The following contains spoilers for Highest 2 Lowest

Highest 2 Lowest features a cameo from Ice Spice that doesn’t necessarily utilize her musical talents. Highest 2 Lowest focuses on a music mogul named David King, who finds himself dealing with an irate aspiring rapper named Yung Felon who resorts to kidnapping to get back at King. In a meta-move, hip-hop artist A$AP Rocky plays Yung Felon.

Yung Felon has a fairly important role in the film, building to Highest 2 Lowest‘s explosive ending. A$AP Rocky even gets his own song in the film as a contrast to David King. Notably, Ice Spice’s cameo doesn’t feature such a showcase (even though there is a clear musical contrast for Yung Felon’s track in Spike Lee’s acclaimed new film).

Ice Spice’s Surprisingly Low-Key Cameo In Highest 2 Lowest Explained

Ice Spice appears as Marisol Cepeda in Highest 2 Lowest. Marisol appears briefly in the film, helping add to the bustling and fast-paced nature of David King’s professional career as a recording company executive. Early in Highest 2 Lowest, David King’s visits to his office feature Marisol, who is one of his employees.

It’s a very minor role in the film, effectively more of a cameo than an actual character in the narrative. It’s a bit of a surprise, too, considering Ice Spice’s talents as a hip-hop artist, that she doesn’t get a chance to sing in the film. Instead, the biggest musical moment in the movie belongs to Aiyana-Lee.

Aiyana-Lee appears at the end of the film as Sula. An aspiring musician discovered by David’s son, Trey, Sula delivers a soulful performance of her song “Highest 2 Lowest” and proves to be exactly what David is looking for. It’s a small moment that codifies the importance of music in the narrative, especially in contrast to Yung Felon.

Why Music Is So Important In Highest 2 Lowest

Sula’s place in the film is interesting, especially in contrast to the brief appearance of Marisol. Marisol is part of the music business that Sula is looking to break into, one that King has increasingly grown weary of over the years. It makes them intriguing contrasts to one another.

Mairsol and the rest of the office workers who are employed by David are shown to be professional, efficient, and skilled. However, that world is also confining to King, who wants to sell his stake in the company and chart a new path forward for himself that focuses on the genuine soul of music that drew him years before.

By contrast, Sula and her soulful rendition of Highest 2 Lowest is a moment of freedom for King and his family, coming only after he’s realized he can’t remain in the sphere that he conquered previously as a mogul. Ice Spice’s cameo is a surprisingly low-key way for Highest 2 Lowest to feature the hip-hop star.