5 Tracks You Need To Check Out From [@IcecityNW]
With the release of Trapstar Toxic from jail in the last couple days now would be a fitting time to look back on some of ICB’s best tracks.
1. Trapstar Toxic – Sentiments Freestyle
“There were times when I felt like s**t was going wrong, had me tryna talk to the sky like Mufasa’s son, reason with God”
With Toxic having just been released it’s only right we start with one from him. Sentiments Freestyle was his latest offering before he went to jail and was released whilst he was still in. The freestyle is cold. It also shows a more reflective side to the rapper that you don’t often hear which adds an extra layer of depth to it. He covers topics like jail, the pressures of grinding to fake trappers on the internet amongst others. It’s a standout performance from arguably the most loved ICB member other than Skrapz and Nines.
2. Ice City Boyz – All Out
“Hold up my ni***a these ni***as is getting comy, comfy my ni***a these ni***as be getting hold up”
This was the first song I properly took in from the ICB team and it’s an absolute banger. There’s not one bad verse but the standout is the section where they go back to back with one bar each, it’s rap excellence. As an introduction to the crew I think this is up there with one of the best songs to start with. It features the most members from the group and none of them under performed here. On top of the quality verses it has a catchy hook that’ll get stuck in your head after a few listens.
3. Ice City Boyz – Statement
“She loves it on the floor when I’m stabbin, so its magic on the carpet every time she lets a lad in”
This one is more the ICB standard, featuring the usual suspects of J Styles, Fatz and Streetz. Each kills their verse individually but Streetz takes this one with his cheeky swagger and lyrics like the Aladdin reference above. It’s a gritty street tale delivered with skill and maybe more importantly strong conviction. There’s no doubt that the three command respect after this one – statement heard.
4. Skrapz – Round Here Ft Giggs
“BOOM”
I thought about having a more complex lyric but that ad-lib is synonymous with Skrapz and every time you hear it you know it’s about to go down. You might question why there’s a Skrapz track in a list about ICB but we can’t forget Skrapz is a member although he has put out a lot of content as a solo artist. The vibe of the track can be felt from the very opening with the ominous start to the beat before it drops. As usual Skrapz delivers bars with one of the most laid back flows in the game in a way that most couldn’t. Excellent support from Giggs but I think we can all agree that’s what we expect of him now but it does complement Skrapz nicely on the track.
5. Nines -All Stars (Ft Tops, Dundi, TE Dness, Jman)
“Getting head while I’m freestyling I came off the dome, ice city boy and I ain’t ever seen no ski slopes”
Honestly are you even allowed to do a list about rappers from Church Road and not mention Nines? This one should be no surprise it includes ICB members in the features as well as the man himself. This track would have been easy to overlook on the One Foot In mixtape. But overlooking it would be a mistake. Strong verses delivered across the board. A simple but impactful beat. I don’t know what more you could want from a track. Plus it has TE on it and he’s one of the coldest out.
