The song will appear on the Bronx rapper’s forthcoming debut studio album Y2K
Back in 2002, Sean Paul released “Gimme the Light” and watched as it swiftly became one of the most inescapable songs across the country, but especially in the Bronx. Ice Spice, the princess of New York‘s rap scene, was only two at the time — but her latest single, “Gimme a Light,” flips the OG record and taps into the essence of the borough that birthed her.
“Off the liquor, we be gettin’ nasty/Ghetto, fabulous and fancy/She gettin’ loud but nobody moved (Word)/Talk of the town, I’m makin’ the news,” Ice Spice raps on the track. “Pretty-ass face and some pretty-ass boobs/Pretty-ass bitch, I be shakin’ the room/Stank-ass bitch tryna grill me/She actin’ lost, but of course she in tune.”
In teaser clips posted to social media, Ice Spice zips through New York in the backseat of a hot pink Range Rover with a crew of bikers tailing the truck. Clouds of smoke from the rapper’s blunt permeate the air and pour from the windows, they’re even there as she makes her way through a crowded party later on in the clip.
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Ice Spice first premiered “Gimme a Light” during her recent performance at Coachella in April. Her set featured her catalog classics “Munch (Feelin’ U),” “Princess Diana,” “Gangsta Boo,” and “No Clarity,” plus the PinkPantheress collaboration “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2.” But the rapper also used her set to preview her forthcoming debut studio album Y2K, set for release sometime this year and likely featuring the singles “Gimme a Light” and “Think U the Shit (Fart).”
Last year, Ice Spice told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that her approach to making music is intrinsically connected to her upbringing in the Bronx — particularly the Fordham Road shopping area and how retailers would often play upbeat music (like Sean Paul’s “Gimme the Light”) to attract customers. “The second I stop having fun while recording, I need to just close the session and come back to it later,” she said. “I don’t really think, ‘How am I going to get people to come into my store?’ consciously, but I probably do without even realizing it.”
