The effervescent rapper Ice Spice candidly delved into the tumultuous aftermath of Matty Healy's controversial jibes, mere months before whispers of a potential romance with Taylor Swift swirled around them. In an exclusive cover story for Rolling Stone, Ice Spice unveiled the depths of her camaraderie with Swift, whom she cherishes as her "closest celebrity confidante."
Recalling the exhilarating moment when her manager imparted the news of Swift's desire to collaborate on a remix of "Karma," a standout track from her Midnights album, Ice Spice painted a vivid picture. Nestled in her modest New Jersey abode, with her producer Riot at her side as they crafted magic in the studio, the call came as a bolt from the blue. "My manager, who typically prefers texts, rang me up with a tinge of excitement, 'You ready for this one?' My heart skipped a beat, fearing the worst. But then, he dropped the bombshell, 'Taylor Swift has a record she wants you on from her album.' I tried to play it cool, responding with a breezy, 'Oh, that's cool. Super cool.' Yet, as soon as I hung up, I dissolved into uncontrollable tears, sequestered in my walk-in closet, muttering, 'This can't be real life.' Riot, ever the documentarian, captured the moment, which might just grace the silver screen someday in a tell-all doc."
The subsequent collaboration on the bonus track sparked whispers of Swift capitalizing on Ice Spice's rising stardom, a notion that struck a discordant note with the rapper. "It's so disrespectful," Ice Spice mused. "Why wouldn't she want to be my friend? Taylor and I vibe on a whole other level. She's hilarious, and our personalities are a perfect blend."
However, the serene waters of their friendship were briefly disturbed when Matty Healy's past remarks about Ice Spice surfaced, mere weeks after he was romantically linked to Swift in May 2023. In a February 2023 interview on The Adam Friedland Show, Healy found himself embroiled in controversy for failing to condemn jokes made at Ice Spice's expense, which poked fun at her accent, likening her to an "Inuit Spice Girl" and a "chubby Chinese lady." Although Healy didn't utter the offensive words himself, his laughter and participation in the mocking drew ire on social media.
In the aftermath, Healy reportedly sought forgiveness from Ice Spice during a concert in Auckland, New Zealand, but later downplayed the controversy, claiming it "doesn't actually matter." In her candid conversation with Rolling Stone, Ice Spice confessed to being late to the fray, unaware of the uproar until weeks later. "He apologized profusely, but I didn't grasp the magnitude of the situation's impact on others," she said. "I felt like people were grasping at straws to be outraged. I wasn't angry, sad, or anything. Just bewildered. It never really bothered me."
