Written By Andre Millwood
Cilvia Demo is not for the listener who is not prepared to get introspective; it does not have a “banger” in comparison to a Tyga’s Well Done or Fabolous’ Soul Tape 3. It makes up for this with intense lyricism and deep themes that repeat throughout the project. Isaiah Rashad was first introduced to me with the fan made “Welcome to the Game” Mixtape on DatPiff and indeed it was a breath of fresh air. The everyman-ness of Mr. Rashad allows one to see things from his point of view as instead of denoting on riches and even the ever so overdone topic of the pursuit of riches; he speaks on his personal demons such as the defective relationship with him and his paternal figure, rappers who “swaggerjack” the South, The typical ballads to the “loving ladies” who throw themselves on “hype” figures, Depression and Nostalgic references to his rap influences.
This last point comes out strongly in tracks such as Webbie Flow and Brad Jordan in which the former dedicates the flow and mannerisms of the artist Webbie. It is good to note that Rashad’s hometown of Chatanooga, Tennesee is in the south and as such artists such as Outkast, Lil Wayne, Webbie and Scarface had a great impact on shaping his rap style as well as his more recent TDE label compatriots.
There is not much change in Rashad’s delivery since the tracks I heard previous to Cilvia Demo, but that is not necessarily negative as what most individuals got into was Rashad’s subject matter and delivery, it indeed reflects the music quality that TDE puts out but in his own way Rashad is unique. This may be the personalization in his music, him relating his difficulty to find a good job after a stint with the law, the new baby he has to take care of or just his continuous references to his father being missing in his life.
The instrumentals on Cilvia Demo for the most part reflect the introspective nature of Rashad’s lyrics but there are standouts such as Soliloquy produced by FarHot. The Beat is off-hinge, off-kilter which engages well with the track theme that being that of a soliloquy which is defined as “an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, esp. by a character in a play.”
It is important to note the emotions put into Rashad’s delivery; the feeling of frustration, aggression and despair itself comes across all across the album. This is a man with a point to prove and a place to shape out in the industry all done without molding to the theory of making pop music but for individuals to take him as is and appreciate him for what he decides to do.
Even if Isaiah never changes or adds on to his range of topics there is a place for him that is unique as he is as “real” as it comes. The very fact that he named the project off his Honda Civic “Cilvia” his old beat up car shows this man is not here to impress you with lyrics on tangible products but on life experiences and personal convictions that you can either relate to or at least understand as there may be some small part of you that screams at racism, the system or just plain wants to just chill out and listen to something that doesn’t need you to “bang out” to it.
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