Isaiah Rashad Ushers in Some Southern Hospitality at the Echoplex for Red Bull’s ’30 Days In LA’

Joseph Baura

When Isaiah Rashad was signed to Top Dawg Entertainment in 2013, he was a nobody without apart from a few tracks sprinkled on several music streaming websites and a couple of unofficial mixtapes. But with label mates including Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock, Rashad’s signing to the label piqued the interest of many hip hop fans.

With the release of his first single, “Shot You Down,” and his appearance at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, the buzz for the young Chattanooga, Tennessee rapper was building. Then, Isaiah Rashad released his debut “Cilvia Demo,” and hip-hop fans couldn’t stop talking about the blend of Southern and West Coast hip hop that Rashad brought to the music scene. He resurfaced this year with “The Sun’s Tirade,” in the same vein as his previous work and reintroduced himself to the LA crowd at the Echoplex as part of Red Bull’s month-long concert series, “30 Days In LA.”

Rashad started with songs off of his “Cilvia Demo” album, first with bass heavy “Soliloquy,” which set the tone for his entire set. The crowd responding by pressing to the stage and jumping around the Echoplex floor. Rashad bolted across the stage, sharing handshakes with fans that reached up to him. When he went into “Banana” he was met with an even more raucous response from the crowd. For a moment, he stared out into the crowd, taking in the energy of the crowd’s response to opening the show.

Then he touched on his latest album by performing “Free Lunch” as the entire audience rapped along word for word from beginning to end. It looked like he was surprised by the response. He was flushed with excitement and wore a beaming smile throughout the rest of the song. Thanking the crowd for their outpouring of energy, Rashad told the crowd he’d never heard an audience recite his lyrics as well as they had on this night.

And of course, he had to bring out a label mate for a guest spot. Rashad slowed down the pace by performing more solemn tracks “West Savannah” and “Stuck in the Mud,” joined by songstress SZA. Then brought the energy back to the ceiling when he went into a marathon of harder hitters including “Park,” “Wat’s Wrong” and “Find A Topic.” Before stepping off the stage, Rashad danced along with his fans to Kendrick Lamar’s “M.A.A.D City.”

Sampa The Great and The Mansionaires gave solid opening performances.

Isaiah Rashad brought added energy to energy drink maker Red Bull’s “30 Days in LA” at the Echoplex on Nov 14.