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Ice Spice's manager, James Rosemond Jr. came to her defense amidst her online beef with former friend and tour-mate Cleopatra. The latter criticized the Spice in a series of TikTok videos on Monday, September 2, alleging that she was mistreated while on tour with Spice. She alleged Ice didn't give her time to prepare and denied her food due to not being part of the budget.
Cleopatra claimed she was forced to pay for her hotel and wardrobe, among other allegations. On Tuesday, September 3, Ice Spice's manager James Rosemond Jr. released a series of tweets on X aimed at one particular artist and her team, confirmed to be Cleo based on his responses to fan queries.
James Rosemond Jr. stated that the drama was because the artist's team did not manage their expectations when an opportunity arose. If an artist and their team were not prepared for the opportunity, then, according to James, they were to blame and not Ice Spice's team.
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Rosemund Jr. stated that the artists needed to pay their expenses and invest in themselves if such an opportunity came up. He labeled the situation "corny" as, according to him, this was the thanks Spice got for giving Cleopatra an opportunity. Rosemund claimed that the artist's "Entitlement and ego" was crazy. He also pointed out that openers don't have the same benefits on tour as the headliners.
In further responses to fan queries on X, Rosemund Jr. revealed that two artists can't speak and agree on logistics and business without proper representation and management's advice to get rid of any potential hiccups. Rosemund Jr. claimed that if a bigger artist asked Ice Spice to perform for them on brief notice, he would advise her it was too risky and connect with the other artist's management.
Rosemund Jr. further revealed that he talked to Cleopatra's manager, who allegedly told him he pushed her to stay despite knowing that she did not have the financial backing for the tour due to it being a great opportunity. The manager summarized he took the platform to put things in perspective and once again emphasized the role of the artist's management in coming together and asking questions.
Cleopatra and Ice Spice went back and forth on social media
Cleopatra, who previously opened for Ice Spice on the Y2K! Tour, took to TikTok on Monday, September 2, and released a series of videos alleging mistreatment while on tour with Spice. Cleo said that it was okay to fall out with a friend over miscommunications and misunderstandings, however, the artist continued:
"You actually have one time to show me that you are jealous, intimidated, untrustworthy, fake, disloyal, ingenuine, manipulative, and calculative, and I promise you that will be the last time you ever play with me."
The artist recalled meeting Ice Spice two years ago and being genuinely supportive of her and stated that people deserved to know why they were not friends anymore and how Spice was an "actual human being". Cleopatra narrated that Spice called her at the end of July, asking her to come on tour with her to perform.
Cleopatra made a flyer announcing that she was going on tour with Spice, which did not get reposted. She was also not mentioned on the tour bill. She had no idea what to expect going on tour and only had one day to prepare. She later realized that she did not even have a room for her backstage.
When she inquired about her expenses to Ice Spice, the rapper allegedly told her it was going to be "good" as she was with Spice. Cleo was also allegedly not allowed to bring anybody on tour unless she paid for their hotel and transportation, too. Cleo recalled using bathrooms to prepare, not being able to bring guests backstage, and also having to carry her bags.
The rapper further narrated an incident where she was allegedly denied food. Cleopatra told her followers:
"The hairstylist shows me a menu and stuff and is like, 'Oh production, whatever, they're gonna order food for everybody, pick what you want."
She continued:
"I was like, 'Okay, I'm getting the chicken salad just like you'... Then she shows me a message where somebody from production is like, 'Cleo is not a part of the budget.'"
Spice along with the rest of the crew, even allegedly left Cleopatra, her hairstylist, and her make-up artist alone while they grabbed food at a steakhouse because of her allegedly being mad at Cleo for confronting her regarding her baggage situation. According to Cleo, the Bronx rapper even moved Cleo's luggage out of her room, allegedly because of the grudge.
It is to be noted that Cleopatra revealed she had no problem with not being paid for the tour, but she just wanted people to stop thinking that she was paid because she well and truly was not. According to her, she was "played, betrayed & unpaid".
On Tuesday, September 3, Ice Spice responded to Cleopatra's allegations while on X Spaces. Spice stated:
"The scary part of fame honestly is the moment that somebody feels like they can no longer use your platform or like they’re not getting exactly what they want out of a situation the way that they want it, you know what I mean, that’s when they decide to crash out every single time. I'm noticing a pattern."
Spice called the whole situation "sad" as, according to her, she was genuinely trying to help Cleopatra. Spice lamented that this was what she got for trying to be a "good person" and claimed that Cleopatra left out a lot of details from her stories. She recalled Cleo confronting her with a text after leaving and further stated that she did not even have to share her stage with her. Spice narrated:
"You got less than 10,000 listeners and I'm sharing my stage with you and you feeling so entitled. Like, you thinking my peoples that work for me is supposed to work for you too. Like, that's so crazy to me."
During her response, Ice Spice also made fun of the amount of food Cleopatra allegedly consumed. Spice narrated an incident at an Italian restaurant and compared Cleo's eating habits to a "vacuum". In response to Spice, Cleo took to X and leveled Ozempic allegations at the Bronx rapper. She stated:
"Imagine being called big by someone that was just big. I’m going to bed bro ozempic got yall gassed & fatphobic now? BET,"
In another allegation, The Neighborhood Talk, reported on September 3, that Cleopatra alleged Ice Spice lied about her father's ancestry. In response to a TikTok comment, Cleo claimed that Spice's father was Hispanic. Ice Spice's father Joseph Gaston took to X and tagged Cleopatra, asked her who told her he was Hispanic, and informed her he was a black man.
In response to other X users, Gaston claimed he did a DNA test which showcased that he was 30% Nigerian and had other African ancestry, including from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, and Taino. He also acknowledged that he also had Latino family members. Ice Spice has not responded to this incident.
