Just two years ago, the infamous Top Dawg Entertainment introduced us to the new additions to their already talented roster,SZA and Isaiah Rashad. With having such a successful run over the past few years, the big question would be whether another rapper and TDE’s first lady could capture their own shine as the newcomers of a record label that’s home to Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock. In Isaiah’s case, being the new kid on the block came with no regression as his debut project, Cilvia Demo, stood out as one of the better projects in 2014. But, since its release, the Tennessee native has been relatively quiet over the past year, although he’s made short appearances on his fellow labelmates’ albums (SZA, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock). On the bright side for huge fans of Isaiah Rashad (myself included), the wait for new music has finally come to an end and maybe the follow-up to Cilvia Demo will be in the mix by the end of the year.
The solo effort from Rashad, “Nelly,” may be viewed as an ode to the face of the St. Lunatics, but the content is possibly split into two different narratives. The crooning hook and certain pieces of verses where the care of being known for hit singles and radio spins instead of making a genuine impact is pretty low. It’s been obvious from his debut in 2014 that he wants to be a guy who simply makes music — music with a feeling. On the other end, he pitches the tale of a certain love interest which he hopes to connect with by the end of the song. Is it the conventional single by any means? No, but that’s the beauty of Isaiah Rashad as an artist. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing and hearing more from the TDE MC before 2015 closes out. Check out “Nelly” above and be ready to sing along and vibe out.
For updates on Isaiah Rashad’s next project, keep up with him here.
