Best Songs From Isaiah Rashad’s “The House Is Burning”
Intro:
After a long 5-year hiatus, Isaiah Rashad has finally returned to the rap game with a brand new album. The TDE artist hails from Tennessee & was signed to the label way back in 2013. Things seemed to be going well for the former XXL Freshman, however some personal matters interfered with his career. Personally, Rashad is one of my favorite musicians ever.
There’d be way too much bias if I decided to make a review; so I’ve chosen to instead rank my personal Top 5 songs from “The House Is Burning”. As a disclaimer, I will add that this is a brand new album & my opinion is subject to change. I love every single song here & it was very difficult to chose a Top 5.
5. Chad (ft. YGTUT)
Zay is really a master at making laidback-southern trap bangers. Chad is another example of this, as the beat features some punchy trap drums over some beautiful guitar strums. This song is perfect for the car & Rashad’s delivery/flow/cadence compliments the chill aesthetic of the track. YGTUT also comes through with one of the best features on the album. As a fan, it’s great seeing these 2 work together again after so much time has passed.
“I just put a blades on a bulletproof Range, I could cripple Liu Kang, it's on-on”
4. Darkseid
While it wasn’t the intro we expected, I am not mad at all about Isaiah starting the album off with this one. The sample loop on this one is beautiful, and Zay’s flow on this is criminally smooth. It’s a great album setter, and touches on key subjects of the albums (as well as shedding some insight into his thoughts after returning from rehab). The track is titled after the famous DC villiain Darkseid; who he compares himself to with a very clever metaphor.
3. Hey Mista
This one was initially my favorite track from the whole album. The beat (mainly the sounds/melody) here is extremely trippy & intoxicating. Zay effortlessly flows over the instrumental like he’s floating through a dreamy oasis. According to him, the song itself is just “a big-ass joke” as he freestyled the entire record. My favorite thing about this song is the throwback to some Cilvia Demo-esque vocal deliveries (specifically his backing vocals).
2. THIB
This one was one of my most anticipated snippets from Isaiah’s recordings throughout the past few years. I give Isaiah a lot of respect for always showing love to southern legends/classics. He gives us an update on his life & touches more on his personal issues with substance abuse. The dry & monotone delivery works perfectly here, as his animated ad-libs compliments his vocals well. The 808s in this beat hit incredibly hard over the haunting & eery sample loop. It’s a title track that summarizes every track leading up to it.
1. Don’t Shoot
Finally, we have one of this album’s standout tracks. I think most Rashad fans can appreciate a song like “Don’t Shoot” due to its lyrics touching on mental health; something that isn’t new for Isaiah & is a large reason many love his music. It’s beautifully written in a way that it also speaks on police mistreatment/brutality towards black Americans (especially in the South of the country). His voice is a perfect match for this beat, and it was great hearing Ab-Soul’s vocal contributions (although I do wish he could’ve featured with a verse too).
“Can't blame your god”
“Sometimes you gotta maintain your side”
Overall:
As a huge Isaiah Rashad fan, I’m very proud of him & can genuinely say the album was worth the long wait. Overtime, I wouldn’t be surprised if it grew into becoming my favorite album of his. He delivered what the fans wanted, while also experimenting & enhancing his style. Again, it was very difficult to narrow things down to 5 songs; so feel free to comment your thoughts, opinions & lists below. Thank you all for reading, and listen to Isaiah Rashad’s new album linked below.
