Artist Spotlight: Isaiah Rashad

In February, a friend of mine showed me Isaiah Rashad's EP Cilvia Demo. Usually when I listen to mixtapes, I sample parts of each song and I can honestly say, especially of random rap artists, I'm not usually impressed. Typically I have to sit down and listen to the songs all the way through, allowing them to grow on me, before I can say I like them. However, Isaiah Rashad is the exception. I immediately liked the songs and couldn't help myself from listening to them full out. To give you an idea of how talented he is, he toured with big-name rappers including Juicy J, Joey Bada$$, and Smoke DZA on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour before he was even signed. That's an incredible feat.

Rashad hails from Chattanooga, Tenessee but is influenced by rappers from all over the map. When he was younger, he had ambitions of becoming a preacher until his stepbrother gave him a copy of Outkast's ATLiens in junior high. From then on, his sights were set on rapping.

He didn't start taking his rap career seriously until he was a sophomore in high school an began recording with his friends on their laptops. After high school, he went to Tennessee State University where a friend of his introduced him to another friend with a recording studio. As it turned out, the other friend happened to be Rashad's cousin, and he allowed Rashad to record for free. After a while, Rashad stopped going to school and started living wherever he could record.

His career began when he started making connections in the industry, some of which include Max Pete from Djbooth.net and Jeff Weiss, a writer for Rolling Stones. Once his music began circulating, he was offered a spot on the Smoker's Club Tour, and eventually record labels giving him attention, although he showed no interest in any.

In March 2013, he was introduced to Top Dawg, the CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, home of rappers like Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock (collectively Black Hippie). He secretly signed with the label that March, however neither he nor the record label announced it until September that year. Following the signing, Rashad moved to Los Angeles where he lived and recorded at the TDE Red Room Studio.

In October of 2013, Rashad performed alongside his label-mates at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards show. Despite the high pressure he was under, Rashad performed incredibly, gaining acclamation from XXL Magazine for his verse. Closing out 2013, HipHopDX named Rashad runner-up for their "Rising Star of the Year" award...pretty impressive for how little time he's been in the game!

Rashad released Cilvia Demo in January of 2014 as a free digital download. The EP debuted at number 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold about 8,500 during the first week of release. Currently Rashad is on an international tour with ScHoolboy Q promoting Q's third studio album Oxymoron. They play here in Dallas on Sunday at the Southside Ballroom with fellow rookie Vince Staples, and I am so excited to be going. I can't wait to watch all three artists perform, especially Isaiah Rashad.

Rick Ross Album Review

Rick Ross's sixth studio album, Mastermind, dropped today, and as someone who hasn't been a fan of Rick Ross since the song "Hustlin'," I can say I am thoroughly impressed. The album features collaborations with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Scarface, Z-Ro, Big Sean, The Weeknd, Future, Meek Mill, French Montana, and Jeezy. Many of the instrumentals are reminiscent of rap instrumentals in the early 2000s, sampling female ballads and incorporating a jazz-like symphony. Here are a couple of my favorites from the album.
 
This is probably my favorite track on the album. The song begins with some soulful vocals from Betty Wright, then Big Sean comes in with his hook over a piano instrumental that eventually gains a small bass line. Kanye goes in first and drops a hard verse that includes my favorite line "God sent me a message, said I'm too aggressive / Really? Me? Too aggressive?" which I find humorous due to his recent attack on a paparazzo. Rick Ross's verse is pretty good. He has some good lines like "Soldiers all in gators, new Mercedes for cadets / Balmain uniform, you know Donda designed the vest." Overall, the song is just catchy. I have a feeling it could be a radio song.
 
My next favorite song is "In Vein" featuring The Weeknd. The song sounds like some The Weeknd's older sounds, which I love. It pretty much is The Weeknd featuring Rick Ross, because he has the majority of the song. His haunting vocals sound great over the slow beat, and he delivers a catchy chorus. Rick Ross comes in hot at 2:19 with his flow. He proves his rapping talent by swapping out his typical grunts and elementary lyrics with some great lines.
 
My third favorite song is "Thug Cry" which features Lil Wayne and is the album's final track. The track samples Souls of Mischief's "93 'Til Infinity" for the beat. The song does the title justice; both Ross and Wayne have real lyrics that are kind of like ghetto poetry. It's a good song to listen to while relaxing or hanging out with a small group of friends. It will definitely make your head nod.