The Taylor/Ice Spice Collab: They Both Have Their Motives For Doing It

As the Taylor Swift/Ice Spice collaboration continues to gain momentum (thanks in part to other Black women like Keke Palmer sanctioning it), the fact remains that, as many have speculated, Swift’s “calculated” maneuver to use her in the song is rife with impure motives. For yes, far beyond Taylor insisting that Ice Spice is “THE ONE to watch” (because we needed a blanca to tell us that, apparently), she also wants to ensure that her rebound piece, Matty Healy, is protected from the fallout of his comments on a podcast called The Adam Friedland Show back in February. Comments he didn’t really seem all that remorseful for making after “apologizing” to Ice Spice at a show in New Zealand in March by announcing to the crowd, “I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.” So basically, yeah, he said he was sorry for overt damage control purposes. But maybe nothing could top the kind of image damage control that is entailed by “canoodling” with America’s sweetheart. She being the one whose reputation will suffer in the end.

Or perhaps it’s just the sort of “image change” Swift is desperately seeking for a new era. That word, of course, being associated with Swift’s The Eras Tour now (even though Madonna is the only one who has a right to call a tour that). Therefore, Healy taking up use of the word feels pointed as well, telling an Adelaide audience in April, “The era of me being a fucking arsehole is coming to an end. I’ve had enough.” More accurately, he realizes everyone else has had enough and likely comprehends that being an “areshole” doesn’t compute with Taylor’s “brand.” So this sudden attempt at an “image tone-down” could very well be a bid to work his way toward going full-tilt “official” with Swift…as opposed to just being spotted with her everywhere.

Accordingly, it also seems no coincidence that a profile, of sorts, in The New Yorker entitled “Who Is Matty Healy?” should come out and deliberately avoid answering that very question, sidestepping as much as possible from his more controversial moments of late in favor of positioning him as some kind of intentional performance artist. Complete with the increasingly chic sentiment Healy was cited as declaring: “We used to expect our artists to be cigarette-smoking bohemian outsiders, and now we expect them to be liberal academics.” No one is really expecting either from Healy, who seems to see himself as something he’s not: some kind of “avant-garde artist,” a 60s (or 70s, of course)-esque enfant terrible. Minus the part where he might be willing to stray from his adamant heterosexuality.

Azealia Banks, bless her merciless heart, was happy to disabuse Healy of any such self-aggrandizement via an Instagram story posted on May 30th (fittingly, the day after The New Yorker released the “Who Is Matty Healy?” article). So it was that she asked, “Does Matt Healy know that no one thinks The 1975 makes good music and that he’s a lame poser with a trash cliche band name that actually means nothing? He’s clearly so pressed that a black girl who knows nothing about him or his music is making more moves and more money than him.” This could very well be a reference to how Healy tried to DM Ice Spice and she didn’t respond (per Healy’s claim on that now illustrious podcast). Making Swift’s current collab with Ice Spice all the more awkward if Healy was trying to make Ice Spice part of one of his debasing Ghetto Gaggers sexual fantasies. Banks wasn’t about to stop there though, adding, “Does he know that black women are more coveted in the industry because there’s BIG BUSINESS in female rap? You’re not a star, nor are you good at whatever this crappy ass mid-2000s indie pitchfork darling fantasy you’re trying to sell. Ice Spice has MILES more originality than you will ever.” That’s something Swift ostensibly agrees on, even if she would never concede to the condemnation of her current favorite British peen (she told you she liked a “London Boy”—meaning any man from the UK).

