Isaiah Rashad

Since emerging in the mid-2010s with the release of Cilvia Demo in 2014, Isaiah Rashad has ranked among rap’s most introspective and inventive voices. The Top Dawg Entertainment artist first reached the Billboard 200’s upper tier when his proper debut, The Sun’s Tirade, landed inside the Top 20 in 2016. After issuing the 2020 single “Why Worry,” he returned with his follow-up LP, The House Is Burning, in 2021.

Born Isaiah Rashad McClain in Chattanooga, he once considered entering the ministry until his stepbrother’s copy of OutKast’s ATLiens redirected his path. He soon devoted himself so fully to writing and recording that he abandoned his coursework at Middle Tennessee State. His profile rose sharply in 2012 after joining Juicy J on the Smoker's Club Tour, and the following year he signed with Top Dawg Entertainment alongside Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul. The label issued Cilvia Demo in January 2014; the project debuted at number 40 on the Billboard 200 and earned Rashad a spot in XXL’s annual Freshman Class.

He shaped The Sun’s Tirade amid a stretch of personal and professional difficulties; the album surfaced in September 2016 and peaked at number 17. While contributing to tracks led by TDE associates such as SZA and Jay Rock, as well as Benny Cassette and Childish Major, Rashad maintained a steady stream of guest appearances between projects. Still aligned with the label, he delivered “Why Worry” in 2020—his first new single in four years. The House Is Burning followed in July 2021, its lead track “Lay wit Ya” featuring a guest verse from Duke Deuce.