Who Is Charina Almanzar? Meet Ice Spice’s Mother and Explore Her Story

In August 2026, Ice Spice credited her mother, Charina Almanzar, with inspiring the vanilla-centered fragrance behind her first perfume, In Ha Mood.

That acknowledgment added another chapter to a relationship that had already shaped the rapper’s confidence, appearance, family identity, and earliest creative ambitions.

Long before collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, Almanzar was raising Isis Naija Gaston in a close-knit Bronx family.

Her story includes Dominican heritage, teenage motherhood, an early separation from Ice Spice’s father, and an unexpected viral moment connected to her daughter’s music.

Charina Almanzar’s Quick Information

Who Is Charina Almanzar?

Charina Almanzar is the Dominican mother of Ice Spice, the Bronx-born rapper whose legal name is Isis Naija Gaston.

Her daughter was born on January 1, 2000, and later became known for “Munch (Feelin’ U),” “In Ha Mood,” and “Princess Diana.”

Almanzar entered broader public conversation after Ice Spice began discussing her mother’s influence in interviews with Billboard and Teen Vogue.

Coverage expanded again in August 2023, when a video showed Almanzar enjoying her daughter’s song “Deli.”

By August 2026, Ice Spice was still pointing to her mother’s personal tastes while discussing the inspiration behind her first fragrance.

How Old Was Her Mother?

Multiple entertainment reports identify Almanzar as 17 when she gave birth to Ice Spice on January 1, 2000.

That timeline places her daughter’s arrival during Almanzar’s teenage years, before Ice Spice grew up within an extended Bronx family network.

Ice Spice turned 26 on January 1, 2026, following the release of her debut album and her first feature-film appearance.

The relatively small age difference between mother and daughter became a recurring point of discussion after their photographs circulated online.

Interest intensified when viewers compared Almanzar’s appearance with her daughter’s during the 2023 “Deli” video moment.

Her Dominican Family Background

Charina Almanzar’s Dominican heritage forms one side of Ice Spice’s Afro-Latina identity.

Joseph Gaston, the rapper’s father, has identified himself as a Black man raised in the Bronx.

Ice Spice has discussed growing up around relatives from both sides of her family, including grandparents and cousins.

Her Bronx upbringing placed Dominican family influences alongside the borough’s established hip-hop traditions.

That combination appears in how she discusses her confidence, personal presentation, and connection to New York culture.

How Did Her Parents Meet?

Ice Spice explained during a July 2023 Apple Music hometown tour that her parents met while working at a McDonald’s.

The restaurant was near the Bronx neighborhood where the rapper spent her childhood.

Charina Almanzar and Joseph Gaston welcomed Isis together before separating when their daughter was approximately 2 years old.

Afterward, both parents remained part of a wider family arrangement that included nearby grandparents.

People reported that her parents and grandparents lived within roughly one block of each other after the separation.

Their Life in the Bronx

Ice Spice grew up in the Bronx, the New York City borough where both sides of her family maintained close connections.

Her parents’ separation did not prevent regular contact with relatives living nearby.

Grandparents and cousins became part of her everyday childhood, especially while the adults in her family worked.

During interviews, the rapper described spending time between her mother’s and father’s households.

The borough later became central to her music videos, performance imagery, and association with Bronx drill.

What Did Charina Almanzar Do?

Entertainment profiles have reported that Charina Almanzar worked at a car dealership.

Joseph Gaston, by comparison, had experience as an underground rapper and introduced his daughter to recording environments when she was young.

Their professional backgrounds exposed Ice Spice to two distinct influences: a working family routine and early familiarity with hip-hop.

The rapper later recalled seeing her father in a studio while she was still a toddler.

Her mother documented another side of that early interest by recording Ice Spice singing when she was around 4 years old.

Her Daughter’s Early Creativity

Charina Almanzar preserved one of the first poems Ice Spice wrote during elementary school.

Teen Vogue reported in June 2023 that the first-grade poem remained stored with other childhood memorabilia.

That collection offered a concrete record of creative interests that existed years before Ice Spice started recording professionally.

The future rapper also became interested in acting and filmmaking while growing up.

She initially wanted to attend a high school with film or performing arts programs, but her mother chose a different educational direction.

Charina Almanzar’s School Decision

Ice Spice attended Sacred Heart High School, a Catholic school in Yonkers, New York.

She told Teen Vogue that she had hoped to study at a school focused on film or the performing arts.

Almanzar opposed that plan, and her daughter later acknowledged feeling frustrated about the decision for years.

After high school, Ice Spice enrolled at the State University of New York at Purchase.

While studying communications and playing volleyball, she met RIOTUSA, the producer who became central to her earliest recordings.

Her Daughter’s First Songs

Ice Spice began recording music in 2021 after connecting with RIOTUSA during her college years.

Early releases included “Bully Freestyle” and “Name of Love,” establishing her partnership with the Bronx producer.

Her participation in the “Buss It” challenge helped attract an early social media audience.

An appearance on GabeP’s On the Radar platform created additional attention before her major breakthrough.

That breakthrough arrived in August 2022 with “Munch (Feelin’ U),” a short Bronx drill track produced by RIOTUSA.