Banks delivered her coup de grâce by then addressing Swift directly and announcing, “He’s not on the level of powerful pussy u worked HELLA hard to build. Ugh this dude is a full incel. You cannot be letting him climb the rich white coochie mountain, sis.” But oh, she definitely is. And many will likely look back on this era as Swift’s version of falling prey to a K-Fed. Though at least Healy is more than just a backup dancer. Except that might actually be preferable, for Banks didn’t lie about how nominal The 1975’s music is (to put it in perspective, there’s a chance Maroon 5’s “stylings” have more personality). Particularly when pitted against the colossal discography of Swift, matched only by her larger-than-life persona. At the same time, Swift really has no persona at all. She’s arguably the blandest person to ever reach such a level of fame. To quote one Twitter user, “Taylor Swift is literally immune from slaying. Living proof that you can be the number one recording artist of all time and never once serve.” And it’s true. Everything she’s parading onstage right now is, indeed, tired drag. The sequined leotards with fishnets and knee-high boots (Madonna/pretty much every pop star ever), the ethereal, flowing dresses fit for a waif (Florence + the Machine), the floor-length ball gown (Cinderella)—none of it is a serve, but most especially because none of it is groundbreaking.

In that sense, Swift is something of a match for Healy. And when considering her oatmeal personality, is it any wonder that so much of the identity she’s carved out for herself is tied to men/serial dating—à la Julia Roberts as Maggie Carpenter in Runaway Bride. In tending to also gravitate toward men who are sleazy enough to stand out (see also: John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal and Calvin Harris, to name a few), Swift literally cultivates the source material required to write some of the best-known pop songs in music history.

And yet, surprisingly, “Karma,” her fourth single from Midnights, isn’t about an ex-love (or “lover,” if you can stomach saying that word), so much as a sworn enemy (or at least that’s how it comes across). Namely, Scooter Braun. A.k.a. the man responsible for snatching Taylor’s masters away from her for good after buying her original record label, Big Machine. Perhaps Ice Spice, then, actually is the perfect person to collaborate with her on this track, for she may have learned from Swift’s mistakes (or so Swift’s ego would like to believe) by agreeing to sign with Capitol Records under the condition that she would own her masters and publishing rights. Which is more than Swift could say at the beginning of her career. Despite the coup, it’s probable that someone like Sky Ferreira wouldn’t support the decision to sign with said label. But Ice Spice is not yet in her “activist era,” and she just wants to collect more money for that bag of hers (hence, joining Swift onstage to perform “Karma” at her East Rutherford show). After all, this is the person who told Billboard that she would Google “how to be rich” as a child.

While she might have seen such professions as doctor or lawyer listed, everyone knows fame is a tried-and-true (and far more glamorous) method for becoming obscenely wealthy. And what better way to reach a new tier of fame than appearing on a track with Swift? Indeed, present (folk)lore claims that Ice Spice was originally the one to reach out to Swift about a musical alliance. Swift was conveniently “too busy” until the Healy backlash started to brew. As for Ice Spice, it appears to be of no consequence to her that her feature on the single completely washes her out, or that the music video has nothing whatsoever to do with Ice Spice’s “vibe.” Or even really much to do with karma, for that matter. Unless one counts the allusions to Reputation (ergo, the artist formerly known as Kanye West) and an opening shot of Swift (who also directed) dressed as gold-tone Justice herself. More specifically, Nemesis—the Greek goddess of revenge. A dish, we’re often reminded, best served cold. Especially when one “lets” karma do the work for them—this being what Swift would like to believe is happening from her beneficent perch on high.

For Ice Spice’s part, she appears inside a clam shell (suggestive) to deliver her scant verse. One that, in fact, could be directly applied to Healy’s derogatory comments about her when she says, “Karma is a fire in your house (grrah)/And she ’boutta pop up unannounced (like)/And she never leavin’ you alone (damn)…/Got you wavin’ pretty white flags, feenin’ for that cash/Thinkin’ it’ll save ya, now you switchin’ up your behavior/It’s okay, baby, you ain’t gotta worry, karma never gets lazy/So, I keep my head up, my bread up, I won’t let up (never).” Nor will Swift…at least not when it comes to ensuring she’s the Queen of Being Well-Liked. Hence, her machination to get Ice Spice on Team Tay, ergo Team Matty. For it was only white devil dick that could prompt Taylor to finally give a feature to a Black woman on one of her songs. Where Ice Spice is concerned, well, she knows how to play the game—aware that being involved in the drama rather than off to the sidelines of it is far better for her. Financially, not karmically. ‘Cause she in ha profit-as-much-as-possible-while-you-can mood.