Isaiah Rashad: The House Is Burning

Isaiah Rashad released his third album, The House Is Burning, on July 30, 2021. Lil Uzi Vert, Smino, Jay Rock, and more appear across the 16 tracks.

With these reviews, I can’t skip, rewind, replay, or stop the music once I start. I got to play the entire album, straight through, and give my immediate reactions. At the end of each song, I’ll decide if I’d replay it or if I’m ready for the NEXT track.

IsAIAH RASHAD - “The House is burning”

1) “Darkseid”

I love the sound of the tape being inserted. Loving this loop. “Darkseid” isn’t in a rush. “What am I supposed to do outside but get rich?” is an iconic way to start. Especially during COVID. If you are outside and not getting money, what are you doing?

Isaiah raps the way a cool older cousin talks. Pseudo-philosophical but also matter-of-fact. “If I was you, I’d be dead” is a blunt, but relatable thought.

Funny how he mentions being back from the dead right after. This song is a resurrection. Reminds me of Lupe Fiasco’s “The Cool.”

Thinking of resurrection, Isaiah’s career feels like a story out of the bible. He’s like hip hop’s King David. No matter how much he messes up, God still loves him.

“Darkseid” sounds like a rapper who literally came back from the other side. Somehow alive. Given a second chance to take care of my kids doing music. He says this in a poetic way. His voice is almost a whisper but still so pronounced.

A weird way to start, but a keeper.

2) “From The Garden” ft. Lil Uzi Vert

Pristine production. “From The Garden” sounds like a new god being born. This is is Isaiah at his most energized. He’s like an automatic weapon shooting from all angles.

“Spare me the lie, just hold it down, all I require, just hold it down.”

I don’t know who mixed the album, but they did a great job making the beats feel full. There’s a liveliness here that isn’t hollow. It’s warm and thumping.

Lil Uzi sounds great. I don’t know if he’s a good person, but Uzi is a good rapper. He’s as if Lil Wayne and Future fused into a little martian of madness. An imp. Evil, unpure, and yet, captivating.

Isaiah’s second verse is good. He raps like rapping is a day job. This is a rapper at work and he wants a raise.

I’d be lying if I said I know what this song is about, but I wouldn’t skip it. Love the interlude at the end.

3) “RIP Young”

Oh my god, yes, this is good. “RIP Young” was set up impeccably. Great sequencing makes good songs even better. He gets bonus points for the Project Pat sample.

“RIP Young” is like watching an incredible crossover. Isaiah raps like he wants to break your ankles with grace. He’s an ice skater. No, a skateboarder. No, a longboard rider. He is whatever embodies smooth motion.

I like how he has this Westcoast Southern bounce. It’s a combination of those two regions. His beats are so good they overshadow some of his writing. He puts you so in the vibe you don’t always catch the bars, but he has them.

No one writes songs like this. I think it’s because he never makes rap scientific. He makes it literary. Poetic. Abstract.

An impeccable skit at the end. Keeper.

4) “Lay Wit Ya” ft. Duke Deuce

Whoever decided to put “Lay Wit Ya” after “RIP Young” was in their bag that day. This is how you sequence an album. Hollywood Cole has the best tag out. He has an ear for bangers.

Both “Lay Wit Ya” and Childish Major’s “Disrespectful” should be on playlist together. Cole produced both, both samples Three 6 Mafia, and both hit you like a brass knuckle uppercut.

Isaiah’s slur is impeccable. The way he pronounces words is its own texture while retaining catchy melodies. He makes you want to repeat after him.

“Lay Wit Ya” sounds like a ritual, and Duke Deuce is the god being summoned. His energy is contagious. It leaps on you. Duke spazzes.

This is southern rap. Real down south swagger. Hollywood Cole has the sound of the southern future. If you are from the south and don’t have a Cole beat, you tripping. Him and OG Parker.

Keeper.

5) “Claymore” ft. Smino

I spoke too soon. I do not like this choice in sequencing. The album slows down all of a sudden. I just heard a god get summoned and all that energy is suddenly stripped away.

The transition into “Claymore” is my first real gripe with the album. I like the song, it’s just in a weird place.

It’s a skip for me. A good song, poor placement. Great beat, too. I’d like it outside of sequencing. Smino sounds great. Once he starts rapping, “Claymore” feels more like a Smino song featuring Isaiah Rashad and not the other way around.

I like what the song accomplishes, but not the setting of said accomplishment.

6) “Headshots (4r Da Locals)”

Why couldn’t “Headshots (4r Da Locals)” came after “Lay Wit Ya?” Do you hear that bounce? The Hollywood Cole beats should’ve come back to back. They set Isaiah up for failure.

“Headshots (4r Da Locals)” is old-school pimpin. Gator boots and Cadillac music. This is the kind of song that get you signed to Cash Money.

“Headshots (4r Da Locals)” is Isaiah being the vibe. He finds these pockets and puts on the charm. It’s laidback, cool as Big Boi from Outkast, but not so chill that the music falls into the background.

He’s able to cut through, but it’s also sneaky the way he raps. His style is subtle but engaging.

Change is a huge theme in rap right now. This is a very transformative age that benefits transformative rappers.

Keeper.

7) “All Herb” ft. Amindi

This sounds cool. “Made a nigga perfect for his next hoe” is a wild thing to hear in a hook. It’s good writing.

This is where the album’s tempo gets strange. Everything was hard-hitting and then the atmosphere changes. It’s slower, more lucid, far more meditative.

I like the drums, I like the performance, but the tone is so downtempo. It’s physically slower than the previous record.

Isaiah doesn’t make bad songs, and that’s why sequencing is so important for an artist like him. Got to set his songs up for success.

