Top Dawg Entertainment rapper and Kendrick Lamar labelmate Isaiah Rashad is back with his first single of the year, ‘Lay Wit Ya’.
Memphis crunk rapper Duke Deuce features on the new song, which is the latest from the Tennessee MC’s next record ‘The House Is Burning’. The album is reportedly dropping in June, according to a new feature by the Fader.
The single and its accompanying music video were teased by Top Dawg in late April, which led fans to speculate that a new Kendrick Lamar album was on its way.
The video, directed by Omar Jones, includes an additional closing verse not found in the single release. The carefree adventure shows Rashad and Deuce leading an underground party, with shots of Rashad driving a decked-out black SUV with an entourage of women. Watch it below.
‘Lay Wit Ya’ marks a stylistic shift for the rapper, who belongs to the reputed Top Dawg Entertainment roster alongside Lamar, SZA, and Schoolboy Q. With flickering hi-hats and domineering sub-frequencies, Rashad flaunts a harder-edged flow on the verses and a ghostly drawl on the hook. The song also samples Three 6 Mafia’s ‘Ridin ‘n tha Chevy’ while Rashad makes references to Gucci Mane and Star Trek.
‘The House is Burning’ will be Isaiah Rashad’s first full-length effort since 2016’s ‘The Sun’s Tirade’. In the Fader cover story published May 6, the rapper opened up on the difficult years that led to ‘The House is Burning’, in which he grappled with alcohol dependency, writer’s block, and depleting finances. Ultimately, Rashad retreated to a detox facility that helped restore some perspective.
Talking about the album, Rashad saod, “I just wanted this shit to sound fun. If I’m sad, people don’t need to be able to tell. And this is probably my most depressing album.”
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