Audiopagitica

Artist: Isaiah Rashad Album: Cilvia Demo

Genre: Hip-Hop/ Rap

Date: February 2, 2012

Background: The latest member of the recently dominating, hip-hop conglomerate Top Dawg Entertainment is the Tennessee born Isaiah Rashad McClain, known as Isaiah Rashad. Throughout 2012, Rashad garnered buzz when he toured with Joey Bada$$ and Juicy J on the Smokers Club Tour. After he was officially signed by TDE, public attention was sparked for Rashad with his BET Cypher during the 2013 BET Awards. Shortly after, Rashad announced the Cilvia Demo would be an EP and his first official release. In 2013, the film Fruitvale Station was released attempting to chronicle the last day of Oscar Grant after he was shot in Oakland, California. The film put humanity to an overlooked news event by showing a complex character who tries to resolve his issues in an otherwise harsh environment. The same can be said for what Rashad attempts on Cilvia Demo. Rashad tries to dip his artistic brush into a variety of styles and paint himself as unique among the other TDE powerhouses. But the reoccurring problems that occur on Cilvia Demo when Rashad does this is that he is either not as talented with what hes saying as his fellow rappers or they have more believability than he does. Rashad cannot come off as a druggie intellectual when people like Schoolboy Q appear on the album, or he cannot come off as deprived from street life when Jay Rock does it better. But this doesnt diminish the verbal ability and technical flow Rashad possess and utilizes often on Cilvia Demo. Consistently, Rashad delivers above average rhymes without treading

new ground flow wise. And his awareness to his skill just adds in the power of his words when he slyly shouts Fuck your mosh pit, Im on my shit/ On that Tribe shit, got that Phife Dawg/ I might bite bitch. Eventually though, his technical ability only does so much, and I found myself wanting and looking for more depth in what he was saying, but I didnt find any. His stories and musings rarely amount to anything that captures or holds my attention. There are occasions when Rashad raps about his childhood or his father, but they get overshadowed when he flexes his muscle describing ethical and moral issues or the current status of his life. While he isnt the best at this or thinks revolutionarily, Rashad does it in a way that adds a sense of rawness and reality to the issue instead of standing idly on it. But because nothing new is conceived on this project, Rashads flaws can be embellished and add a bitter taste to an otherwise decent song. On Heavenly Father, the third verse opens up to a monotone Rashad consciously discussing his position in life when he drops a puerile line that stops the flow dead and bitterly wrecks the song: These bitches aint shit and pussy is my greatest vice/ I love smoking weed, I hate advice. While it doesnt happen often enough to warrant a claim against Rashads ability, it does debase the end product. But it can be rectified when the dour and realistic Rashad blasts out with passion and profligacy and reverts back to a primal state of rap where he uses all his energy to get his point across. This is exemplified well on tracks like Banana and Shot You Down where the cracks are shown and Rashad shouts as if he has nothing to lose. One of the best aspects of Cilvia Demo is how well the album melds together. Each song flows into the next and a cohesive experience is aided when each song serves a purpose then moves forward. The adrenaline rush from tracks like Soliloquy is matched with a serene flow to ease the transitions and not cause the album to be bloated with ambition. Tranquility is the best example of a song easing the wind out of the album and building up steam for the next songs. While this works in Rashads favor, it comes at a price, specifically in the extent of how the production for each song is. Rashads production exists. There is not much else to say about it. Nothing experimental, even for TDE standards, pop out or take the listener by storm and blow them back. It would be hard to distinguish the production between Rashad, Schoolboy Q, Action Bronson, and other cloud rap produced albums. Initially this style of production provided a plush and palatial atmosphere that was unique and worked well, but for Cilvia Demo, it was toned down to highlight the magnitude of the lyrics, but when they falter, the song collapses inward. This is not meant to say that it is wholly bad, but nothing is impressive enough to mention. Similarly, the hook on every song is simplified with either Rashad singing or fellow TDE up-and-comer SZA singing, but never establishing dominance. When they fail to resonate, the song ends up tedious and

stale. This mistake rears its blas face most apparently on West Savannah, a three minute, repetitive song that leads to nothing happening to no one. When placed alongside other rappers from this new era of colorful rap characters, he seems boring, but Rashad shows true potential as a lyricist if the right production could be matched. His niche comes with his awareness. When he acknowledges his counterparts and his comparisons to them, when he acknowledges the struggle of living and trying to be politically correct, and when he eventually indulges in toxic behavior is where I find Isaiah Rashad the most fascinating. Hopefully a more thought out and built up album will aid in the technical power that Rashad already possess.

BEST TRACKS: Webbie Flow (U Like), Ronnie Drake feat. SZA, Soliloquy, Tranquility, Banana, Shot You Down WORST TRACKS: R.I.P. Kevin Miller, West Savannah feat. SZA, Heavenly Father

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