TRACK REVIEW: Saweetie - Icy Chain — Music Musings & Such

TRACK REVIEW:

Saweetie

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjo Arwas

Icy Chain

9.4/10

The track, Icy Chain, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYQ1HUEE6q8

RELEASE DATE:

19th November, 2021

ORIGIN:

California, U.S.A.

GENRES:

Rap/Hip-Hop

LABELS:

ICY/Warner Records Inc.

__________

THIS review…

PHOTO CREDIT: Burak Cingi

is going to be fairly unusual, in the sense the song I am featuring is less than two minutes in length. Saweetie has unveiled her latest cut, Icy Chain. She manages to pack a lot in and, as she is such a compelling artist, I wanted to feature her this weekend. Before I get there, there are a series of interviews and aspects of her life that I want to include. FLAUNT spoke with her in 2019. We discover a bit about Saweetie’s earlier life and why Rap music made a big impact:

“Saweetie was born Diamonté Harper in Santa Clara and raised about thirty miles north in Hayward, California. When she wasn’t enjoying the adoba and pancit dishes of her mother’s Filipino culture, she sat on her father’s lap watching him play bones with friends in their apartment off Tennyson Road. During those games she remembers Too Short and tile slamming, Mac Dre and dro. “We get lit in the Bay,” she rightly proclaims, but her music exposure went beyond the locals. Saweetie’s mom made sure to pepper her with Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown and alternative rock.

Rap made the biggest impact though, and she’s known that she wanted to pursue it herself since her early teens. She still went to college, despite some indecisiveness about the venture, migrating south to San Diego State—where she was the first woman to audition for their mascot—and ending her collegiate run at USC. “When I came out to LA for college, I was a tomboy,” she reveals. “I would wear sneakers to parties. But you get to LA and it’s a different world. I was always fly, but LA is a different kinda fly.” It’s a more defeating kind of traffic too. Some use her father’s Mac Dre and dro combo to deal; Saweetie started streaming freestyles to Instagram.

This was partially inspired by her Young Money fandom and the interplanetary mixtape run of Lil Wayne. Her first video was the “So Gone Challenge,” a freestyle challenge over Monica’s velvet 2003 track of the same name. But her fierce flow over Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” instrumental is what kick-started Saweetie’s career. It caught the attention of Island Def Jam’s Max Gousse, who would become her manager, at a Puma event no less. He insisted on releasing it as a single, and the finished product, “ICY GRL,” has cleared sixty million YouTube views. “ICY GRL” is pure flex, uninhibited female bravado. She sighs at her lack of time for these hoes / Speaking on my name like I’m someone that they know, and she claims her place at the top: I’m the big cat bitch, yes these niggas love me / Is that Gucci on my feet? Shit, bitch it might be!”.

Earlier this year, W Magazine spotlighted the fantastic Californian-born star. I was wondering whether Icy Chain was related her previous work; if it has personal significance. We get a sense of how ‘icy’ is important and what role it plays in the music of Saweetie:

“Her family—Saweetie’s father is Black and her mother is Filipino-Chinese—is connected to both sports and entertainment. Saweetie’s grandfather played for the San Francisco 49ers, and her uncle is MC Hammer, the OG rap superstar. Despite the success of her relatives, Saweetie didn’t want to depend on their help. So when, at 13, she began writing poems that could be set to music, she didn’t tell anyone. Instead, she concentrated on going to college, first attending San Diego State University and then transferring to the University of Southern California, where she majored in communications and business. “I’ve always been a hustler,” Saweetie said, swallowing her ginger shot in one gulp. “And at USC, they taught the art of negotiation and persuasion. I thought, I need these skills.”

In her senior year, Saweetie began making videos of herself rapping in her car, which she shared on Instagram. “I was living in rooms that I found on Craigslist,” she said. “And that was a scary thing. I got tired of the lifestyle where my bank account was at zero. So I gave myself a year in L.A. to be discovered, and I decided that if I didn’t get discovered, I would go back to the Bay Area. In the ninth month, I was signed to Warner Records, and they released ‘Icy Girl’ in 2017.”

