Isaiah Rashad - IT'S BEEN AWFUL [2LP]

Isaiah Rashad ends a five-year wait with IT'S BEEN AWFUL, a hazy, soul-soaked third album that arrives here as a 2LP set.

Released in 2026, it is his first full-length since The House Is Burning in 2021, and talk of a new record had circulated for years before he finally announced it. Rashad has pointed to Prince and OutKast's Stankonia and The Love Below as touchstones, and that spirit of genre-blurring Southern funk runs right through it.

Boy in Red reunites him with longtime TDE labelmate SZA, their chemistry as easy as ever, while Cameras pulls Dominic Fike into his woozy orbit. Ain't Givin' Up builds on a Khruangbin sample, and 719 Freestyle closes the album with a loose, unguarded flow.

Across 16 tracks, Rashad's drowsy, melodic delivery glides over warm bass and slow-rolling drums, with producers including Kal Banx, Jansport J and Julian Sintonia shaping a sound that feels both laid-back and quietly intense.

Critics welcomed it as one of the strongest records of his career, and on vinyl its unhurried pacing makes for a deeply rewarding front-to-back listen. Put it on late, let it play through, and the album's title starts to sound more like a wry joke than a complaint.