Ian – “2005” review

St. Louis, Missouri rapper/producer Ian is back after 12 whole months for his sophomore effort, 5th EP or debut mixtape. A member of the D1shonorable collective, he got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. Akon’s brother Bu Thiam signed him to his Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment this spring for his previous EP Valedictorian, which received mixed responses although I personally found to have it’s highlights like “Chauncey” & “Magic Johnson”. Goodbye Horses even had its own highs like “3.5” or “Out West”, surprise-releasing 2005 only 53 weeks later.

We get some colorfully peppy synthesizers during the intro “Go Ian” taking a boastful approach to the lyrics feeling like that people have a bad impression on him ever since signing to a major label whereas the rage-inducing “Aw Shit” talks about keeping it 100 even if he isn’t perfect. The self-produced “You Told Me” reserves the drums for the final minute or so not making any plans because he’s vibing while the mediocre trap/pop rap single “I Ain’t Coming Back” prior to the Bhad Bhabie interlude talks about being good all by himself, having a lot of questions for his ex-girlfriend & even more for her mother.

“Talk About It” brings the synths back in effect thanks to Internet Money Records in-house producer NASH so he can reflect over a relationship prior to “Remember Me” continuing to delve deeper into the topic of love accompanied by a piano instrumental. “Have My Back” proves a comparison Tyler, The Creator had made between Ian & Future clear as day, although “Soul Provider” produced by FNZ could be his most emotional track ever & “Friends from Everywhere” ends with Ian shouting out his homies all around the world.

Serving as a prelude to Valedictorian 2 coming out a couple months ago as revealed via an Easter egg in the artwork, 2005 finds Ian returning behind the boards since he didn’t produce anything on the original Valedictorian or Goodbye Horses & I can appreciate that to the highest extent because Ian can be likened to ΠΔV in the sense that I enjoy his production work more than a good chunk of the major label material. Will he capitalize on his production skills more a couple months from now? Only time will tell.

Score: 2.5/5

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Ian – “Goodbye Horses” review

This is the full-length debut studio album from St. Louis, Missouri rapper/producer Ian. A member the D1shonorable collective, he got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. Akon’s brother Bu Thiam signed him to his Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment this spring for his previous EP Valedictorian, which received mixed responses although I personally found to have it’s highlights like “Chauncey” & “Magic Johnson”. 5 months later, he’s coinciding with his rival Yeat by dropping Goodbye Horses.

“Showboat” is this futuristic drill opener talking about not knowing what this adversary does even if they do it real good whereas “‘Till I Die” works in some horns & hi-hats brushing off those with their fundamentals down tryna kick it with him. “3.5” takes a cloudier route instrumentally thanks to WondaGurl getting geeked just before the synth-driven “On the Floor” boasts that the gas in his bag could put a man on the moon.

As for “My Call”, the bass gets turned all the way up so Ian can oddly talk about the high road not doing anything except making you a loser leading into “Out West” having probably my favorite beat on the album from Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor of Internet Money Records keeping it true to himself. “Shit Sad” featuring Chief Keef heads for a Chicago drill direction talking about how high they are, but then “End Up Gone” was an mediocre choice of a single promising to die by his homie’s side.

“Older” featuring Reign maintains a cloudy edge taking over the second they got the bag while “Loco” shows off the pieces shipped straight to his front door over more synths. “Hate Me” featuring Lil Yachty was an enjoyable New York drill single showing a tight chemistry from the 2 while “Off That Shit” looks to keep his head in the clouds. The drumless title track featuring Eyesis finishes the LP with both of them taking the highway to the pearly gates.

Ian’s been getting a lot of criticism this year whether it being called an industry plant, a Yeat ripoff, “the new Lil Mabu” & most notably one of my favorite artists Tyler, The Creator accusing him of mocking trap pioneers Future & Gucci Mane during his SpringHill interview although I don’t see a connection to either or. Anyway in regards to Goodbye Horses, I wound up liking it less than Valedictorian. His performances are ok as are a couple of the guests’, but sxprano’s production proves to be much less interesting. “Out West”, “Shit Sad” & “Hate Me” however stand out as some of Ian’s best songs much like “Chauncey” & “Magic Johnson”.

Score: 2.5/5

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Ian – “Valedictorian” review

This is the 4th EP from up-&-coming rapper/producer Ian of the D1shonorable collective. Somebody that got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. For the past few months however, he’s been going viral off a couple singles to the point of landing a contract with Akon’s brother Bu Thiam’s very own Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment & further building off the recent hype to put out Valedictorian.

After the DJ Holiday intro, the first song “Never Stop” is a playful trap opener to the tape refusing to quit under any circumstances whereas “Bentayga” works in some synths & hi-hats detailing the luxurious lifestyle. “Airbnb” vibrantly brushes off any tough talk that comes his way & throwing a hoe a bag if she shows him something leading into “Hermes Sheets” giving me a heinous atmosphere instrumentally continuing to show off his wealth. “Omakase” talks about busting his ass day & night like KiD CuDi referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over a synth-laced trap beat while “Chauncey” might be favorite track from the cloudy instrumental from Galactic Records signee tana to the lyrics referencing former Detroit Pistons player Chauncey Billups.

“Judgement” flexes that he’s too rich to entertain chumps over minimal synthesizers & hi-hats, but then “Grand Slam” has these rage-inducing undertones boasting that his hermano crazy about the pollo similarly to my favorite show of all-time Breaking Bad. The EP’s final song & lead single “Figure It Out” just so happens to be the very first song of Ian’s that I ever heard carrying over the minimal hypertrap influences from “Grand Slam” as I had previously mentioned including a reference to the Batman franchise owned by the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment. The first bonus cut “Options” keeps the rage going talking about his neck changing the weather & the other “Magic Johnson” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor becoming another standout passing bread like the Lakers player.

Being already somewhat familiar with the D1 crew since Fakekickin’ just fully produced the new Moh Baretta mixtape RE:VAMP over a week ago, Ian here has been catching my interest for a few weeks as a result of Valedictorian’s final 2 tracks continuing to grow in popularity & he might even be my new favorite member. He properly introduces himself to a wider audience whilst maintaining the plugg/rage elements of his earlier EPs, further solidifying himself as an exciting new face in both subgenres.

Score: 3.5/5

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