“Icy Girl” was a big hit, but, more important for Saweetie, the concept of “icy” became central to her mantra of success. “Icy means confident. Icy means strong. Icy means independent. Icy means you are in charge of your life in every way,” Saweetie said, as if she were giving a PowerPoint presentation. She paused. “I am icy.” The video for “Icy Girl,” in which a very blonde Saweetie raps the words while staring down the camera, was an instant sensation. “It caught like wildfire, and it was a lot to take in,” she said”.

PHOTO CREDIT: G L Askew II

There are plenty of other things I need to cover off before coming to the review. There was accusation, as we can see in this Harper’s Bazaar interview from earlier in the year, that Saweetie’s music has learned too heavily on samples – and that an original sound has not been as present as it could have been:

“I see people who say, “Saweetie relies on samples too much. Where's her original sound?”

I think greatness makes people uncomfortable. And I think people try to come up with excuses to not like me and to make themselves feel better about their life. I don't get as offended as I used to, because there was a point in time where I was dragged for, like, two years on social media. I was trending on Twitter for some bullshit every other day. I never defended myself, because I'm not really a social media pop off-er—I'd rather just pop off in person. So overcoming those obstacles and those negative viral tweets was just to work super hard. I’m gonna sample for the rest of my life; it’s my specialty. Tons of people sample, but my samples just get the most recognition.

I'm not really a social media pop off-er — I'd rather just pop off in person

“Back to the Streets” has you singing a little bit more, and “Best Friend” shows more of your sassy side. Are there any other new sides of Saweetie on this record?

What I will say is I really appreciate your analytical observations, because those are the exact intentions that I had behind each song. You could definitely expect just more versatility. A lot of people don't know this, but I grew up with a speech problem. So sometimes, it takes me a little longer to deliver my raps, because my mouth just does dumb shit sometimes. [Laughs.]

Was it a speech impediment or a stutter?

I used to have a stuttering problem. My mom was really concerned for me. But she actually trained me to stop doing that. I would just think quicker than my mouth could talk. There's this record that I really want to nail, to rap really fast. So that's something that I'm practicing every day. There's certain things that I don't discuss that have hindered me. But you know what? I love a challenge, and I think how you overcome the hurdle is more important than how it affects you”.

Saweetie is very much a modern-day star. She has this presence and sense of confidence that is impressive to see. She is a businesswoman and inspiring person who is, no doubt, giving strength and motivation to many other women. In this interview from this year, that illustrates how Saweetie is in control and calls the shots (something that was not always the case):

“It's easy to see why that lifestyle sold. Even during our casual video chat, it's clear that Saweetie is deliberate about everything. Yes, she's dressed with simplicity in a white tank top and with a headband, holding back her hair, but she still looks perfectly put together, something many of us gave up on trying to do for Zoom meetings months ago. She also speaks slowly and clearly in a way that makes it apparent how thoughtful she's being about every word that comes out of her mouth — which doesn't mean she's afraid to go to weird places. After we joke for a bit about her now-notorious ranch dressing and spaghetti video ("I have a very eclectic palate. I think I get it from my dad and my grandpa because they be makin' some concoctions"), I ask her to play my favourite game: Fuck, Marry, Kill, featuring mayonnaise, sour cream, and ranch. She didn't skip a beat when she told me she'd marry sour cream, "smash" ranch, and kill mayo, though she did feel conflicted about the choice. Most people might equivocate or hesitate when answering something like this, but not Saweetie: She's intentional and in control, two qualities that have served her well and which she values highly. She has, after all, experienced not being in control.

There was a time in Saweetie's music career when she didn't enjoy being on set because she had to rely on others to make creative decisions that weren't in line with her vision. Work — which had always been fun — had morphed into a burden. The root of that, Saweetie says, was being too busy to actually indulge her artistic side. She's determined not to let that happen again. "During the pandemic, I realised I had to take hold of my creativity again. I was just working so much that I was allowing other people to execute my creativity," she explains. "But, no one can see what's in my head."

