Complex unveils its last digital cover of the year featuring Ice Spice lensed by legendary hip hop photographer, director, and filmmaker Hype Williams for The Hype Williams Issue. 

For the cover story, Complex’s Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo sat down with the Brox rapper in Miami to further examine her swift ascent as the torchbearer for women’s dominance in New York rap (and rap in general), on the year of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The two discuss Ice Spice’s much-anticipated debut album, respect for music critics, her recording process, trusted industry peers, and more. 

Plus – exclusive interviews from Hype Williams, UK drill prince Central Cee, On The Radar Radio’s Gabe P, and longtime collaborator RIOT, on Ice Spice’s impact and criticism. 

Ice Spice on who she trusts most amongst her peers: “Honestly, it just depends on what artist I’m talking to at the time. Whatever artist I’m chilling with or in communication with.” Right now? That’s Central Cee, the reigning rookie from across the Atlantic. “We’ve become good friends over the past year ever since he hopped on ‘Munch [Remix]’’” she says of the unreleased song, “but we’re gonna drop something new and exciting when we’re ready.”

Central Cee on sending Ice Spice his new music for feedback: “She reminds me of me a bit. She’s just cool innit. Humble, down to earth, don’t really care too much about the shiny stuff; but also knows how to play the game. And you can hear that in the music, and see that in the moves that she makes, and I appreciate that because some people don’t really know what they’re doing, and they take it for granted or they don’t take the opportunity and run with it—but she’s really running with it right now.”

Ice Spice on whose opinions she actually values: The critics,” she admits. “Because they actually study music and care about it. So I feel like I’d rather hear their opinion. I’m more interested in that because at least it’ll be paragraphs explaining why they feel that way and I’ll be able to understand the person better versus just one little hateful ass comment from a private page. At least there’s an author and a face attached.”

Hype Williams on working with Ice Spice: “I’m notorious for working with hip-hop artists at every level…She represents the future.”

Ice Spice on her writing and recording process: “It’s funny because Hype was just trying to call me a lyricist. I wouldn’t consider myself a lyricist. Obviously, lyrics go into music and I do think about them and I do be having bars in my music but they’re just super simple,” she says. “I want them to be digestible, I don’t want them to fly over people’s heads and they never catch it. I want people to hear it right away and be like, ‘OK, that was cute.’ But it’s also fun at the same time.”

Ice Spice on tapping into her Dominican roots and diving into Latin music: “To be honest, I’ve been thinking about that,” she says. “I do want to do that at some point.”

Ice Spice on what fans can expect from her debut album: “I would say I’m bringing drill to new heights, and I feel like it would make sense to incorporate a lot of that in an album because, of course, there’s trap and everything else, but so many people are doing it and it’s so saturated right now.” There isn’t that many girls doing drill. I want to put on for New York and women in New York.”

Read the full cover story here. 

Also live today is a new episode of GOAT Talk featuring Complex digital cover star Ice Spice and her longtime producer RIOT declaring their GOAT Nicki Minaj Song, party they’ve been to, and New York slang, as well as their Worst of All Time fashion trend. This is GOAT Talk, a show where Complex asks today’s greats to crown their all-time greats.

Subscribe to Complex on YouTube here to watch all episodes of GOAT Talk, including recent episodes with City Girls, BabyTron and Babyface Ray, Chloe Bailey and Quavo, Travis Barker and Alabama Barker and more.