Here’s Why Latto Won’t Have a Rap Battle With Ice Spice

From Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Sunday Service” and “Think U the Shit (Fart),” Latto and Ice Spice have been throwing shots at each other for a few months now — but don’t expect a Kendrick Lamar–Drake style rap battle between the two emcees anytime soon.

“If I was to do [a battle], it would have to be with somebody I feel like Imma go tit for tat with,” Latto told Billboard for her new cover story. “I really don’t mean it as shade. Would she even want to do that?”

Between Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj‘s January back-and-forth, Quavo and Chris Brown‘s beef, and, of course, the culture-shifting Drizzy-K.Dot showdown, rap battles have been a big phenomenon across hip-hop this year. While each of those spats resulted in full-fledged diss tracks, Latto and Ice have been primarily concerned with sending subliminals to one another.

“I feel like she’s doing her in her lane. It’s two different types of vibes,” Latto continued. “I don’t even think she gives me like, ‘Oh, she wants to engage in an actual rap beef.’ Everybody gon’ take their lil jabs in the music, and it’s not even that serious to me; I feel like you should do that. Continue to! But as far as actual whole diss records to each other, I don’t think she would even want to do that. I feel like … would it even make sense? It wouldn’t.”

In January’s “Think U the Shit,” the Bronx rapper spit, “I got my foot on they necks, I can’t let up/ She all on the floor, told her get up,” a reference to Latto’s 2023 Cardi B-assisted hit “Put It On Da Floor Again,” which reached No. 13 on the Hot 100. Then two weeks later on Feb. 9, Latto tagged Ice back with “Sunday Service,” which housed the bar, “Think I’m the s–t? B—h, I know it, h-/ Jesus walked on water, I got ice boilin’ though.”

The tension goes all the way back to a Jan. 7 TikTok in which Latto teased a snippet of “Sunday Service” — which was not originally directed at the “Princess Diana” rapper — while Ice and Rema‘s “Pretty Girl” music video played in the background. In an X Spaces session, Ice remarked on the “weak-ass snippet,” saying, “So I was like, ‘Wait a second — that’s me?’ So I’m like, ‘OK, since we’re talking about me, let’s talk about me.”

Although Latto clarified that the “Pretty Girl” video was not playing in the background on purpose, that didn’t do much to put their friction to bed. The “Big Energy” rapper went on to film her “Sunday Service” music video in Ice’s hometown of the Bronx, which spurred the ginger emcee to put up several billboards promoting “Think U the Shit” in Latto’s hometown of Atlanta. Some of those billboards were later vandalized, and Latto got her lick back during her history-making WHTA (Hot 107.9) Birthday Bash headlining set, which she celebrated by posting a picture of a poop emoji-shaped cake — that read “Holy S–t, You’re Headlining” underneath — with the caption “Think I’m the s–t , b—h?????”

At the 2024 BET Awards — where they directly competed in two categories, including best female hip-hop artist (Minaj won) — both ladies performed their shade-laden tracks during their respective medleys.

With Y2K, Ice Spice’s debut studio album, due July 26, and Latto’s third studio album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea, arriving in August, fans will see if the two Grammy-nominated stars continue to throw shots at each other as the year rolls on.