Isaiah Rashad’s Comeback is Smoother Than Ever on “The House Is Burning”
“My partner knew I just came back, see, I been dead forreal”.
One of the first lines we hear from Isaiah Rashad on “Darkseid”, the intro to his most recent LP The House is Burning, after a lengthy 5 year absence since his debut album The Sun's Tirade. Those opening bars represent more than just a comeback to form but also a glimpse into what those 5 years were for Isaiah Rashad.
ESCAPISM
In Isaiah’s latest project The House is Burning, he shares his point-of-view of dealing with these struggles and how his vices became a crutch in dealing with his depression and the pressures of dealing with his new-found fame and life in L.A. Throughout the album, he touches on how alcohol and drugs were a form of escapism for him and that being numb was better than feeling anything at all.
On Claymore, we hear these thoughts as Isaiah croons over a smooth soulful instrumental albeit rapping about indulging in his vices; you can hear him fading as he raps, “Losin’ my, losin’ my, losin’ myself, I’m high”. His vice, alcohol, plays a huge part in Isaiah’s story as well and references to the bottle are scattered throughout the album. In his Fader interview, Isaiah reveals that during his 5 year hiatus he had also learned about the genetic component of addiction when realizing his father had been an alcoholic, his brother was an alcoholic and that he himself was now dealing with the same addiction.
His second single off the album Headshots, we hear him rap over a smooth flip of Piero Piccioni’s “It’s Possible” with the themes centred around dealing with loss and addiction to the bottle. Isaiah himself has stated that the song could be interpreted in multiple ways like losing somebody or losing yourself. “Who want a shot, wanna die? Lemme know, I got two on the hip and the knot, no diggity.The shots ain’t bringing my soldier back.”
The idea of loss in Isaiah’s mind isn’t as black and white with regards to life and death in the physical sense but the idea of ‘losing yourself’ is a reality as well and is another form of death to one’s self. It’s through that we see the numbness which Isaiah is talking about throughout the album - loss, escapism, and death because you don’t feel anything at all.
SOUTHERN SOUND
“Southside you ain’t got nothing to live for / So you ain’t got nothing to lose, but don’t shoot.”
Although THIB does document Isaiah’s tumultuous journey over the course of the 5 years he has been away, THIB does also showcase Isaiah’s bounce back and establishes his return with his flows and overall soundscape the album presents. While Isaiah has been known to make music that reflects those of late night drives, vibes and introspection, The House is Burning has moments where you can hear Isaiah having fun on the album.
In an update to his sound you can hear Isaiah adapting to the current sound of hip-hop while still staying true to himself. In ‘From the Garden’ we get to hear a braggadocious Isaiah go back and forth with Lil Uzi Vert on a soul sample accompanied by heavy 808s and claps. We also get the same type of feel from ‘Lay Wit Ya’, with Isaiah and Duke Deuce showing tribute to their Tennessee roots with laying verses on a reworked version of Three Six Mafia’s ‘Ridin In Da Chevy’.
Speaking of Three Six, The House is Burning is scattered with tributes and pieces that showcase Isaiah’s Southern roots, prominently with how Isaiah is able to blend the use of the Southern sound with the smooth and soulful style he is known for. A common technique often used in Memphis rap was sampling vocals repeatedly to create looping, lo-fi hooks. Isaiah uses this technique in ‘RIP Young’ sampling Project Pat’s ‘Cheese and Dope’ and also in ‘Wat U Sed’ with the chorus sampling ‘Bunny Hop’ by Da Entourage. He also pays homage to Pimp C in the song ‘Chad’ with the chorus also being an interpolation of his ‘Big Pimpin’ verse.
The soundscape on The House is Burning pulls from many sources of Southern rap, soul music, R&B and blends them together to create something special. From the R&B sounding ‘Score’ accompanied by SZA & 6LACK in which Isaiah is looking for his “Ride or Die”, to ‘9-3 Freestyle’ containing that Southern Bounce and a contrast in lyrical themes focused on hedonism, Isaiah’s versatility is on full display. His ability to move through the pockets of each track and his adaptation to each sound puts him in the upper echelon of rap.
Kenny Beats, who is credited on two songs on THIB, summed up Isaiah’s sound quite eloquently saying, “It’s intelligent and empathetic...but very car-ready and so quintessentially Southern. His music feels familiar and nostalgic, yet I can’t point to anything I know that sounds like it.”
The House is Burning contains many layers but at its core, it’s inspired by that Southern soundscape while displaying his lyrical and melodic prowess. Diving into themes about his absence and vices while contrasting them to his bounce back, the album title is fitting - to quote Isaiah himself “it's like a scenario that you either can lay down with the flames or die from trying to hold on to material things and shit like that, or you can get out in a timely manner. And if it all burns down, you still going to try to figure it out, right?”
Listen to Isaiah Rashad’s The House is Burning below: