Isaiah Rashad - The House Is Burning (Discussion Thread)

[Professor K.]

Being real, can you tell me what I'm missing? I'm asking for real, not being a dikk. Because what I'm hearing is an artist who has had substance abuse issues and his output has suffered because of it.

He's not the same rapper he was, and it's not because of age, maturity or growth. He's not even really mumbling, he's slurring.

Listen to Chad and tell me that YGTUT doesn't have the clarity over that beat that Rashad used to have on songs.

it's undeniable that the substance abuse has changed his artistry, but it's more from creative liberty than him being incapable of rapping how he used to. He comes through clearly on a bunch of songs too, like 9-3 Freestyle and the 1st half of HB2U.

He's taking the same steps basically every mainstream/underground MC has over the last generation and half and started "vocalizing" more. Him slur-crooning is no different than the singing than Kendrick or Cole, except Kendrick's was more Wayne-influenced, Cole's was more Ye-influenced, while Zay's is more styled after underground Tennessee/Houston mixtapes with a bit of Future sprinkled in.

Lyrically, again, he's doing what most have done, transitioning from "let me get these bars off" new nikka to a "Ima just talk my shyt" vet. Thing is, Zay's always been cryptic. As hard as he was spittin on CD, half those bars were weird/didn't make sense either. He's always been like
that, but the step back from being bar-focused coupled with the choices he's making sonically makes it even more pronounced.

My point is that the sound on this album is intentional. It's a natural progression from his first 2 projects. All the slurring and stream of consciousness raps are not just the drugs, it serves a purpose artistically. This is the music he wants to make. To give a basketball
analogy, he's kinda more Paul George(broke his leg and healed up, but would still rather shoot 3s now) than Derrick Rose(hurt his knee and can't do what he once did, even though he wants to).

Now if you or anybody else doesn't like the project, that's perfectly fine. I'm not gonna act like this is the greatest album ever. There's a couple joints that are just ok like on all of his projects. But any frustration or disappointment stems from misunderstanding what Zay was going for and disagreements with his artistic liberties, not from him "falling off" or being ruined by the drugs.

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

i called it weeks ago. people kept saying headshots was "cilvia vibezzzzz", then zay said in a interview that he mixed it up a bit = people wouldn't get it.
nostalgia is a mfer, it will have people cheating themselves for no reason
this is like crasH talk all over again

That's crazy cause that's exactly the album I was comparing it to the other day. This is pretty much zay's crash talk. He obviously wanted to make this album accessible to everybody. So it only makes sense that some people will be disappointed. I just wish he was straight up rappin more. Cause he can really spit some profound shyt when he opens up. This is more him just vibing and doing bridges and hooks. Which is still dope. But it's the reason I got it behind ST.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if he drops another tape soon for his day 1 crowd. I know he's got a shytload of underground bangers in the stash. We need a lost tapes type album from Isaiah.

 

[Peter Popoff]

Album fire through and through. The shyt with SZA and 6LACK stay on repeat. 5/5.

 

[MichaelWhite]

Album is incredible. The first time I listened to Sun’s Tirade, I sat on my porch with headphones on, burned one, and listened while I read the lyrics. Half way through I thought “this dude isn’t saying s**t - he’s rhyming just to rhyme”. Once I stopped paying such close attention to the lyrics and just immersed myself in the music, it became a different experience. That became my favorite album of that year.

That being said, I knew what to expect going into this one, and Zay did not disappoint. People talking about Zay getting outshined by every feature are missing the point IMO. Take him off the track and ask yourself how the song would be. He’s the foil. He provides the soundscape and the template for other artists to shine on, which provides a great dynamic - to me. I’ve never wanted to hear Isaiah go bar for bar with anybody. It’s not what I check his music for. He makes the music for the vibers, and this album is pure vibes.

AOTY for me, with Vince Staples being the side B to that.

 

[Peter Popoff]

Cilvia >> Tirade >>>>> House is Burning

House is burning>>> Cilvia>>> Tirade.

 

[Lootpack]

Pour one out for Fears not making the cut

Maybe it’ll drop on the deluxe

 

[Piff Perkins]

Being real, can you tell me what I'm missing? I'm asking for real, not being a dikk. Because what I'm hearing is an artist who has had substance abuse issues and his output has suffered because of it.

He's not the same rapper he was, and it's not because of age, maturity or growth. He's not even really mumbling, he's slurring.

Listen to Chad and tell me that YGTUT doesn't have the clarity over that beat that Rashad used to have on songs.

The fact that no one in the press is acknowledging this is kinda troubling. Same with the last album. The track with SZA...he's done so many dope tracks with her where his singing is "dirty south" and mumbled a bit but clear perfectly clear. I like the track btw, it would just simply be better if he didn't sound faded out. Then SZA comes in and her vocals and singing are so clear...

I'm warming up to the album, it's better than the last one to me...but still. I don't think this is simply a new artistic direction, this is simply how he sounds when high. Is it just weed? I hope so.

 

[bourgeoisie tall freak]

That's crazy cause that's exactly the album I was comparing it to the other day. This is pretty much zay's crash talk. He obviously wanted to make this album accessible to everybody. So it only makes sense that some people will be disappointed. I just wish he was straight up rappin more. Cause he can really spit some profound shyt when he opens up. This is more him just vibing and doing bridges and hooks. Which is still dope. But it's the reason I got it behind ST.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if he drops another tape soon for his day 1 crowd. I know he's got a shytload of underground bangers in the stash. We need a lost tapes type album from Isaiah.

i just a fan of music so i try to take it in that way. i get it we are on a forum so people tend to go all nerdy deep dive into it especially with comparing former projects.
but yeah anything from zay is welcome!

