How does Taylor Swift make “Karma” even better when it’s already the best? Answer: recruit Ice Spice and make it sting even harder. Swift sent fans spiraling when she officially announced the collab a day before its release with the sweetest praise for her collaborator.
“I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch,” and in case you still couldn’t guess which “brilliant artist” she’s talking about, she adds, “So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET.”
Touched by such high praise from a global artist, no less, Ice Spice responded by calling her “the sweetest person ever.” So now, we’ve got two women who adore each other singing “Karma” together.
One of Ice Spice’s trademarks, apart from her totally lovable “Grrah,” is that she starts off a song with a memorable line, and this time it’s “Karma is that girl, like (Grrah).”
The song then kicks off with lyrics we’ve subconsciously become so familiar with that we find ourselves singing about being burned by someone who can’t even attempt to look into the faces of the people they “burned just to get there.”
Ice Spice takes over the second verse, leading us into previously unchartered waters as she raps, “Karma is ya chеck’s ’boutta bounce (Damn) / Karma is the fire in your house (Grrah) / And she ’boutta pop up unannounced (Like) / And she never leavin’ you alone (Damn) / Watch her put ya opps on a throne (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.” At this point, all I have to say is that Ice Spice never gets lazy too, because she delivered.
This remix version of “Karma” isn’t only different from the original because of the Ice Spice feature, the harmonies on this new version really knock it out of the park and elevate the senses. Another thing that I love about this remix is the way Swift played fetch with Ice Spice, so much so that you anticipate which line the rapper will hop on next.
So, “Karma” is now two Queens who listen to each other’s music.
Speaking to Spotify, Swift revealed that she started thinking about collaborating with Ice Spice when her team reached out to say that she’s been a huge fan of [Taylor’s music] since she was a “little kid.” On the other hand, Swift had been listening to the rapper “nonstop” when she was getting ready to go on her Eras tour.
Like Swift says, “Ice Spice on ‘Karma’ was one of the most natural things.”