“All Herb” makes sense to come after “Claymore.” Good song, but it’s a skip.

8) “Hey Mista”

Here we go. This “Hey Mista” beat is impeccable. Back to the old-school pimpin. Kudos to Kal Banx for the down south pimpin. Isaiah is great on beats like this. The money counter texture is an amazing sound.

An incredible song that would’ve been even better after “Headshots (4r Da Locals).”

Unbeatable bounce with good writing. Big keeper.

9) “True Story”

Loving the production. Good beat choice. Great drums, great tempo. Feels like a Jazzy Pha beat. I like how Isaiah’s raps are laid back but he picks beats that have motion. More motion and movement than his delivery at times.

It works, though. There’s always progression. Isaiah’s best songs don’t drag. He has a great relationship with urgency.

We’re in good hook territory. Not mad at it. Jay Rock verse comes second. His vocals sound like they have been stripped of all the rough and gruff he usually has.

It’s Jay Rock, sure, but he doesn’t sound mean. He sounds rich. It’s a great verse. He slid something serious. He has a Jadakiss-like consistency. He’ll age well culturally.

Jay Rock, Jadakiss, and Boldy James are three rap veterans you can count on to show up on a verse.

I see you Jay Worthy. Did his thing to close out. I’m going to keep it.

For the record, I have no idea what this album is about, but I like it.

10) “Wat U Sed” ft. Iamdoechii & Kal Banx

The production feels like something Wiz Khalifa would’ve rapped over during the making of Kush and Orange Juice. It’s very floaty.

Isaiah’s voice sounds lighter here. He’s a cloud.

“Fuck what a nigga do, reach for some inner peace,” is a mantra.

Another great song. It’s simply easy on the ear without ever being boring.

Doechii did not come to play. This is a Doja Cat-tier verse. I would like to hear more.

11) “Don’t Shoot”

I like this. It’s enthralling. A different vibe from “Wat U Sed” but it has character. Might be one of my favorites. The flow, the pocket, it just works with the way he writes. Makes me want to hear Isaiah over some Cardo Got Wings production.

“You was lookin' to a light

And I was lookin' for a lighter

I was fuckin' with the fire in the worst way”

Easily some of his best writing. “Don’t Shoot” might be the centerpiece of the album. I’ll have to think about that. Keeper.

12) “Chad”

Initially, I slept on “Chad,” but it might be the one. The way the beat comes in, how he starts the verse, where the drums drop, it’s all just impeccably put together. Who produced it? Co-produced by Kal Banx. He is the MVP of the album and “Chad” might be his crowning achievement.

Tut is sliding. Everything works. Low-pressure fun. Would love to see this get pushed as a fourth or fifth single.

If I wasn't rapping, baby, I would still be ridin' Mercedes

Keeper.

The woman who isn’t worried about the gun is too brolic for me, lol. Great skits on this album.

13) “9-3 Freestyle”

The opening line, lol.

The beat is so hard. The House is Burning is rich with samples, energy, and perspective. Isaiah’s pimp raps are like hearing Detriot Red before he becomes Malcolm X.

Isaiah raps like a pirate. A polite pirate. He will rob you blind in the nicest way possible. That charisma will take him far.

Keeper.

14) “Score”

Kenny Beats knows what he’s doing. Great beat. Great transition. The last couple of sequence choices have been good. Smooth is the word of the album. Like being wrapped in a velvet robe or putting on a silk du-rag. It’s a relaxing kind of cool.

Isaiah is great at creating an atmosphere. A maker of moods. Love hearing SZA. She always adds something to a song. Even when she comes and goes so quickly.

You almost forget 6lack is on the song, and then boom, he arrives. Wearing velvet slippers. He’s just floating. So chill. Focused but not forcing. It’s a good performance.

Great to hear a song this good at the back of the album.

15) “THIB”

Love the Dungeon Family interpolation.

“Who's that fucking with my conscience?” is how I feel all the time. The “No Hearts” flow is now iconic. Love all the southern nods on this album. It’s a southern family reunion, really. Like a party with all the ghosts of southern rap past.

“Don't tell Rashad he's a star on the low-low” might be the most significant line on the album. Because the album sounds like someone who is new to fame attempting to be quiet about their celebrity.

He doesn’t know what it means to have this status. It’s new. Which requires adjusting. This is some good stuff.

Beautiful transition. The slowdown beat switch is nice. Keeper. A must run-back.

16) “HB2U”

I love how Isaiah is always worried about going to heaven. It’s a theme throughout all his albums. Hip hop’s King David. The loop is MEAN.

“And Myrtle Bеach ain't vacation” just attacked my childhood. Myrtle Beach is a good time, on God. Just a good song. So good.

He said, “I want my payback.” Who is Isaiah Rashad seeking revenge against? That’s the question.

The House is Burning feels like acceptance. It’s Isaiah say, I am going to do this. I am here to stay for anyone who thought otherwise.

He is rapping rapping. A rapper’s rapper with a poet’s heart and an addict’s mind.

This guy is easy to root for. He just sounds like a man who has been through it but chose to never give it. It’s like that Nipsey Hussle quote:

“I just didn’t quit. That’s the only distinguishing quality.”

Just when I thought the album was over, an unexpected beat switch. This sounds like The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band vibes. It’s also giving Kid Cudi. This is brilliant. If you were waiting for the genius of Isaiah Rashad it comes at the very end.

Beautiful writing, impeccable production, but most importantly, it’s his voice. So rich with life. You would listen to him give sermons in any church on any given Sunday. He is gifted with the ability to make sin into scripture. Able to make any word or phrase stick and he chooses to say:

“This ain't the time of my life, but I'm still on drugs.”

Isaiah Rashad, my type of preacher.

Final Tally: 2 Skips.