THE HOUSE IS BURNING X ISAIAH RASHAD

And we are back with another official review! As promised, the below are our metrics for our reviews. To see our previous review of GHOSTING X STYLES P, click here.

 

FEEL- What type of feelings does the music evoke? What does it make you want to do?

LYRICS- Are there bars?

PRODUCTION- Does the artist ride the beats? Does their cadence match the production? Does the production fit well with the project?

OVERALL- How many tracks do we like compared to the number of tracks on the project?

 

Feel free to use the above for your own reference as you go through the music and let us know what you think! 

 

THE HOUSE IS BURNING X ISAIAH RASHAD

Release Date: 7.30.21

Number of Tracks: 16

Duration: 48 MIN

Favorite Track: RIP YOUNG

Rotation Tracks: 8/16

 

The year was 2013 and the arms race for label signings was nearing an end. New to the forefront of the rapper lead labels were Kendrick Lamar’s Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and Asap Rocky’s ASAP MOB. Asap was where it needed to be with Ferg and Twelevey. And TDE was on the way with Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q, but had one more signing in the mix. When the Cilvia Demo dropped in 2014, Isaiah Rashad was projected to be the future when it was announced he was up next at TDE. I, of course ignored the hype, as that is not how I go about my music selections.

 

And then the year 2016 arrived in which I lost my Grandfather. Dealing with all that was difficult, and I had to force my mind to wander elsewhere. I remembered my cousin hyping the Cilvia Demo in the years prior, and I had not given Isaiah a chance still. Isaiah had just dropped The Sun’s Tirade, which featured the single Wat’s Wrong which I happened to stumble upon on my way to my Grandfather’s funeral. I have lectured on the power of music before, and this time was no exception. With the song on repeat, I was effectively able to fight back the tears.

 

In 2021 Wat’s Wrong is still in heavy rotation, but TDE fans had not heard from Rashad since 2016. That changed on July 30^th, as he released his latest album, The House Is Burning.

 

Let’s get into it.

 

Feel

The House Is Burning is extremely melodic, with very few sounds or actions out of place. As a cohesive project, it has one of the best sounds I have heard in a long time. I do feel however, that the tape works best as riding music, or just something to have on to catch a vibe. Because he tends to trend towards more conscious rap, The House Is Burning is not a complete departure from 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade, but the sound and the feel is completely different. This album just feels like a vibe.

 

Lyrics

While it can be broken down bar for bar, I do not believe it is necessary, because I do believe Isaiah passes the bar exam. And, keeping the feel in mind, his cadence is hardly ever deliberate, which is a complete departure from 2014’s Cilvia Demo. The House Is Burning feels like Zay has prioritized making good music over bars, but this choice works surprisingly well as a collective project. There a few features on the project with names like the afore mentioned Jay Rock, Lil Uzi Vert, and Jay Worhty, the latter of which takes the top spot for best feature. It is important to remember what I feel like Isaiah’s priorities were on this project, because while there are bars, there was nothing that stood out as the most memorable line on the project.

 

Production

A clear strength of the project, the production sets Zay up to ride the wave set by each beat, who in turn matches his cadence to ride each track. There are very few times we hear his regular rapping voice as a result. And because of the collective sound of The House Is Burning, this works very well, despite the fact that I was prepared to complain about it. The lure of such a melodic project is carried by the production on this album, combined with the corresponding tweaks to Zay’s flow.

 

Overall

The House Is Burning has one of the most cohesive sounds as a collective project I have heard in a very long time. TDE is well represented throughout the project, and it appears Zay’s 5 year hiatus was worth the wait. Outside of a few tracks here and there the album can and should be played all the way through, and is not limited by a length that is too short or too long. His flow is excellent and the production is timely and well placed, with the lone criticism that the same flow is not exactly the focus of the album.

 

If you haven’t given the TDE vet a spin, The House Is Burning is a great place to start, and is well recommended for your ongoing pandemic spins.

 

The album in a word: Great.

 

8.4.2021 – The Oracle