Isaiah Rashad, out from the shadows: Is the house burning? Or is this album the farthest thing from fire…

Isaiah Rashad, 30 years from Los Angeles, signed to TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) is currently a four album artist. Cilvia Demo released in 2014 followed by The Sun’s Tirade in 2016, these two albums are clear 10/10’s.The House Is Burning is an allegory for Rashad’s life. If the house was engulfed in flames, would one try to save as many possessions as they could or start anew? Rashad wrestles with the thought throughout the album, ruminating on his rehab, traumas, depression and most stark — his mortality”

The 16 song, 48 minute and 26 second album starts off with “Darkseid”, which has a very similar feel as “Cilvia Demo” off of his 2014 album Cilvia Demo. Rashad’s beautiful cadence is followed behind an instrumental with an acapella feel, as there are no instruments heard in this first song, only vocals.This house is off to a hot start. Transitioning to “From The Garden” 

featuring very popular rapper Lil Uzi Vert, the listener can quickly start to develop a sense for the tone of the album. Fast paced hip-hop. However, this change in tone from a hype song such as “True Story” featuring Jay Rock and Jay Worthy to a more relaxed vibe such as “Claymore” featuring Smino demonstrates Rashad’s broad spectrum of producing which he nails on every scale.

Prior to the release of “The House Is Burning” Rashad took a 5 year hiatus but frequently hinted at a new album and even released multiple of the current album tracks before the album officially hit streaming platforms “ At the time, the Chattanooga native cited addictions to alcohol and Xanax for his disappearance from public life and his decision not to capitalize on Cilvia Demo’s momentum; he swore he’d be more prolific going forward. That was five years ago.” From politics, his own personal experiences in love, lust, drug usage and empowering young minds. Rashad is more than a rapper, he’s an artist. 

However, the overall question arises, “Is this album worth a listen?” From both of our points of views, yes. This album is definitely a hot one and we can both conclude that the house is in fact on fire. Although this album is definitely a good one, is it his best? No. According to the figure scale of albums The House is Burning currently has the lowest amount of hits compared to his other albums; although this album has only been out for two months, hits are being gained at a very slow rate. In our opinion, Cilvia Demo with no outside features, only pure Rashad tells the best narrative of the life which is the TDE artist Isaiah Rashad.