Fans have long been able to get a peek at what's in Saweetie's head via social media; she explains how she uses it as a "vessel," offering a glimpse into her life — though, she says, "I'm not someone who exposes my personal business, so the way that I'm able to be personal with my fans is through my content." But now they can see what's on her mind through her music videos, including the recent "Risky" video, which she co-directed. And what they'll find is a twist on angelcore. It's a vibe”.

Even though Saweetie has yet to release a debut album – which I shall get to soon -, she has seen her stock rise through the years. Coming back to the interview that I just quoted from, Sweetie’s decision to keep control and make her own decisions has paid off when it comes to her social media numbers and the fanbase she has accumulated:

“Saweetie's insistence on keeping her creative vision intact has paid off. "Best Friend" has so far been used as the sound in over 850,000 TikToks, many of which feature actual best friends dancing together. Though she credits the original creative vision she had for the song and video for its success, she says, "I can't be blind to the fact that TikTok does catapult songs. If it catches, I'm grateful, but it's never my intention to make [songs and videos] specifically for TikTok." Still, she wasn't afraid to help push the song's appeal on the platform by posting a TikTok of her and Paris Hilton riding around in a blue Bentley and matching pink Juicy tracksuits set to the song. That's the thing, though, Saweetie has an innate sense about what type of content belongs where, and when she talks about how "social media has played into the evolution of what the new artist is," you realise that she is that new artist, and that she's in control of her own evolution.

While she obviously views the internet as an invaluable tool for sharing her art, connecting with the Icy Gang, and building her brand, Saweetie does admit that nothing is quite as magical as IRL interactions. "Seeing people enjoying my music online is fun, but I think the craziest moments that I really appreciate are when I'm riding around the city and the car next to me is playing my music," she says. "Or even when I'm driving past an apartment complex and I can hear a room blasting my music." There's something poignant about the idea of Saweetie, driving alone, experiencing her art through the lens of other people's enjoyment. It's a reminder of the fact that, no matter how separate we've been from one another in this last year, certain things brought us together. According to Saweetie, sitting at home with herself during the pandemic showed her just how important life outside of a phone screen can be. "Quarantine just made me want to become more self-aware and care about interaction, relationships, and just being a human being," she explains”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjo Arwas

I think that lockdown has boosted Saweetie’s popularity and stature. She has reached many more people and, in terms of her follower numbers, that has shot up. Forbes explained how the ‘summer of Saweetie’ was a revelatory thing for the rapper:

“The LA-based rapper’s star has soared during lockdown: At the beginning of 2020, Saweetie had 6.3 million Instagram followers. Today, she has 11.8 million. A whopping 20.6 million Spotify users tuned into Saweetie in May, making her about as popular as her ex-boyfriend’s hip-hop group, Migos. Perhaps most notably, the 27-year-old has achieved this without releasing a full album. And she’s not slowing down: She drops her first EP, Pretty B*tch Music, later this summer. After that, she’ll launch her Icy Baby Foundation, through which she, and her grandmother cofounder, aim to improve the financial literacy of Black and Brown youth. But she won’t be satisfied until her bank statement has three commas.

“I want to be a global mogul,” says the Forbes Under 30 alum. “Eventually, I want to see my brand supersede Saweetie.”

Her brand, Icy, sells clothing inspired by her lyrics, like $100 terry cloth sweatpants emblazoned with the line “rich with no day job” from her breakout single, “Tap In.”

“I’m just really excited to take over,” she says. “What’s great about me dominating is that I’m very inclusive and love to share my light and help other people out”.