How Did Her Daughter Breakthrough?

“Munch (Feelin’ U)” received a public boost after Drake expressed support for the record.

By June 2023, Teen Vogue reported that its music video had accumulated approximately 43 million YouTube views.

The same profile credited the song with nearly 87 million Spotify streams and roughly three billion TikTok engagements.

Following the single’s success, Ice Spice signed with 10K Projects and Capitol Records in fall 2022.

Her debut EP, Like..?, followed on January 20, 2023, featuring “Munch,” “Bikini Bottom,” and “In Ha Mood.”

Charina Almanzar’s Viral Moment

In August 2023, a clip circulated showing Charina Almanzar lip-syncing and moving along to Ice Spice’s “Deli.”

The song appeared on the deluxe edition of Like..?, extending the rapper’s run of recognizable Bronx drill releases.

Viewers quickly commented on the strong physical resemblance between Almanzar and her daughter.

Older photographs of the pair circulated again as fans compared their facial features and personal style.

The moment turned Ice Spice’s mother into a recognizable figure among listeners already following the rapper’s family background.

Her Influence on Style

Ice Spice told Billboard in October 2022 that her mother influenced how she approached appearance and self-confidence.

She specifically remembered Almanzar keeping her nails done and consistently presenting herself with a polished look.

Those memories connected directly to the rapper’s later interest in beauty, fashion, and highly recognizable styling.

Ice Spice’s orange curls became closely associated with the visual identity surrounding “Munch (Feelin’ U).”

Her daughter’s public image eventually expanded into magazine covers, high-profile collaborations, and a fragrance inspired partly by Almanzar’s preferences.

Their Family and Siblings

Ice Spice is the oldest of six siblings across her parents’ respective families.

People reported in February 2024 that Joseph Gaston and Charina Almanzar each expanded their families after separating.

Her younger brother, Joey Gaston, became publicly known through football and modeling.

A November 2023 GQ interview identified Joey as a quarterback at Iona Preparatory School and a model signed with Next Models.

Ice Spice has described giving her younger relatives advice about school, friendships, and standing up for themselves.

Her Daughter’s Biggest Collaborations

The 2023 collaboration “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” paired Ice Spice with British artist PinkPantheress and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her “Princess Diana” remix with Nicki Minaj climbed to No. 4 on the same chart.

Another Minaj collaboration, “Barbie World,” appeared on the soundtrack for the 2023 film Barbie.

Taylor Swift also recruited Ice Spice for a version of “Karma,” expanding her audience beyond hip-hop.

The Recording Academy recognized four nominations connected to her 2023 work:

• Best New Artist.
• Best Rap Song for “Barbie World.”
• Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Barbie World.”
• Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Karma.”

Charina Almanzar’s Influence Today

Ice Spice released her debut studio album, Y2K!, on July 26, 2024.

The expanded edition, Y2K! I’m Just a Girl, arrived on December 25, 2024, with 16 tracks.

Her acting ambitions also became reality through Spike Lee’s 2025 film Highest 2 Lowest, featuring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and A$AP Rocky.

In August 2026, she introduced In Ha Mood, her first fragrance, developed with Revlon and sold through Ulta Beauty.

The perfume’s vanilla foundation came directly from childhood memories of her mother’s favorite scents.

Her Story Keeps Evolving

Charina Almanzar’s influence is visible in specific details: the preserved childhood poem, the early singing video, the recognizable beauty habits, and the vanilla fragrance released in 2026.

Her daughter’s career now includes four Grammy nominations, a 2024 studio album, a Spike Lee film, and a national beauty launch.

For Charina Almanzar, the strongest evidence of her place in that story remains Ice Spice’s repeated acknowledgment that family habits shaped the person behind the public image.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Charina Almanzar?

Charina Almanzar is Ice Spice’s mother. Her daughter, born Isis Naija Gaston on January 1, 2000, became known for “Munch (Feelin’ U).”

2. What is Charina Almanzar’s heritage?

Charina Almanzar is of Dominican descent. Her daughter has discussed her Afro-Latina identity and her family’s Dominican and Black backgrounds.

3. How old was Charina Almanzar?

Almanzar was 17 when Ice Spice was born on January 1, 2000. Their comparatively small age difference drew attention when family photographs circulated online.

4. Who is Ice Spice’s father?

Ice Spice’s father is Joseph Gaston, a former underground rapper from the Bronx. Her parents met while working at a McDonald’s in New York.

5. Why did Charina Almanzar trend?

Almanzar attracted attention in August 2023 after a video showed her enjoying Ice Spice’s song “Deli.” Viewers also commented on her resemblance to her daughter.

6. What did Charina Almanzar do?

Entertainment coverage has reported that Almanzar worked at a car dealership. Ice Spice has also credited her mother with documenting her early singing and preserving childhood writing.

7. Did her mother inspire a fragrance?

Yes. Ice Spice said her mother’s preference for vanilla influenced In Ha Mood, the fragrance she launched with Revlon in August 2026.

8. Where did Ice Spice study?

Ice Spice attended Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers before enrolling at SUNY Purchase. At college, she studied communications, played volleyball, and met producer RIOTUSA.

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