Today, we’ve got some juicy gossip: Ice Spice is being accused of trying to look like Nicki Minaj, and popular TikToker Nara Smith is facing backlash for allegedly copying smaller content creators. But before we get into all that, I want to give a shoutout to our sponsor, Cook Unity.
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Ice Spice has found herself in hot water for allegedly copying Nicki Minaj and not paying for wigs. The wig maker, The Bella Brand, has accused Ice Spice of refusing to pay for over 20 wigs. According to the owner, Ice Spice’s team requested several wigs ahead of her tour but canceled the order last minute, leaving the wig company uncompensated. The wig maker claimed Ice Spice wanted the wigs for free and expressed disappointment, saying, “You really disappointed me when you asked me to give you the tour units for free. 20K in wigs for no promo at that. Now, when have you ever known me to do that? Thank you for making us make all these Nicki Minaj wigs.”
The Bella Brand even posted text messages showing Ice Spice asking for wigs that resembled Nicki Minaj’s styles. Some fans have noticed Ice Spice trying to emulate Nicki’s look and even her rapping style in her single “Fat Butt.” While some initially thought this was a stretch, the evidence now suggests otherwise. It’s clear Nicki Minaj heavily influences Ice Spice, though her true motives remain unclear. Whether she’s genuinely inspired by Nicki or trying to troll her due to a past falling out is uncertain. Regardless, Ice Spice needs to pay for the wigs. These stylists work hard and deserve to be compensated for their efforts. Ice Spice’s team should step up and settle the payment for the wigs.
Now, let’s talk about Nara Smith getting called out for copying creators like Mary Korlin Downs and Onezwa Mbola. Nara, who’s a model and popular TikToker, has blown up on social media for making everything from scratch—bread, pasta, cereal, you name it. She puts in a lot of effort, but in a good way, and I really enjoy her content. I think she’s great at what she does and she’s definitely inspired a lot of other people to start making their food from scratch too. Even though she’s not the first to do this and there’s nothing new under the sun, I believe she’s really brought this whole stay-at-home, make-your-food-from-scratch tradwife idea into the spotlight. That said, Nara has been accused of taking ideas from other content creators.
She made an ad for Marc Jacobs where she pretended to create one of his purses from scratch, and the concept was pretty cute. But another creator, Mary Corindes, has called her out, saying that Nara’s video seemed inspired by Mary’s own. Mary said, “I’ve been overwhelmed with messages about the Marc Jacobs and Nara Smith video that just came out. A lot of people are defending me, saying I did a similar concept back in December. While I don’t think anyone owns an idea, and we all put our own spin on things, I feel like Nara didn’t make it her own. It seems like she mixed two of my videos into one for Marc Jacobs. The video people keep tagging me in is from December, and there are lots of similarities. I’m disappointed in Marc Jacobs because they sent me the bag for a collaboration, and it feels like they just took half of my video and half of Nara’s. Given that Nara and Marc Jacobs likely saw my video, it’s frustrating that they let this slip. I get that ideas can overlap in the creative world, but it hurts to see Marc Jacobs and Nara getting so much praise for something that’s so close to my work, especially since my videos barely got any attention.”
Mary isn’t the only one who’s noticed Nara using similar concepts. Onezwa Mbola, another content creator, has also called Nara out for copying her ideas. A lot of people have pointed out that Nara frequently posts videos similar to Onezwa’s. For instance, Onezwa noticed that after she shared a video about kale with lemon juice, Nara posted a nearly identical one.
Onezwa shared her frustration, saying, “Nara Smith was making kale with lemon juice and olive oil long before she started using ideas from smaller creators. I’ve been on a break because, for months, I’ve watched a major content creator use my ideas. I know I’m not the first to do anything, but it’s disheartening that she’s been profiting from my concepts. In South Africa, we don’t get paid for views, but where she is, she does, so she’s making money off my content. She always tweaks the videos just enough so it’s hard to prove they’re mine. When I took a break, she even started using ideas from my YouTube channel.
I’ve kept quiet, taking advice from friends and my boyfriend who told me not to confront her to avoid being dragged by her followers. Recently, I posted a video about making boba tea, which I was really proud of. I tweeted about it, and then, a day later, she posted a similar video. It might seem like a coincidence, but this happens too often to ignore. I’m really disheartened. She’s making thousands from views, while I’m lucky to get a brand collaboration every few months. I’ve worked with fewer than ten brands in the last five years. I’m heartbroken and wondering if it’s worth it anymore.”
This whole thing is really upsetting. It’s a shame because Onezwa is getting a lot of backlash. She even shared an email that Nara allegedly sent her, threatening to sue over her comments. We can’t be sure if Nara actually sent it—maybe it was from a fan, since Nara has many. But it’s also possible it came from Nara herself. Regardless, it’s a pretty messy situation.
When people called out Nara for copying Onezwa’s boba recipe, she said she’d never seen Onezwa’s videos or followed her, and that she’s not the only one who makes boba. But there’s a screenshot of Nara commenting on Onezwa’s posts, so she definitely knows who she is. It’s not far-fetched to think Nara might be keeping an eye on other creators for ideas. This kind of controversy isn’t great for her reputation, and if she’s not careful, people might turn against her. Being inspired by others is fine, but she needs to give credit where it’s due.
What do you all think about this situation? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.