I am not sure what Jim Bean is other than knowing it’s a bottle of liquor that the old dudes used to pass back and forth to each other in the ghettos of yore. I imagine that Jim Bean smells like cough medicine and burns as it goes down. Like that “affordable” cheap shit that’ll have you screaming FIRE IN THE HOLE while thinking WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST DRINK three seconds after you swallow!!

But that’s BAD!!

<—————THIS is GOOD

Jim Bean: No Chaser is good!! Very Very Good!

You should already know my evil ass is not gonna sit here and blow smoke up your ass because I’m being paid to do so. And I ain’t gonna sit here and write a mark to tell you all the particulars of who Ian Wellz is because you can just click the link and find out for yourself. All I will say is that my man is from Brick City (Newark, NJ stupid) and he’s nicer than your nicest lyricist.

I PROMISE YOU!

In my opinion you can usually tell a bumpin’ mix tape when the shit is dope at the very start of the intro. I was so into the Bar Intro that it took me to another time and place. The verses and background noise are reminiscent of a neighborhood seedy bar; I was listening at my desk but it put me in the mood to pour a stiff one and reflect on life (and maybe I did..mind yo business).

And I wanted to hear more.

Da Da Da Dah recycles a well known (whorish?) beat but gives it better life than it had as the original song. Ian’s delivery is done in an updated The Whisper Song method (whisper-ish). It should have the ladies listening attentively, shit, I was because Dudes voice is quite sexy and how often do you hear me say some shit like that?

Mixed Emotions is also a favorite but 50/50 hands down did it for me no, not like that. I’m all for lyrical content but I also pay close attention to the music since I consider true Hip Hop to be nothing less than a musical composition in it’s own right. The lyrics AND the instrumentals matter; 50/50 contains rich, layered beats that took me speeding down a highway of energy. I’m looking for my cipher. And I’m looking for my brew. These gritty words done fucked around and got me aggressive. I’m having MIXED EMOTIONS;  I wanna snap my neck to this…and whip ass at the same time (and you will too).

Bedrock is……meh? Could be that this particular beat was played out during the original run of Young Money’s Bedrock or maybe I’m just numb to the sound of it. Either way, I definitely prefer when Ian sticks to his mix of storytelling and metaphors. IMO Ian’s talent is wasted on the hyper sexual lyrics and breezy ‘radio’ sounds like those contained in Bed Rock; he should leave Kindergarten in the hands of the immature and stick with what he does best…Orate.

Jim Bean: No Chaser contains plenty of featured artist who for the most part bring something to the table. NOT ONE  guest on this mix tape disappointed;  the complexity of everyone’s verse made it clear that this musical movement is based in poetry and the art of story telling. No denying the skill level Ian has obtained is created through a pure love of words and a thorough command of the almighty metaphor.

Oh, by the way Ian acted as Executive Producer on No Chaser, so not only is he a beast of an MC, he’s also impressive producer. [RETRACTION...my bad.....] The album artwork is courtesy of @DunePBeam. The albums’s photography and design was done by TrillstheArtist AKA Trills (who also appears on a few tracks).

Keep an eye out for new music from Ian and producers @LisaFMusic and @dollar_bin due sometime during early 2011. There is a gang of these Brick City artists, I hope to see more from them. Give a listen below and I promise you’ll feel the same.

© 2010 – 2011, Tracy Renee Jones. All rights reserved.