Isaiah Rashad — I Didn’t Plan A Five-Year Gap Between Albums

One of the most respected artists on the Top Dawg roster for more than a decade, Isaiah Rashad didn’t exactly plan for the five-year gaps between his albums. After 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade, a well-received debut, it took until 2021 for the Chattanooga rapper’s full-length return The House Is Burning. Fast-forward to 2026, and his IT’S BEEN AWFUL opener “THE NEW SUBLIME” appears all too ready to catch his fans up with what’s been happening.

Much like the album title, the slow-burning track sets a dour tone for his third album, a beautifully constructed audio document full of confessions and contemplations. As if mirroring his emotional state, the tempo soon rises for “M.O.M.”—short for “man on a mission”—and dips on the 808-laden single “SAME SH!T,” each focused on family ties and the intertwined imperative to hustle.

He explores flaws and failings along the way, the comedown on “HAPPY HOUR” as consequential as the preceding highs. Between the rehab stints mentioned on “AIN’T GIVIN’ UP” and the reflections of lust’s compound impact on “ACT NORMAL,” he’s not only been through a lot but he’s processing it.

Unlike The House Is Burning, which included a substantial number of features, Rashad limits the other voices here to a scarce few, admittedly in line with its highly personal nature. Among these are SZA, who tells it like it is on the deceptively peppy “BOY IN RED,” and Dominic Fike, who lends melodic support on the ethereal highlight “CAMERAS.”

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