Isaiah Rashad returns with “SAME SH!T”

Benjamin Kenyon

Rap/Hip-Hop Journalist

After five years of almost silence, Chattanooga, TN, artist Isaiah Rashad is back with a new single and accompanying music video. “SAME SH!T” is the lead single from Rashad’s upcoming return album, It’s Been Awful, set to release on May 1. 

The upcoming project will include features from Dominic Fike, Julian Sintonia, and Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA. In an August 2025 interview with Noisey, Rashad teased the sonic direction of It’s Been Awful. 

“The biggest inspiration for me was Fousheé… Prince, I’ve been having “If I Was Your Girlfriend” on repeat for 2-3 months,” Rashad said. “I’m touching more [Outkast’s] Stankonia and The Love Below more than anything else. I would say Top made compromises for the creativity on this one, so I appreciate it.” 

To celebrate the upcoming album, I’ve compiled five Rashad tracks from past albums to put in your rotation over the next week. 

Heavenly Father 

Starting the list is the most beloved track from Rashad’s 2014 mixtape, Cilvia Demo. “Heavenly Father” is introspective, touching on dark themes, including contemplating suicide. Despite this, “Heavenly Father” is actually one of Rashad’s lighter songs. SZA, while not listed as a feature, provides the chorus. This is one of the earlier collaborations from the two, who have a storied history with an extremely high quality of output. 

Smile

“Smile” is a standalone single released in 2016, nine months before Rashad’s debut studio album, The Sun’s Tirade. The track is cocky and triumphant, a mode Rashad can tap into just as easily as his darker, moodier side. “Smile” features some of Rashad’s cleanest production, and a chorus that sees Rashad putting himself in the shoes of perhaps a friend from back home, proud of his success, “My n**** just made it back home, pocket full of money god damn, them n***** might smile when they see him.”

Brenda 

“Brenda”, from 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade,  is four minutes and ten seconds of smooth. It’s a reflective song, touching on his childhood, past loves, his father, and his own fatherhood. The brief chorus is a personal favorite of mine from Rashad, “I got two cigarettes to my last name, I clock in for the check, but I don’t wanna go.” The jazzy, neo-soul-influenced production lays a perfect foundation for Rashad to reminisce. 

Rope (feat. SiR) // rosegold 

Isaiah Rashad has shown on multiple occasions his affinity for the two-part song. The first half of this track, “Rope”, shows Rashad in a bit of a panic, largely about missing home, being somewhat disoriented by the difference in lifestyle he now lives, far from his home and family. “When I’m sober, I might testify that this world has fallen out of place,” Rashad says on the track. The second half of the song presumably comes after Rashad has nipped said sobriety in the bud. “rosegold” features Rashad in a more content spot, like he’s calmed down after an episode of anxiety. He reassures himself he is where he wants to be, that his new life as a music star isn’t all bad, “I got some old h*es, and some new friends, and some rosegold,” Rashad says at the end of the final verse. 

Darkseid 

“Darkseid” is the introduction to Rashad’s most recent album, 2021’s The House Is Burning. The production is simple. It’s a powerful intro, one that signals a shift, a maturation from Rashad. “Whatever gon’ keep my kids safe, my kids full, I’m with it,” the chorus goes. In the surrounding verses, Rashad touches on some of the themes found in “Rope (feat. SiR) // rosegold”; however, his tone is one more of acceptance than panic. Seemingly, Rashad is making it clear that he hasn’t lost his awareness of the world, his edge, but has stopped letting that feeling from letting himself get in his own way. 

Expectations for It’s Been Awful are through the roof, not only due to Rashad’s prowess as an artist and producer, but also because of the long gap since his last release. After a 2022 incident where his sextape was leaked on the internet, leading to speculation about his sexuality and some scorn from homophobic keyboard warriors, fans are ecstatic that Rashad is back. Even if it’s been awful.