Coming back again to Refinery29’s interview, one gets a sense of a real determination that has been present for a long time. I get the sense that women in Rap and Hip-Hop have to fight harder to have their voices heard. This is something that Saweetie has battled:

“Just like she did with her high school volleyball team, Saweetie has approached her career with her eye on the prize, working hard never to be counted out, knowing that she will always make the cut. "I'm consistent with music, I'm consistent with content, I'm consistent with my brand, and I think consistency just always wins," she says. Even when she does something unexpected — from showing off wacky food combinations, like Top Ramen seasoning sprinkled on oysters, or, yes, ranch dressing squirted all over spaghetti, to keeping a full-length mirror in the back of my car so she can pose for the perfect selfie anywhere — there's never any doubt that she knows what she's doing, it's just up to the rest of us to follow her lead. So, we'd better be paying attention, because class is in session. "I'm going to continue working hard, I'm going to continue building out my team, and I'm excited to see what the future holds," she says. One of those things she's working toward is teaching a course one day at USC. What will the subject be? Social media, of course. Sign me up”.

Looking back, and it seems that few people had faith in Saweetie and any belief that she would become a rapper. Maybe there is this sexist view in place, where attractive women (or women in general) are not suited for the field. Back in April, Cosmopolitan wrote how there was this doubt and lack of support. Now, there is this rising artist who is among the most powerful and influential in music:

“That they told her there was no way she was smart enough to get good grades in school. That she was too pretty to be taken seriously. That she’d never be a successful rapper.

“I wish me, or someone, would have thought, You know what? That’s not right,” she says now. Instead, as she puts it, she spent years dimming her light.

Not today though. Today, Saweetie, world-famous rapper, looks like someone you would always bet on. She’s perched in the kitchen of the luxe Los Angeles rental she’s called home for the past year, casually eating a late lunch of steamed mussels and nigiri sushi.

To borrow a phrase from her 2020 hit single “Tap In,” she’s “drippin’ in Chanay-nay”: a vintage cream-color Chanel blazer over a black bra, vintage gold Chanel belt, black miniskirt. A large diamond-studded pendant, shaped like a dripping cross, gleams at her collarbone. Her lip gloss is popping. Even under harsh overhead lights, even through the unnatural veil of a laptop camera, even when she says, “I’m sorry, girl. I keep burping”—yeah, Saweetie is shining bright.

As she should be, because, well, let’s pause for a career recap, very much abridged: Her songs have hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify. She earned a 2020 People’s Choice Awards nomination for Favorite New Artist; she’s had a guest spot on the Freeform show Grown-ish. And then there’s her proudest moment, making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. It was a huge deal for Saweetie, who earned a business communications degree from the University of Southern California—with a 3.6 GPA, it should be noted—and who considers herself a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur. “I screamed,” she says about when she found out she’d made the list. “It just let me know that I’m on my way to where I wanted to be.”

All that and she’s also The Content Queen. (Self-proclaimed but still.) You already know this because you’re probably one of her 17+ million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. And you’re probably addicted to her feeds because in a year when other celebrities are cringe-ily doing the most or revealingly doing the least, Saweetie’s posts are an irresistible bright spot of actual, authentic fun. She trades bars with her family (PSA: don’t try her auntie in a game of In the Classroom), flips a full-length mirror into a must-have travel accessory (the mystery of whether or not Saweetie legit brought a full-length mirror to a gas station for selfie-while-pumping purposes remains unsolved, but the legend lives on), and hilariously personifies each of her four (!) Birkin bags (a collection gifted, at least in part, in case you were wondering, by her former boyfriend, the rapper Quavo). It’s like if your group chat were a YouTube channel—real, silly, fun, unself-conscious—if, that is, anyone in your group chat owned a Bentley”.

One problem that dogs Hip-Hop is homophobia. Just to go off course a bit, but Saweetie was in the music news, as she spoke out against the DaBaby's controversial comments earlier in the year. Saweetie is someone who believes in celebrating and respecting gender identity and sexual preferences:

“Saweetie believes in mutual respect, regardless of people's sexuality or gender identity.

In an interview with PEOPLE following her set at Sprite's Live from the Label concert series, the 28-year-old rap star addresses the recent reckoning about homophobia within the rap community following DaBaby's insensitive comments about gay people and those living with HIV/AIDS.

"I think that it's important that we all respect each other. We all bleed the same," she tells PEOPLE, referring to her LGBTQ fans. "We're all human beings. I was raised in a household that believes in respecting everyone, no matter who they are, no matter what they do, because at the end of the day, we're all equal."