 

[Izanami]

it's undeniable that the substance abuse has changed his artistry, but it's more from creative liberty than him being incapable of rapping how he used to. He comes through clearly on a bunch of songs too, like 9-3 Freestyle and the 1st half of HB2U.

He's taking the same steps basically every mainstream/underground MC has over the last generation and half and started "vocalizing" more. Him slur-crooning is no different than the singing than Kendrick or Cole, except Kendrick's was more Wayne-influenced, Cole's was more Ye-influenced, while Zay's is more styled after underground Tennessee/Houston mixtapes with a bit of Future sprinkled in.

Lyrically, again, he's doing what most have done, transitioning from "let me get these bars off" new nikka to a "Ima just talk my shyt" vet. Thing is, Zay's always been cryptic. As hard as he was spittin on CD, half those bars were weird/didn't make sense either. He's always been like
that, but the step back from being bar-focused coupled with the choices he's making sonically makes it even more pronounced.

My point is that the sound on this album is intentional. It's a natural progression from his first 2 projects. All the slurring and stream of consciousness raps are not just the drugs, it serves a purpose artistically. This is the music he wants to make. To give a basketball
analogy, he's kinda more Paul George(broke his leg and healed up, but would still rather shoot 3s now) than Derrick Rose(hurt his knee and can't do what he once did, even though he wants to).

Now if you or anybody else doesn't like the project, that's perfectly fine. I'm not gonna act like this is the greatest album ever. There's a couple joints that are just ok like on all of his projects. But any frustration or disappointment stems from misunderstanding what Zay was going for and disagreements with his artistic liberties, not from him "falling off" or being ruined by the drugs.

Great insight and perspective. I agree with this for the most part.

 

[reserved_one]

After sitting with it for a full day, I’ll definitely say it lived up to the hype and it wasn’t a disappointed.

There’s the Cilvia Demo nikkas that prefer his more lyrical/direct to the point style. There’s the Sun’s Tirade nikkas that prefers the more vibey, mellow, psychedelic style Zay does.

I happen to fall directly in the middle but I enjoy the more vibey stuff from Zay a little more and I hope this album is gonna help him become more recognized and appreciated. I think he took both of those styles n meshed it together well while also adding new elements.

The sequencing on the album is good. Lay Wit Ya sounds good within the flow of the album and I can see a huge festival crowd going crazy when that drops and he has other joints that’s great for that setting too.

Zay tried to cover all bases and he did it successfully. The last song HB2U is probably one of the best closers I’ve heard a long time so it started good and ended well.

I do think it’s great or wack? Nah I think it’s a good album that can potentially become a great one if times goes on…it depends.

 

[Professor K.]

I'm on my 5th playthrough now, listening in some good headphones, and I'm starting to make more sense of his lyrics. This nikka is snappin something serious, it's just so abstract and obscured by the sound and structure of the record that it doesn't come across like you expect it to. It's like he's rapping poems, in a very literal sense.

 

[Urbanmiracle]

Thoroughly enjoyed this project. Rashad is my favorite from the TDE roster. His beat selection is dope, his mix of straight bars and crooning is nice. From the first song I knew it was gonna fire. As a producer myself, I took that sample from Darkseid and did my own spin on it. Had to. That shyt was fire. His rapping is still on par for me. My other fav cuts

All Herb
Score
Hey Mista
RIP Young
Chad


All dope. I hope he’s getting the help he needs to stay sober and keep pumping out music. This is my second favorite project of the year behind the Mach Hommy joint. May switch depending on what Nas and hit boy got cooking. But top 5 release for me this year

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

Lol off a few listens it’s on par with suns tirade at worst.

Personally I feel this doesn't have the highs of suns tirade. But it also doesn't have the lows. There's nothing skippable on here. But there's also not a track that made me feel the holy ghost like stuck in the mud and wats wrong. Or 4 da Squaw and Free lunch. Actually headshots made me feel that way. That's a certified Zay classic.

But mostly the album is a collection of really good songs that you can just chill and vibe to. Nothing that's really gonna make you think about life and stimulate the mind like "Brenda" or "park"....or "bday"....that's why I don't understand why people hate so much on zay's rapping on ST. Dude had some truly great verses on that album. THIB is a whole vibe that can be played all the way through but it doesn't have the same substance as sun's tirade for me. Which makes sense cause Zay poured his soul out on that album.

He even said he didn't wanna make an album that was gonna make people sad. He just wanted to make some shyt for people to enjoy. And he succeeded. It's just another notch in his belt. We gotta accept this project for what it is. He's newly sober and prolly didn't wanna focus on his depression anymore. I'm sure we're gonna get more classic Zay in future releases. Feel like he's just going through the natural progression of an artist.

 

[Chip Skylark]

….

 

[steadyrighteous]

The fact that no one in the press is acknowledging this is kinda troubling. Same with the last album. The track with SZA...he's done so many dope tracks with her where his singing is "dirty south" and mumbled a bit but clear perfectly clear. I like the track btw, it would just simply be better if he didn't sound faded out. Then SZA comes in and her vocals and singing are so clear...

I'm warming up to the album, it's better than the last one to me...but still. I don't think this is simply a new artistic direction, this is simply how he sounds when high. Is it just weed? I hope so.

Let's just call it an 'artistic choice' until it's too late