The Y2K phenomenon was a big buildup to something that turned out to be an over-hyped anticlimax. In the months before the millennium, people everywhere became gripped with fear about what would happen when the date on computer programs flipped from "99" to "00." This might, the theory went, cause the computers to reset, throwing our increasingly technological world into chaos. Of course, nothing of the sort happened, and the new year's celebrations came and went like any other.
It's an apt title for Ice Spice's debut album, which has similarly gone from milestone moment to letdown in the months that she's been hyping it. The rapper born Isis Gaston came out of nowhere in late 2022 with her viral single "Munch (Feelin' U)" and absolutely ruled 2023: she was on the star-studded Barbie soundtrack, had a No. 2 hit with a Taylor Swift collab, and teamed up with PinkPantheress for one of the year's best songs.
All that should make Y2K! the most anticipated debut of the year — and yet its arrives as Ice Spice's meteoric rise begins to sputter following a series of forgettable singles. Her streaming audience has halved in the past year, her Spotify listeners falling from 40 million in June 2023 to under 19 million as of this writing; in 2023, her singles cracked the Top 10 in the US four times, but none of her four Y2K! singles have surpassed No. 37. She's losing momentum at precisely the moment she should have the world's ear.
Y2K! isn't the album that will turn back the clock on Ice Spice, its 23 minutes of drill shorter than the deluxe version of her debut EP, Like..?, not leaving as much of an impression as "Munch" or "Deli" — hardly the royal coronation one would expect from rap's Princess Diana.
Perhaps it's simply that the novelty has worn off, since there's nothing particularly different about Y2K!: Ice Spice is still working with producer RIOTUSA (who still insists on still insists on pasting "stop playing with 'em, RIOT" onto every intro), and the pair craft two-minute snippets of palpitating 808s and wordplay about butts and farting. It's easy to see why "Think you the shit, bitch? / You not even the fart" went viral when it was released as a teaser for "Think U the Shit (Fart)"; by the time she raps "I'm Miss Poopie like I need a diaper" on "Gimme a Light," or "I'm Miss Poopie but I never smell" on "BB Belt," the scatological fixation is frankly getting a little weird.
Y2K! has its moments: "Did It First" is beautifully produced, its melancholy loops contrasted with percussive ka-chick samples from a shotgun. "Think U the Shit (Fart)" nearly (but not quite) transcends mere gimmickry on the strength of its goofy synth loop, and there are lots of characteristically funny punchlines that are sure to equip listeners with a few more metaphors to describe sex (TIL "popa" is Russian for "ass").
Wisely, the pauses between tracks are practically nonexistent, giving the album a breakneck momentum as it absolutely races through its 23 minutes, prioritizing having fun over making a grand statement, turning the usual griminess of drill music into something goofy and fun. This impression is reinforced by the closing combo of "Gimme a Light" and "TTYL," as Ice Spice adopts a higher, more frantic flow than her usual deadpan, ending the album with an extra burst of energy.
Y2K! certainly isn't a disaster, but it's decidedly inessential, providing some new material for fans of her early singles without revealing any new tricks. Ice Spice has become a divisive, love-or-hate figure in rap, but Y2K! suggests that the truth lies somewhere in the middle — it's fine.