Love him or hate him, Isaiah Rashad is living proof that you don’t have to sell out (or even make particularly accessible music) to grow a following within the hip-hop community. The rapper has had hits, no doubt— ‘Wat’s Wrong’ being a notable example— but you’d never describe Rashad as an artist obsessed with catchy hooks or flashy beat switches. It’s for his low-key production and introspective lyrical themes that the man continues to see success: new record ‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’ only doubles down on that appeal.

At the risk of sounding like a hippie, this album is all about the vibes, man. ‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’ cloaks itself in a soft, smoky aesthetic that only lets Rashad’s emotional intensity come through in brief, sporadic bursts. There are hooks to be found here, as you’ll no doubt notice on the SZA-backed ‘BOY IN RED’ or the wonderfully dreamy ‘NUTHIN 2 HIDE,’ but they never feel like the focus of any given track— rather, the record is a collection of ethereal soundscapes that sit alongside (rather than underneath) the rapping. Rashad has never been one to execute on intricate flows or impassioned outbursts, but even by his standards, ‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’ is mellow to the nth degree: it’s a confessional recording, after all, and the hazy beat on ‘ACT NORMAL’ and the distant brass that weaves its way across ‘SUPERPWRS’ capture a distinct sense of melancholy and desolation to match. Aside from the stylish trap aesthetic that overtakes memorable highlight ‘SAME SH!T,’ this is an album you’re likely to sink straight into, letting Rashad’s quiet musings wash over you.

In an unlikely twist, it’s actually the project’s lyrical motifs that’ll stick with you long after ‘719 FREESTYLE’ has sounded the album out. Rashad isn’t quite as forthcoming in his delivery as your average conscious rapper, but in his own understated fashion, the artist wears his heart on his sleeve here, diving into the trials and tribulations that’ve made up his most recent years. Substance abuse is a recurring theme here, running from the offhand admittance of “if I romanticise them Percocets, I might relapse again” on ‘THE NEW SUBLIME’ to the full-blown character arc of ‘HAPPY HOUR,’ ‘DO I LOOK HIGH?’ and ‘AIN’T GIVIN’ UP’— taking a broader stance though, ‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’ explores our protagonist’s mental state in a loose, autobiographical fashion, bouncing between ideas like we’re experiencing them right alongside Rashad. The record condemns a luxurious lifestyle on ‘SUPAFICIAL,’ yet goes on to romanticise some similar behaviours on ‘GTKY:’ where another artist might sound unfocused or confused, Rashad is able to wrap all these disparate threads up into a storyline that feel entirely vulnerable and honest to his own experience.

If we’re being entirely truthful, it’s easy to completely skim over those weighty themes on a casual listen— Rashad is not known for his energetic delivery, as we said, but even meeting the album on its own terms, ‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’ seems entirely unconcerned with capturing much emotion beyond outright resignation on the part of its musical choices. The dusty sound choices that make up numbers like ’10 STATES AWAY’ and ‘SCARED 2 LOOK DOWN’ hardly vary across these sixteen tracks, despite the range of topics Rashad is covering: when all is said and done, it’s easy to feel like the album hasn’t really taken you anywhere (or, at least, hasn’t explored much past its first few songs). The record is better appreciated as something more ambient and evocative: where the simple piano loops of ‘HAPPY HOUR’ and the overly poppy hooks of ‘CAMERAS’ might not work for you, the psychedelic style of ‘AIN’T GIVIN’ UP’ and tried-and-true hip-hop essentials that power ‘M.O.M.’ and ‘SUPAFICIAL’ do wonders. ‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’ is best enjoyed in its entirety, as a sombre mood piece— that has, after all, always been Rashad’s forte.

It’s hard to imagine a fan of Isaiah Rashad’s previous work that won’t find something to love in ‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL:’ similarly, it seems unlikely that the album will win over any of his detractors. This is an extremely detached and stripped-back project, even compared to ‘The Sun’s Tirade’ and ‘The House Is Burning,’ and it’s a style Rashad continues to narrow in on as his sound of choice. Even if it doesn’t produce the most memorable of results, we’d be hard-pressed to argue he should change lanes.