Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2

By Sydney Nguyen
Music Journalist

If you’ve scrolled through your TikTok “For You Page” at least once in the past week, then you’ve definitely been fortunate enough to hear the collaboration of the century; Ice Spice and PinkPantheress. In late November of 2022, music artist PinkPantheress released her single, “Boy’s a liar”, assembled with help from electronic producer Mura Masa. Nearly 3 months after the initial “Boy’s a liar” release, PinkPantheress dropped “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2”, which brought massive buzz on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok. The original version hadn’t received this amount of attention from the masses, so what’s so different about part 2?

The difference is this version is joined by Ice Spice; New York’s rap princess and the internet’s latest obsession. If you’ve been partaking in a social media cleanse or been living under a rock, you’re on the right page. Continue reading to learn just who these two remarkable breakout artists are, and how they built their careers seemingly overnight.

In the new age of technology, one’s deepest desires and unseen paths are able to become their reality. Whether your interests fall into competitive eating or ASMR, social media is a direct component in the careers of many popular competitive eaters and ASMR channels. With the rise of media, anyone and everyone can become a viral internet sensation. A prime example of utilizing the media is Vicky Beverly Walker, better known as PinkPantheress.

As the world was gathering its balance after battling the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, universities began navigating online classes via zoom. As a result of school already being a snooze fest for the majority, it became a universal experience for students to hit the “join meeting” button and leave the room for the remaining duration of the class. Being a fellow college student, Walker did just that.

Walker would spend her lectures producing music from her own bedroom, which eventually lead to posting her creations online. Walker teased a snippet of her viral song “Pain” to TikTok and from there it was only up. After receiving immense recognition and support, Walker cleaned up and finished the final version of “Pain” in June 2021.

Born and raised in Bath, England, Walker was just a 20-year-old university student. Her uni days were numbered after “Pain”, as she found herself signed to Parlophone and Elektra Records shortly after its release. PinkPantheress became a household name within an instant, and from there she released her debut album “to hell with it”. While her studio is no longer located in her bedroom, PinkPantheress is still creating short and catchy electronic bangers today, and she’s choosing the perfect features for them, too.

Prior to this year, I had always worried that I used the word “like” in my sentences too many times, but thanks to the Ice Spice phenomenon, I can never rid “like” from my vocabulary (and I don’t want to). Why can’t I escape Ice Spice and who is she?

Before she was Ice Spice, she was Isis Gaston. Gaston was a 23-year-old college student, who was majoring in mass communication at SUNY Purchase located in Westchester, NY. Born and raised in New York’s Bronx, Gaston was musically influenced by her father, a rapper and local’s favorite in the underground rap scene.

In 2020, Gaston withdrew from her studies and began focusing on making a name for herself online. Gaston began releasing music such as “Bully Freestyle”, which was met with support, but it wasn’t until her records “Munch (Feeling u)’ and “Bikini Bottom” went viral that Ice Spice became the face of today’s rap scene. After gaining public recognition from Drake, Ice Spice became everyone’s favorite within the blink of an eye. TikTok can be credited for launching Ice Spice on the top charts as well, as users began popularizing snippets of her tracks “How can I lose if I’m already chose, like?” Imagine having the ability to capitalize off a word, like?

Featured Image from PinkPantheress & Ice Spice, Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2 Single Cover.