and negative sides of fame, noting that she’s “grateful” for her career. “At the end of the day, it opened doors for me. It allowed me to help me family, help myself and change my lifestyle for the better,” she explained.
Here’s everything to know about the two who raised Ice Spice to be the star she is today.
Joseph and Charina split when she was young
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Though Ice Spice’s parents split when she was young,perThe Cut, they both lived in close proximity as the rapper grew up in the Fordham Road neighborhood of the Bronx.
The rapper — who previously said that her parents are ofDominicanandNigerian descent— also spoke about her love of the Bronx noting that the borough is “full of people from all different backgrounds.” She added, “I think everyone I’ve ever met is mixed, especially in the Bronx.”
Prior to Ice Spice’s move to New Jersey, which is where she now resides, she was splitting time between her mom and dad’s homes.
Joseph inspired her rap career
Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Not much is publicly known about Ice Spice’s father because “he’s such a private person,” the rapper toldVarietyin September 2023. However, she has opened up about his own career as an underground MC — whose stage name she declines to provide — and how it’s influenced her.
“He definitely inspired me to want to record,” she toldPaper Magazine. “He definitely inspired me to want to record.” Ice Spice went on to recall a time she was in the studio with him when she was a toddler.
“I remember little flashes,” she said. “Of course, not every detail, but small things like that being shown to you at such a young age make an impression on you.” Ice Spice said she was “subconsciously” impacted.
“I ended up becoming an artist because I saw my father be one first,” she revealed. “He’s a music lover himself. He’s a true hip-hop head, beyond me, honestly. He knows everything. He’s always educating me on hip-hop and s—t like that.”
Ice Spice shared withCosmopolitanmore of her early memories with her dad, recalling their bond through rap when she was a little girl. In fact, she said she “didn’t really hear” her father’s music until around age 19.
“But just knowing that he was a rapper, that’s all I needed to know,” Ice Spice said. She went on to explain how he would “freestyle all the time in the house,” which ultimately “inspired” her.
“He would always be like, ‘Let me hear something,'” Ice Spice recalled of her dad. “And put me on the spot.”
Joseph influenced her taste in music
Today, Ice Spice’s dad works in real estate — but his musical past has influenced her interest in rap and certain artists, specifically hometown heroes like Jadakiss, 50 Cent and Jay-Z. According toVariety, the first songs Ice Spice ever memorized were Minaj’s “I Get Crazy” and “Itty Bitty Piggy.”
Charina raised Ice Spice ‘to be just like her’
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty for Spotify
Ice Spice credits her Dominican mother for who she is today. “My mom’s a bad b—- and she raised me to be just like her,” the rapper said in aBillboardinterview published in October 2022.
“You already know Latina girls have that sass," she continued. “I remember she would always have her nails done so that trickled down to me. She was just always looking so good. I was that kid in the class who had the good-looking mom.”
Charina has supported Ice Spice since she was a little girl
Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Charina has been documenting her daughter’s musical talents, recording her singing since she was around four years old. Ice Spice toldBillboardthat her proud mother still has those videos today.
“So I was singing since [age] four, but I didn’t actually take music seriously until I was older,” she continued. “I was writing poems and little freestyle raps in my notes throughout all of elementary and high school.”
When she started college, Ice Spice went viral on Twitter for the “Buss It” challenge, which is when she realized she “gotta take it seriously,” prompting her to start releasing music.
source: people.com
