ntr artists

Mother Russia has churned-out more than her fair share of wordsmiths who are swelling with passion, and deeply entrenched in heavy analyses of human behavior; finding inspiration in the drab surroundings of their landscape. Ivan Ives imports a flowing dose of his Russian roots to the LA hip-hop scene – without limiting himself to sounding merely like a “Russian Artist.”

With Iconoclast, Ives' second full-length, released under the wings of his own No Threshold imprint, the street-savvy emcee brings an outsider's view to the Capitalist migraine that dominates so many of hip hop's affairs. Indeed Ives possesses the qualities and skills of "indie" hip hop's articulate style and DIY convictions, but the staccato and glitch-laden production of songs, like "Carpe Diem" (featuring 2MEX), "Honor" (feat. Cappadonna of WU-TANG) and "Revenge" come together with an adventurous and old school flare.

His songs are catchy on a level that transcends the experimental leanings of collegiate beats and rhymes. And though his writing is informed by his early experimental days when he went by the name Nicotine, Ives knows that in order to break the rules, one most first know the rules. This West Coast by-way-of Brooklyn by-way-of the former U.S.S.R. immigrant has more in common with the auditory appeal of such acts as Kanye West, Jay-Z and 50 Cent thanks to the accessible beats by his longtime producer and collaborator Fresh aka The Hitman. Ivan Ives manages to keep his underground credibility while flirting with mainstream sensibilities - and that's a tough line to walk. For Ives the beauty is in this dark ride on the mean streets.

Love lost, the great beyond, and personal development are part of the game as Ives composes a body of work that shines with honest-to-goodness talent. Like Bob Dylan, 2Pac, and Grandmaster Flash, Ives' songs are his own stories and his own commentaries shaped by his unrestrained style.

He doesn't mince words, nor does he unleash a torrent of expletives to underscore the immediacy of his message. He understands that the pen is mightier than the sword and his skin-tight flow unfolds with a poetic surge that will have you rushing to rewind. He's a salt-of-the-Earth man, and his subdued accent, informed by his bi-coastal upbringing culminates in a sound that is both energetic and hard, but never stoops to a simple thug vibe. The epic Russian tone that rises up in the anthem "Victory" (feat. Vast Aire) informs Iconoclast, forging an album that is as stoic and eloquent as the Eastern land in which his roots are planted.

In November 2007, Ivan Ives was hand picked by Rolling Stone and named one of the “next 40 artists to watch” in their 40 year anniversary issue, along with the likes of Little Brother, Wolf Parade, Caribou, Sea Wolf, Tokyo Police Club, The Knife, etc. The first single off Iconoclast, “Victory,” was picked to be one of the 40 free songs that people were able to download with a purchase of the Rolling Stone issue (a total of 1.9 million codes were generated).

Doing countless amounts of shows in his hometown, Los Angeles, as well as doing tours up along the West Coast and two tours to the East Coast have resulted in Ivan Ives fans worldwide. In September and October 2007, Ivan toured the East Coast with a 12-city “East Coast Iconoclast Tour” and met up with collaborators 2MEX and Vast Aire along the way for some of the shows.

It’s only going to get bigger and better from here. Weighing in with a heavy MySpace following, Ivan sells a good amount of his records to fans all over the country and world via the internet. With over 13,000 friends and 450,000 audio plays (as of November 2007), Ivan is well on his way.


ivan ives fresh the hitman the i.v. league the anything people menacin johnson the coming of chaos failore one ionz149 paul stemmer	Mother Russia has churned-out more than her fair share of wordsmiths who are swelling with passion, and deeply entrenched in heavy analyses of human behavior; finding inspiration in the drab surroundings of their landscape. Ivan Ives imports a flowing dose of his Russian roots to the LA hip-hop scene – without limiting himself to sounding merely like a “Russian Artist.” With Iconoclast, Ives' second full-length, released under the wings of his own No Threshold imprint, the street-savvy emcee brings an outsider's view to the Capitalist migraine that dominates so many of hip hop's affairs. Indeed Ives possesses the qualities and skills of "indie" hip hop's articulate style and DIY convictions, but the staccato and glitch-laden production of songs, like "Carpe Diem" (featuring 2MEX), "Honor" (feat. Cappadonna of WU-TANG) and "Revenge" come together with an adventurous and old school flare. His songs are catchy on a level that transcends the experimental leanings of collegiate beats and rhymes. And though his writing is informed by his early experimental days when he went by the name Nicotine, Ives knows that in order to break the rules, one most first know the rules. This West Coast by-way-of Brooklyn by-way-of the former U.S.S.R. immigrant has more in common with the auditory appeal of such acts as Kanye West, Jay-Z and 50 Cent thanks to the accessible beats by his longtime producer and collaborator Fresh aka The Hitman. Ivan Ives manages to keep his underground credibility while flirting with mainstream sensibilities - and that's a tough line to walk. For Ives the beauty is in this dark ride on the mean streets. Love lost, the great beyond, and personal development are part of the game as Ives composes a body of work that shines with honest-to-goodness talent. Like Bob Dylan, 2Pac, and Grandmaster Flash, Ives' songs are his own stories and his own commentaries shaped by his unrestrained style. He doesn't mince words, nor does he unleash a torrent of expletives to underscore the immediacy of his message. He understands that the pen is mightier than the sword and his skin-tight flow unfolds with a poetic surge that will have you rushing to rewind. He's a salt-of-the-Earth man, and his subdued accent, informed by his bi-coastal upbringing culminates in a sound that is both energetic and hard, but never stoops to a simple thug vibe. The epic Russian tone that rises up in the anthem "Victory" (feat. Vast Aire) informs Iconoclast, forging an album that is as stoic and eloquent as the Eastern land in which his roots are planted. In November 2007, Ivan Ives was hand picked by Rolling Stone and named one of the “next 40 artists to watch” in their 40 year anniversary issue, along with the likes of Little Brother, Wolf Parade, Caribou, Sea Wolf, Tokyo Police Club, The Knife, etc. The first single off Iconoclast, “Victory,” was picked to be one of the 40 free songs that people were able to download with a purchase of the Rolling Stone issue (a total of 1.9 million codes were generated). Doing countless amounts of shows in his hometown, Los Angeles, as well as doing tours up along the West Coast and two tours to the East Coast have resulted in Ivan Ives fans worldwide. In September and October 2007, Ivan toured the East Coast with a 12-city “East Coast Iconoclast Tour” and met up with collaborators 2MEX and Vast Aire along the way for some of the shows. It’s only going to get bigger and better from here. Weighing in with a heavy MySpace following, Ivan sells a good amount of his records to fans all over the country and world via the internet. With over 13,000 friends and 450,000 audio plays (as of November 2007), Ivan is well on his way.