By 2023, Ice Spice has established herself as the year’s must-have musical phenomenon. With successful collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, the talented 23-year-old New York rapper is now aiming to conquer the summer season with her latest catchy track, “Deli”. The problem is, the video has caused a scandal in the US. We explain why.

Almost a year after the release of her smash track ‘Munch (Feelin’ U)’, which went viral on TikTok, Ice Spice has established herself as the hottest American rapper of the moment. Her meteoric rise to the top has seen her collaborate with big-name artists such as Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj. She even appeared on the original soundtrack of the famous Barbie film (which has now grossed close to a billion dollars at the box office).

At just 23 years of age and less than a year into her career, Ice Spice is making a splash on streaming platforms, attracting the attention of millions of listeners. On Spotify, she has an impressive average of 37 million monthly listeners, which speaks volumes about her immense popularity.

Fans are eagerly awaiting her debut album, and as a foretaste, Ice Spice unveiled her new track “Deli” on 26 July. Shot surrounded by her fans in the streets of New York, Ice Spice surprises us once again with a production by riotUSA. The rhythmic sound is featured on the deluxe version of her EP “Like…”.

The EP was released on 21 July, and includes five new tracks: “How High?”, “Butterfly Ku”, “Deli”, “Princess Diana” in feat with Nicki Minaj, and her freestyle “On The Radar”.

“Deli” now has just over 11 million views on YouTube. But are these figures thanks to fans or to hate-watching (watching content for the pleasure of making fun of it or criticising it)?

It’s a legitimate question, because since its release, the clip has caused a scandal in the twittosphere (or should we say the ‘X-sphere’?). And rightly so, because the dancers in the video include Aya Tanjali, a 16-year-old teenager. Tanjali is a popular tiktokeuse in the US, and is seen twerking in Ice Spice’s latest video.

A scandal that could cause problems between the American justice system and the New York rapper. Because the dancer is a minor, Ice Spice is in breach of US federal law.

Twitter (yes, we’re rooting for the blue bird), in its efforts to provide appropriate context for users, added a warning message to the rapper’s tweet on Wednesday 26 July promoting the visual: “Viewers should be aware that this video features an underage girl dancing in a sexually explicit manner, which may violate state and federal laws,” the message reads. “One of the dancers in this video is 16 years old, a fact likely known to Ice Spice, as the two follow each other on Instagram.”

However, other debates have been raised. Some Internet users are wondering why twerking, and by extension a 16-year-old girl, should be “sexualised”.

For the moment, the video is still visible on Youtube and has not been censored. Ice Spice has still not reacted to the criticism.