Y2K! is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Spice. It was released through 10K Projects and Capitol Records on July 26, 2024. The album features guest appearances from a fellow American rappers Travis Scott and Gunna, alongside British rapper Central Cee. The album's deluxe version was released on December 25, 2024, with features guest appearances from a fellow American rappers NLE Choppa and DaBaby, alongside Bb trickz and Anuel AA. Production on the album was handled by RiotUSA, Goldin, Synthetic, Upmadeit, Ojivolta, DJH, Nico Baran, Lily Kaplan, and Venny, among others.
Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from music critics, with praise given for its production and fun nature, but criticism aimed at its perceived repetitiveness, short length, and songwriting by general audiences.
On January 31, 2024, Ice Spice announced that her-then upcoming debut studio album would arrive somewhere in that same year. The name of the album is a reference to her being born on January 1, 2000. She stated that it was almost finished, and a "crazy collaboration" had been "locked in" two days prior to the interview being conducted.[6][7]
On June 5, Ice Spice revealed the album cover artwork, along with the release date of July 26. According to Billboard's Michael Saponara, the "NYC-themed cover art [...] finds her rocking revealing jean shorts along with green boots, her hands on a concrete wall as she stands outside a subway station next to a fire hydrant. "Y2K" is spray painted in hot pink on a trash can."[8][9] On July 12, Ice Spice and Central Cee released "Did It First", described by Uproxx as a half-Jersey club, half-UK drill track that was "100% [Ice Spice's] own" with a distinctive "propulsive" sound.[10]
Promotion
Tour
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On June 5, 2024, along with the album announcement, the rapper announced the Y2K! World Tour, with 25 dates across Europe and North America. The tour began with its European leg on July 4 at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, and it will end in Australia on January 5, 2025. The tour is set to be performed at Denmark, Poland, Austria, England, Switzerland, Romania, Belgium, The United States, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia. As of October 28, 2024, close to 80% of the tickets have been sold and $639,348 has been made off the tour. For every show in The United States and Canada, rappers Cash Cobain and Cleotrapa were the opening acts. However, Ice Spice gained controversy on TikTok after Cleotrapa alleged that Ice Spice treated her like a slave on tour.
Commercial performance
In the United States, Y2K! debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200, with 28,000 album-equivalent units, becoming the lowest placing on the chart by Ice Spice; as well as her highest selling week, surpassing her debut extended play (EP), Like..? (2023), which sold 15,000 units.[11][12] In Europe, Y2K! entered only in the Lituanian and French albums charts, respectively at the number 20 and number 124.[13]
Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from critics. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Y2K! received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 from 17 critic scores.[15] The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled seven reviews and gave the album an average of 5.7 out of 10.[14] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the album "doesn’t hang around long enough to bore you", while describing the record as "wilfully trashy, brief and throwaway". He noted that "Y2K! is unlikely to enter the pantheon of great rap albums", however, "it’s fun while it lasts".[19] Writing for The Independent, Helen Brown stated that there's "a wickedly infectious energy, wit and filth to her confrontational braggadocio".[20]NME's Rhian Daly wrote that the album "shows plenty of promise" but is weighed down by the filler content. Daly concluded his review by noting that "it’s not a masterpiece that will silence the haters, but it’s not likely to slam the brakes on her rapid rise either".[22] Mankaprr Conteh for Rolling Stone wrote that the album's short length "uses her limited range" to her advantage while noting that "Ice is more animated and wordy than ever".[24]
↑ Gardner, Alex; Fife, Carter; Aguilar, Andrea (August 30, 2022). "Best New Artists of the Month". Pigeons & Planes. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
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