TDE’s Isaiah Rashad Is His Most Refined on “Free Lunch”
For those familiar with Isaiah Rashad’s head-turning Cilvia Demo EP, “Free Lunch” won’t dodge expectations. The 25-year-old Tennessee native carved out his own lane on TDE’s superstar lineup (Kendrick, Schoolboy Q) by doubling-down on his idiosyncratic style of hazy, heavy-lidded rap. But as familiar as it may be to find Rashad’s drawl surrounded by drifting soul keys and blunted samples, it doesn’t stop “Free Lunch” from being his most refined performance yet.
“Free Lunch”’s call to accumulate meal tickets acts as an anchor for Rashad’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics. The track evokes images of a summer spent baking in the Southern sun, chasing money and women, reconnecting with kinfolk, and staying as “clean as Tide” by any means. A less capable rapper would get lost in the track’s chill, but with his ability to wear and shed nimble flows at will, Rashad never loses momentum. Even at his most relaxed and spacious, the MC never sounds laconic.
Rashad’s already proven he’s a worthy Southern ambassador to the Top Dawg label with Cilvia, but here, it seems he’s setting his eyes on a loftier goal (like the world domination of his Southern rap forebears, OutKast and UGK). “Feel this one out in California,” Rashad raps, and with a vibe like this, it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t.
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