"We all need to call out what we're uncomfortable with," she adds. "We need to call out what we stand for and for what we believe is right."

It's a sentiment that fellow female rapper Megan Thee Stallion shared with PEOPLE earlier this month, when the "Body" rapper said, "Representation is important, and it is really crucial for us all to have compassion and acceptance of every human”.

PHOTO CREDIT: John Edmonds

I alluded to the fact that Saweetie struggles as a female artist. Things are always tougher for women. They are scrutinised all of the time and held to different standards. Never as respected as their male counterparts, it is especially impressive that Saweetie has come so far and has this strength. The Forty-Five spoke with her late last year. There were some passages from the interview that struck my eye:

“I mean, I was very grateful for the attention that I was getting but I was like ‘Ok, how do I become a bigger, more established and respected artist?’ And there were a lot of critics that came with [the fame].

“What people don’t understand is, when you’re a female artist you’re constantly critiqued. You’re critiqued for your music, for your body, for your appearance in general, for the people you may be dating – you’re just critiqued non-stop. I had to realise that what the critics say is not real life, and that the industry is a playground. I know who I am as a person, and I know what I have to offer and I know what my value is, but it’s still hard sometimes. When you’re reading comments all day, it’s just like, ‘Oh my gosh, y’all know I’m a human, right?’”

You’re critiqued for your music, for your body, for your appearance in general, for the people you may be dating – you’re just critiqued non-stop. I had to realise that what the critics say is not real life, and that the industry is a playground.

There’s certainly nothing new about society struggling with the idea of public figures as multifaceted beings, but the backlash Saweetie received for ‘YUSO’ – her 2018 collaboration with Lil Wayne and Kid Ink – still took her by surprise. “It’s a nasty record, but I always told myself if I was gonna talk nasty I would talk nasty like Missy [Elliott], because she would do it in such a creative and fun way… I got a lot of negative criticism because they were calling me the college girl, and educated, and saying why am I speaking like this?” She laughs, “And I was just like, ‘Y’all act like college girls don’t go home and make babies.’

“I’m more than a college girl. I’m a human being. I’m a young woman. I’m a girlfriend. I’m a sister. I’m a daughter. I’m a cousin. I’m all these things and I say all these things because I’m multifaceted and I have different areas of my life where I feel different emotions. So I think when people hear [my album], they’ll be able to understand me as a human being and all the layers that make me me”.

I feel that, all things considered, Saweetie has owned 2020. I am not alone in thinking that. Circling back to that Cosmopolitan interview, and they give us the facts and figures regarding a triumphant year for the twenty-eight-year-old:

“While we were all on our own 2020 quests toward better versions of ourselves—but from the couch and in sweatpants—Saweetie was soundtracking one of the wildest-ever stretches of time. She owned July 2020 with “Tap In” and then did it again with its mega-remix, featuring Post Malone, DaBaby, and Jack Harlow, a month later. October brought the Timbaland-produced “Back to the Streets” with Jhené Aiko, and then there was “Best Friend” with Doja Cat just this January. Each single has been more compelling than the last, showcasing a different side of Saweetie’s personality—her style swings from bossy to playful, the sounds have range (a hyphy sample here, an 808s banger there), and the lyrics are stacked with witticisms that double as affirmations. Drop one in that group text: “Bitch, you look goodt with a ‘t’ at the end.” Hype yourself up in the mirror: “I’m a 5-star bitch with a price tag / Gotta find me somebody that could match that.” Flex on Instagram: “Icy from my lips to my toenails.” The overall mood, though, is consistent—think of it as “No Scrubs” for the TikTok generation. It’s no wonder she’s topped Billboard charts and cracked the Top 20 on the Hot 100.

Honestly, knowing what went into all this is exactly why it’s so easy to root for Saweetie, who’s somewhere between warmly relatable and wildly aspirational. The idea that we don’t arrive fully formed, that part of the point is to do the work in the face of harmful expectations, is familiar, whether your struggle is broadcast to millions of people or not. What’s also familiar is the desire to reclaim that power, to use it even when it feels easier to succumb to the doubts in your head. “Last year was the year that I finally became comfortable in my own skin. I kind of figured out what my purpose was,” Saweetie says. “I think it’s important to show little Black and brown girls that they can be successful in whatever they want to do. If I can do it, you can do it too”.

