Ice Spice Disses Lemon-Lime Soda In Starry Super Bowl Commercial

Lemon-lime soda is a classic fizzy drink. Along with cola, the two are inarguably the cornerstones of the soda universe. But sometimes, the classics can get a little stale — unless you opt for Starry, PepsiCo's replacement for Sierra Mist. At least, that's what the brand is hoping people will think as it tries to gain new market share, hiring rapper Ice Spice (aka Isis Naija Gaston, aka Taylor Swift's pal) to help spread the message in a new Super Bowl LVIII ad.

The primetime commercial features Ice Spice hanging out at a club with two cartoon lemon-lime Starry mascots, when suddenly, a discordant piano note heralds a plot twist: the arrival of her clearly still-besotted ex. This ex remains unnamed, but given that he's wearing a green shirt with a white stripe on it, the viewer can make a pretty educated guess about which soda he's supposed to be (Sprite). The ad makes it clear that Ice Spice has moved on to a new can.

This is not the first time Ice Spice has sanctioned a beverage in a commercial; last year, Ice Spice and Ben Affleck put their spin on pumpkin spice at Dunkin'. This year, Ice Spice is even more in demand, and PepsiCo no doubt hopes to capitalize on that. At this year's Grammys, the rapper received her first nominations — four to be exact — including a nomination for Best New Artist and the song "Barbie World" from this summer's unforgettable blockbuster "Barbie." The 24-year-old already has an impressive career, so it's no surprise that brands are jumping on her popularity and using her appeal to the youth to advertise their products. Starry wants to set itself apart from other lemon-lime soda brands.

Like Ice Spice, Starry is new to the game — it was launched just last year. PepsiCo is likely hoping that pitting Starry in the big leagues will finally provide them the domestic Sprite-killer it's wanted since the introduction of Sierra Mist in 1999. While PepsiCo distributes 7 Up internationally, in America, 7 Up is handled by Keurig Dr Pepper. It's not clear whether a Super Bowl ad starring a popular new musician can change all of that, but Starry is definitely shooting for the stars in this expensive new ad.