The House Is Burning - Isaiah Rashad

As someone who hasn't listened to many of Zay's tracks in the past, I went into this with no expectations, but came out a fan. The production across the album is incredible. Zay kept me feeling refreshed with every track, switching up his flows and throwing in some stacked features (SZA, Lil Uzi Vert and 6lack to name a few) that bring out the best from all artists.

Throughout the album, Zay tackles the many issues he has had in the past including drug addiction, his family, and the area that he grew up in. Amusingly, ‘The House Is Burning’ is also filled with references to DC comics, such as the intro track being named after the villain Darkseid who was featured in the Justice League movie. Although the album is filled with introspective thoughts and deeper issues, there are also turn up tracks such as ‘From The Garden’, in which Zay and Lil Uzi Vert rap over a bass boosted trap beat, as well as ‘Lay Wit Ya’, which features Duke Deuce and was one of the singles released in the lead up to the album dropping.

These two tracks keep the energy high, which I felt was important on an album where wavy, smooth instrumentals are featured so heavily. ‘Headshots’ is another stand out track and is heavily reminiscent of many Kendrick's songs on ‘Section.80’ and ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’.

Whether it be trap beats, wavy instrumentals, beautiful word play or classic yet creative flows, ‘The House Is Burning’ has something for every hip-hop fan. It is a solid project and one of the best rap albums released this year, with many tracks going into my regular rotation. I just hope we don't have to wait another 5 years for his next project.

STREAM AND DOWNLOAD ‘The House Is Burning’ HERE