There are a couple of other points I want to address before assessing Icy Chain. Saweetie is an aspirational artist who has her own brand and identity. Forbes’ interview that I mentioned earlier asked her about female empowerment and her philanthropic endeavours:

“Sternlicht: Your brand is really all about female empowerment. What do you think women need to be doing to maximize their status in the world?

Saweetie: Networking. As women, we’re shielded, but I think it’s important for women to network and make a name for themselves by forming their own personal relationships. That’s something I learned this past year, and that’s why I love talking to the owners of brands I’m doing partnerships with. I’m a very direct person.

Sternlicht: Tell me about your philanthropic endeavors.

Saweetie: Me and my grandma were inspired during quarantine. Everyone in the world witnessed the Black Lives Matter movement. I hate calling it a movement, because for many of us, it’s a lifestyle. I’ve seen my dad and uncles experience so many injustices. It’s important I’m involved in my communities as much as possible.

Sternlicht: What initiatives are you working on through your foundation?

Saweetie: My grandma’s biggest thing is teaching financial literacy to low-income Black and Brown communities. She’s working on a rollout, and I think we’ll be official in late August or September”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjo Arwas

One of the biggest questions fans ask about Saweetie is when her debut album will arrive. Pretty Bitch Music has been held back and rumoured. One gets a sense that she wants to make sure it comes out at the right time and it is as good as it can be. There are a couple of interviews where she mentions her debut album. Coming back to the interview from The Forty-Five from November, we get an idea of what the album is about:

“Expect some inspirational music,” she grins when asked what lies in store on the rest of the album. “Some boss bitch music. Some ratchet music. Some empowering, ‘I’m over you and yo shit’ music.” She laughs, before continuing, “It’s about everything that comes with being a woman. I feel like I touch on a lot of emotion too. I know I make party records, but [the album is] definitely well-rounded.”

The album title further feeds into that idea of inspiring others, with Saweetie aiming to reclaim the word ‘bitch’, transforming it from a slur into a badge of honour. “I love 2Pac and what he did with the phrase ‘thug life’, and that’s what I’m doing with ‘bitch.’ So ‘bitch’ stands for boss, independent, tough, creative and the h is hyphy [a Bay-area phrase] which means turn it up and have a good time.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Erica Hernandez

I love 2Pac and what he did with the phrase ‘thug life’, and that’s what I’m doing with ‘bitch’. BITCH stands for Boss, Independent, Tough, Creative – and the H is Hyphy, which means turn it up and have a good time.

“All my music is empowering,” she continues. “It’s only right that I had a title that served some form of empowerment for my listeners, because empowerment is so important. I remember being a little girl listening to Destiny’s Child and other songs that empowered me and it can literally change your day. If I can make someone happy or make someone feel motivated then I feel like my job is done.”

Considering how committed she is to using her platform to inspire, I wonder how she squares that with social media’s propensity to mislead, pushing unattainable ideals and impossible standards on potentially vulnerable audiences. “I feel like there’s more pressure for me to get creative, rather than appear perfect,” she replies, thoughtfully. “I think the facade of being perfect is out the window, especially because nowadays the fans want to know exactly who they’re supporting.” The assertion rings true too because, for all the glossy photo shoots, and loved-up pictures of Saweetie with her long-term boyfriend Quavo, there’s plenty of humour and unfiltered-candour to be found on her Instagram grid too”.

