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When I first caught wind of the signing of Isaiah Rashad to TDE, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew very little of the emcee to begin with. Also, I wondered how he would fit into a league of extraordinary emcees (Black Hippy). Yet, I knew there was a qualified reason for adding him to the label. So, I had to await Isaiah Rashad’s proper introduction to the world.

 

He did have a few singles that dropped before Cilvia Demo came out. Those all made sense of the potential that Isaiah had to offer. But after listening to Cilvia Demo, it all makes sense now.

 

Isaiah Rashad is a natural addition to the TDE roster due to his unique take on urban angst, southern hospitality, and musicianship.

 

Throughout the album, Isaiah Rashad takes on different lyrical approaches to reach the masses. “Banana” brings a rapid fire flow that allows him to detail his life filled with familial drug dealing ties, living in the hood, and trying to make the most of his situations. On tracks like “RIP Kevin Miller”, “Webbie Flow (U Like)” and “Brad Jordan” notes his penchant for doing dedication songs with matching cadences, flows, and even subject matter. With a track like “Soliloquy”, you get a sense of his lyrical dexterity with lines like “smoking bouquet, cop it from my ni–as pushing daisies like a romance/push a ni–as buttons like a program”. So, Isaiah Rashad’s method depends on the song and the feel of the track.

 

The production on this composition matches the feel that Isaiah was going for: music to kick it and ingest with a thinking man’s mind and a listener’s ear. The tracks are rarely loud and extremely bass-heavy. They are mostly mellow, smooth, and jazzy. While this is something to be “expected” from a TDE release, it may “throw people off” due to Isaiah’s subject matter. But, it all works because everything flows together seamlessly.

 

Beautifully produced with a wordplay that always alters but never gets boring, Isaiah Rashad fits right into the TDE bottom line with Cilvia Demo. He is lyrical enough for the purists and hood enough for the street. Also, he is original enough to be appreciated as a whole. Although his album/mixtape may not be a classic, it is damn good. It is safe to say that TDE, and Isaiah Rashad himself, will only keep winning in 2014.

 

http://www.stacksmag.net/2014/01/music-review-kenyon-dixon-higher-ground-ep.html

 

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