21-year-old Chattanooga rapper Isaiah Rashad is the newest addition to the expanding TDE roster. He confirms the signing, rumored since June, with a new video that bears TDE's name, for "Shot U Down." Released earlier this week and pretty irresistible, the track's the first in a new wave of Rashad material, presumably recorded since aligning with Top Dawg. More melodic, and with smarter hooks, it's also a departure from earlier work. Like Jay Rock, Rashad has a coarse, energetic bark; here, it's employed alongside drifting flute and a sticky, dancehall-indebted sung chorus, and Rashad's seems somehow even more tough for his conviction to make something with pop appeal.