More up to date, that Cosmopolitan interview from this year, Saweetie explained how she was still tinkering with Pretty Bitch Music. There have been updates since April - though I get the feeling that we might not see the album drop for a few more months. It will come out next year, but it might be a little while until we see it appear in the world:

“More proof, if you need it: She tells me she’s still not done with Pretty Bitch Music because it’s not completely perfect yet. “I’m always looking at it,” she explains. “It’s like having an essay that’s not due yet. I’m going to keep rereading it, editing it, switching out words for better words.” She’s also been busy, you know, with the responsibilities of being a pop star on the rise: She builds mood boards, works on merch, makes even more content at the clip of a full-time creative agency. She’s also got a jewelry line, an edge-control collaboration fit for “the baby-hair princess,” a co-branded makeup collection with Morphe, and a PrettyLittleThing capsule fashion collection that just counted its third drop”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Sweetie has performed Icy Chain for SNL recently. I wonder whether she will film a music video for the track. I think, through the track, Saweetie is at her peak! In terms of her sound and delivery, I feel like she nods to some Rap icons like Missy Elliott and Ms. Lauryn Hill. The chorus is delivered with swagger, confident and allure: “Twerk that ass for a icy chain/Twerk that ass for a icy chain (Bitch)/Twerk that ass for a icy chain (Hey)/Twerk that ass for a icy chain (Hmm)”. Backed by a bouncing beat and a great production, one is instantly hooked into a song which will be part of Pretty Bitch Music. Already this year, Saweetie collaborated with Gwen Stefani on Slow Clap. There was also Fast (Motion), and Get It Girl. The collaborative E.P., Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1, was the third E.P. from the rapper. With every release – whether that is a single or E.P. – Sweetie seems to get better and more assured. Icy Chain is a typically excellent track, which manages to pack so much in to 1:50 running time! In the first verse, with her voice at its swaggering and brilliant best, we hear scenes of excess, slight conflict and, above all, someone who is very much running the show: “My hair, my money, come bundle/I spent your rent on my frontal (Yeah)/Bitches see me and get humble/Could take your nigga but I don't even want to (Hmm)/Birkin bag, Crocodile Dundee (Ooh)/Mink on my body like I just went hunting/Tell PETA I'm being one hunnid/That icy girl still rock a fur in the summer/Left fashion week, hella casualties (Yeah)/I think I know why they mad at me (Hahaha)/I'm pretty, I'm in every city, but won't hit the club unless it's a bag for me/Daddy, answer me, I need to know why you're mad at me/'Cause you be complaining, you stay in your feelings/I'm starting to think you can't handle me”.

I do love the composition. In the first verse, we get a twanged beat that sort of punctuates the end of every line. Rather than pack so much sound and layers on, there is this simplicity that allows Saweetie’s vocal to be at the front. She is never buried in the mix. Whereas the chorus has more spike and a touch of aggression, the verse is cooler and , if it is the right word, ‘laidback’. One can definitely notice a change in tone and style in the verse. When we do return to the chorus, it takes Icy Chain in a new direction. Having this whirlwind verse where as sorts of images come to mind, the chorus is almost this mantra: simple and powerful, yet compelling every time she delivers the line (“Twerk that ass for a icy chain”). One of the most interesting Rap songwriters, the second verse is even more steeped in bravado and confidence. Definitely someone who is a boss and icon-in-the-making, few can match Saweetie’s flow: “Get love in the Bay like I'm 40 (Uh)/Big C love to sip on the 40's (Yeah)/This Rollie up on me cost forty/I'ma be fine in my forties/Ooh, fake booty galore/Make sure it clap when you see me on tour (Hmm)/He sweatin' me like a sport/I play in Prada whenever I'm bored (That's right)/Concealer, tan, sand, I'ma get these band-bands/Bet' not smell no pussy when you pop it on a handstand (Ugh)/All of my bitches smell good (Yeah)/Don't worry 'bout us, we good/I ain't gon' lie, you actin' too shy/Come pop that shit like a bitch from the hood (Brrt)”. She manages to inject so much personality and character into the lines. So many rappers are quite lazy with their delivery, or they feel that aggression and profanity is a replacement for actual style and substance. Icy Chain manages to fuse something edgy and explosive with incredible cool, confidence, craft and some brilliant lines. Contrasting the assured and commanding chorus with verses that are among Saweetie’s best yet, Icy Chain is a wonderful look into a debut album that will be among…