Isaiah Rashad has a lot on his mind. I’m finally speaking with the Chattanooga rapper after months of planning our conversation, and he’s mentally preparing for two-a-day rehearsals ahead of his North American tour Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip (get tickets here). When we connect via Zoom in early August, Rashad is in full-on reflection mode.
“I’ve been learning to respect my previous selves more,” he says. “When I go and review some of the stuff I would say about myself, I’m like, ‘Damn, I used to really trash the past every time I got an opportunity to.’ I guess I have a better relationship with it now. I appreciate the previous layers of myself that I showed and everything. I’m more so motivated by the past more than anything.”
Reflecting on His Past
Rashad’s history is multi-layered. His debut collection of songs, 2014’s Cilvia Demo, was an urgent introduction to a youthful but grizzled Southern MC who was likely to combust if he didn’t get his bars off. By comparison, his latest album, It’s Been Awful, is still revelatory, but understated and measured in delivery. Songs like “Scared 2 Look Down,” one of our Best Songs of 2026 so far, feature a defenseless Isaiah Rashad serving at the altar of self-understanding. “When I was doing Cilvia, that felt like do or die,” Rashad ponders. “I guess this one didn’t feel like life or death. It’s more so, how do I wanna live?”
A New Approach
While the urgency of Cilvia Demo contributed to its status as a Southern classic, the restrained approach of It’s Been Awful lends itself to Rashad’s slow-paced march toward enlightenment. Despite years of growth, Isaiah Rashad doesn’t quite feel like a well-traveled adventurer surveying the land. “I’m not, like, standing at the mountaintop looking back on who I was with that type of perspective,” Rashad assesses. “I’m still figuring it out. I’m grateful for the lesson, though.”
According to Rashad, he used to feel like he had everything figured out. “The blind confidence got me to where I’m at, but I guess right now, the innocent curiosity I feel is what’ll lead me to my next good point in my life.”
Collaboration and Growth
The core difference between Rashad’s previous albums and It’s Been Awful comes down to access. “I can pick up a phone and be like, ‘Yo, I need this help with this, and help with that,’” he explains. “Where before we really had to find it. Like, damn near go to a music store and find somebody who plays type of shit back when we were really doing it. This time, it was just making calls to people.”
Rashad’s brother, musician Keem the Cipher, produced “a good portion of the album,” which sounds much more lively and instrument-based compared to Rashad’s previous efforts. “He lives with me,” Rashad says of his brother. “From early in the morning till we depart to go to sleep, we’re doing music all day. It started with just the idea of what direction I wanted to go in, and then he tried to fill in the gaps where he could.” Isaiah Rashad describes It’s Been Awful as “a big team effort all around.”
As far as the direction for the album, the artist says that living an unwieldy life started to get the best of him, which led him to re-focus on coming back home to himself. His previous album, 2021’s The House Is Burning, was an excellent outing, one that saw Rashad using grandiose ambitions to sidestep his trauma. Comparatively, Rashad cautiously, but intentionally, broaches the subjects of sexual fluidity, substance abuse, and addiction on It’s Been Awful, choosing to dive headfirst into the topics that have preoccupied him in recent years.
In conclusion, Isaiah Rashad’s latest album It’s Been Awful marks a significant shift in his approach to music and life. With a newfound appreciation for his past and a willingness to confront his struggles, Rashad is poised to continue his growth as an artist and a person. As he prepares to embark on his Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip tour, fans can expect a thoughtful and introspective performance from this talented and evolving artist.
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