J Han, a member of the AMP Movement alongside the multi-talented Sam Ock, is releasing his debut solo album in Tower Ivory. J Han is a Maryland native and is the son of immigrants. Han struggled growing up, but found a connection with hip-hop in middle school. In high school Han put his love for hip-hop together with a relationship with Christ. Han graduated from college in Maryland in 2012 and has been making music with AMP and now as a solo artist on Sam Ock's Good Fruit Co. independent label.

Tower Ivory is definitely a hip-hop album first and foremost, but elements of other genres are clearly present throughout. J Han experiments with some jazz, gospel, R&B, and even some pop elements. One of the best tracks available on Tower Ivory is "Comrades." The song has more of a smooth sound musically and features some jazzy horns throughout. Guest artists, Gowe and Nak, provide a solid addition and the X-Men references--from Remy LeBeau (Gambit) to Rogue, to Beast and more--are definitely geek approved and fit the theme of the song perfectly. What stands out most on the record is the special attention given to the musical elements; it's the extras that make things standout. A good example of this is the keyboard that shows up over the beat towards the end of "Watch Out." It's something you don't even really catch if you're not paying attention, but it sounds so cool when you hear it the first time. This type of musicality was prominent on the last AMP EP and appears to be a trademark of Sam Ock and his crew. Other strong tracks are the acoustic guitar fronted "Villain," the gospel flavored "Tired," "Chukkas" (a song about shoes), as well as the fantastic "Belong."

Tower Ivory may not be the sharpest, or crispest, hip-hop album you've ever heard, but that's not where it holds its charm. Musical diversity and small, almost unheard, tuneful trappings make the record a truly enjoyable listen. J Han is a proficient rapper and the guest appearances add to the overall product nicely. While Tower Ivory will doubtfully be the album you call the best hip-hop outing of 2015, it does make you wish that more mainstream artists were as willing to give more musical flourishes and range than just straight-up beats over and over again.

- Review date: 6/26/15, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 

 Record Label: Good Fruit Co.
 Album length: 13 tracks: 51 minutes, 52 seconds
 Street Date: May 25, 2015
 Buy It: iTunes
 Download It: Amazon Music

1. Watch Out (3:07)
2. Villain (feat. Shela) (3:35)
3. Tired (4:21)
4. Miscalculated (3:38)
5. Bones (4:23)
6. Han Solo (4:04)
7. Comrades (feat. Gowe and Nak) (3:52)
8. Thank Me Later (4:30)
9. Growing Pains (4:06)
10. Chukkas (feat. Mickey Cho) (3:34)
11. Shalom (feat. John Givez) (4:44)
12. Kudos (feat. Sam Ock) (3:52)
13. Belong (4:06)