ian, No Way | Song Review

Gen-Z rapper ian (Ian Smith) brings nothing new, game-changing, or substantial to the table in his brief single, “No Way.”

“Uh, I tweaked out, it was way too late / ‘Bout time somebody set shit straight.” The question is, what did you tweak out on ian (Ian Smith)? The Gen-Z rapper is… something else. A lot has been made about his legitimacy, not helped by the fact that he is a white rapper. Post-Goodbye Horses, the former Clemson rugby player unveils a brief single, “No Way”.  In the chorus, Smith continues rapping, “Pop-out every time, shit look great / Bitch, don’t call me, I hate your face.” Mm, K…

“Uh, are you hoes proud of the bed you make? / Is it me or a product of what they tell you?” Ian isn’t the most poetic throughout “No Way.”  That is a massive understatement. Most of the lines are shallow and offer nothing transcendent or meaningful.  Expectedly, the swears fly but amount to nothing substantial.  Cocky and confident, in the verse, Smith raps, “Hold on / Why the fuck there no one in front of me / Why would I beef? That’s fried as shit.” Well… The normal platitudes come through with ian bragging, “Not speakin’ to no one besides your bitch,” and, “I’m movin’ slow, gettin’ fast-ass money.” All told, there’s just not much here on “No Way”.  The minor-key production by sxprano is colorful and ‘trappy,’ but nothing brand-new per se.

ian // “No Way” // BuVision, LLC / Columbia // 12.13.24

ian, No Way [: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; BuVision, LLC / Columbia; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]