Album ReviewREDEFINING RECORDSComment

The Sun's Tirade

Album ReviewREDEFINING RECORDSComment
The Sun's Tirade

IN A NUTSHELL:

Recommended for:

  • Fans of the smooth, relaxed hip hop

  • People looking for chill vibes

  • People who don't like heavy bangers

Average Rating: 7/10

Pros:

  • Relaxed, smooth beats

  • Calm delivery

  • Unique Flow

Cons:

  • Runs dry towards middle/end of album

  • Occasional sloppy delivery

 

The Sun's Tirade is the debut studio album by Tennessee-born hip hop recording artist Isaiah Rashad. It was released on September 2, 2016, and is his second release with Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from SiR, Zacari, Kendrick Lamar, Deacon Blues, Kari Faux, Syd tha Kyd, Hugh Augustine, Jay Rock and SZA.

Photo by: J.Ristaniemi

Photo by: J.Ristaniemi

Jacoby Maroney:

As he tells us in “Rosegold,” Isaiah “got the music for the vibers.”  The Top Dawg signee presents us with an album that’s filled with relaxed beats and calm delivery throughout the majority of The Sun’s Tirade.

The lyrics are the strongest factor of this album for me.  Rashad has been known to be a very personal lyricist from his previous releases, and this album is no exception.  Rashad’s lyrics give us a little window into his life, specifically his problems with money management, family issues, and his struggle with substance abuse.  We get a good idea how the last two years have been for Isaiah right off the bat with the first two tracks.  The first track “where u at?” is a phone call coming from Top Dawg co-president Dave Free sounding rather impatient towards Rashad’s absence over the past two years.  It ends with Free giving Isaiah a deadline of Friday to give him some music to work with.  This dialogue is referring to Rashad almost being dropped from Top Dawg three times due to his addiction to alcohol and Xanax.  “Where u at” goes right into “4 Da Squaw,” which is about Rashad realizing that he has responsibilities, such as being a father and being able to pay the bills, that he can’t dodge with drugs and alcohol.  I always respect an artist who is willing to be so candid about his or her personal life.

The instrumentals and production on this album are very laid back and relaxed.  People looking for bangers on this album will have great difficulty finding any.  However, just because there aren’t any instrumentals that are absolutely apeshit, doesn’t mean that there aren’t any that are good.  This album sounds like a mix of the ‘90s southern rap scene, which include artists like the Dungeon Family and Outkast, mixed with West Coast/G funk.  Two of the standouts on the album, “Wat’s Wrong” and “Free Lunch” are perfect examples of this.  The sound of this album makes sense considering Isaiah Rashad is a rapper from Tennessee who is on Top Dawg Entertainment, which is a record label with primarily West Coast rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and Jay Rock.

Speaking of Kendrick and Jay Rock, the list of features on The Sun’s Tirade include Kendrick, Jay Rock, SZA, Syd from The Internet, and several more.  As you should expect by now, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock absolutely crush it on their features and deliver two of the better verses on the album.  In fact, Kendrick provides my favorite verse on the whole album.  His verse on “Wat’s Wrong” is filled to the rim with creative forms of delivery, frantic flows, and a diverse range of rhyme schemes.  Basically, Kendrick does what he’s been doing for years now.

The main problem I have with this album is Rashad’s delivery in some of the songs.  In some songs, Isaiah delivers his verses in a very uninspired way, sometimes mumbling through them.  This makes songs like “Bday,” the second half of “Stuck in the Mud,” and “A Lot” rather forgettable.  It also makes some of the songs sound more like fillers than full thought-out songs.

Isaiah Rashad has returned with a solid album, and shows that he is taking steps back in the right direction.  Get The Sun’s Tirade ready, smoke a fat bowl, start the album, and vibe.

Favorite songs: “Wat’s Wrong,” “Free Lunch”

7.8/10

Photo by: Fela Raymond

Photo by: Fela Raymond

Mother:

This album was a roller coaster.

At first, I was thinking “hot damn”. The first few songs were bangers. The album had me. “4r Da Squaw” has a soothing feel with a unique flow. Pop hip hop is plagued with bland flow. However, this album is a break from it. Much of the lines come dripping out in a slower style with a good rhythm. Following, “4r Da Squaw”, the next few songs hit well too. “Free Lunch” offers some fascinating insight to the artist’s personal life. Even the song title is an allusion to a line in Kendrick’s “m.A.A.d. city”, which is about Kendrick’s upbringing. This is especially relevant because Kendrick worked with Isaiah on this album. He is even featured two songs past “Free Lunch” on “What’s Wrong”.

Ok, so you’re all with me. This album was well on track to be a mature, impressive, jazzy hip hop album. But remember, it was a roller coaster. The middle of this album was SO boring. It was jam packed with what my mom thinks rap music is. The tracks all contained obvious rap lyrical themes: hoes, money, and dominance. But, that wasn’t even the bad part. The features were pretty bad. Lazy flow, sloppy delivery, and dry backbeats all made me lose interest.

The reconciliation of this album is the last few songs. It brings you back to some good beats and energy. If you aren’t really a hip hop fan, but want to dip your toes in the water, check out the first third of this album. It has what you want. Other than that, I wouldn’t really waste your time.

Favorite Song: “4r Da Squaw”

5.7/10

Mergicfergers:

After hearing the the track “Wat’s Wrong” featuring an amazing performance by Kendrick and by Isaiah himself, I was excited to hear more. And then Jake Marino played some more tracks off this album on our way to a Death Grips concert and I became even more excited.

This album really hit home for me. The beats are smooth but upbeat and energetic. The production is tasteful and doesn’t go for that overpowering hype sound. Isaiah shows some real flow on this album. His lyrics are meaningful and personal and his rhymes are clever and reveal the talent of a mature writer, although some tracks did not show this. Occasional he regressed to the same bullshit themes of every other rap song on the radio. But overall I was not put off by his lyrics.

Along with Kendrick, there were a lot of other strong featured artists. Some of my favorite include Deacon Blues, Jay Rock and SZA.

If I had to make a complaint I’d say the album ran a little dry towards the end. The last 6 or 7 tracks didn’t excite me as much as the first 10. BUT overall it was a really strong hip hop album in my opinion.

Favorite Songs: “Wat’s Wrong”, “Bday”


7.7/10

If you dig this shit. Go listen on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, or any other music robot. Go see him live, I'd like to know how that is.

NEXT WEEK'S ALBUM: "Sea Of Noise"

By: St. Paul & The Broken Bones

Our team is comprised of some semi-normal, occasionally funny people who love to listen to and talk about music. And like many of you, we constantly find ourselves hungry to discover new music.