Isaiah Rashad - West Savannah (Ft. SZA)

Music 4 years ago

Isaiah Rashad - West Savannah (Ft. SZA)

When TDE unveiled Isaiah Rashad as their newest member in late 2013, the Chattanooga, TN native had yet to build up a much of a catalog, let alone a buzz.

Cilvia Demo, released just months later, was Isaiah’s first official project, but it was obvious Top Dawg Entertainment—a label known for carefully nurturing under-the-radar talent into long-term success stories—had found themselves another diamond in the rough.

Over crunchy Southern-fried soul, Zaywop delivered smooth flows and introspective rhymes that wrestled with issues like suicide (“Heavenly Father”), addiction (“Cilvia Demo”) and falling in and out of love (“West Savannah”)—most, if not all, of which can be traced back to his father’s alcohol-fueled absence.

Cilvia Demo is a deeply personal and perfectly crumpled self-portrait of a 20-something rapper recognizing his father’s flaws in his own behavior while striving to be a better man for his own son. Somewhere in the nexus, Isaiah Rashad scored the soundtrack for anyone who’s been stressing for a blessing