Top Dawg’s Isaiah Rashad is one to watch with his debut, Cilvia Demo

theGRIO REPORT - Isaiah Rashad is Top Dawg Entertainment’s (TDE) latest signee and the first of the collective to release a solo project in 2014, entitled Cilvia Demo...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Chattanooga, Tennessee-born Isaiah Rashad is Top Dawg Entertainment’s (TDE) latest signee and the first of the collective to release a solo project in 2014, entitled Cilvia Demo.

He has a lot of weight on his shoulders, being a part of rap’s most revered crew of the moment, but does he deliver?

Newcomer Isaiah Rashad has a story to tell, and he does just that in his debut effort, Cilvia Demo.

Upon pressing play, your ears are drawn in to a sound that is far more mature than his 22 years, evoking the era of southern bounce, most closely related with the early offerings of Atlanta’s own, OutKast.

Lyrically, Cilvia is the tale of a young man through the perspective of his car during his hardest years, affectionately named Cilivia, documenting Rashad’s struggles of growing up without a father, being distracted by life’s vices, and becoming a young father himself.  His storytelling is honest, and at times, reminiscent of his label mate Kendrick Lamar, in the fact that he is not afraid to tell it how it is without seeking approval from the public.

Although marketed as an EP, Cilvia Demo, offers up 14 tracks of unadulterated Hip Hop, joined by TDE’s first lady SZA on numerous tracks, along with features from newcomers Jean Deaux and Michael Da Vinci. Black Hippy members Jay Rock and ScHoolboy Q join Rashad on the efforts final track “Shot You Down”, an at-times haunting song with energetic lyrical flows from all MCs. Stand out tracks include “R.I.P. Kevin Miller”, “Tranquilty”, and single, “Ronnie Drake”.

Andrea K Castillo is a freelance writer & blogger. 

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