Isaiah Rashad is gearing up to embark on a lengthy United States tour in celebration of his recent The House Is Burning album, an understated and cohesive release that has garnered steady critical acclaim — you can read our review right here.
Now, Rashad has come through to breathe new life into one of the album’s many standout tracks — closing track “HB2U” — holding it down with an impressive Colors Show performance. As fans of the format likely know, Colors Show variations tend to highlight a performer’s live proficiency, leading to raw-and-uncut renditions that often gain fanbases of their own.
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Here, Rashad puts the first half of “HB2U” on display, inviting listeners to really sit and spend some time with the bars. “I pray for many Thanksgivings, I pray that Tifa don’t cook,” he raps, his cadence identical to the album version. “You know her mama’ll put sugar in they greens / That’s that shit I never seen before / Bucket list, scratchin’ off some shit you never dreamed before.”
Though some have lamented the absence of the track’s chopped-and-screwed second half, “HB2U” still feels like an appropriate choice to showcase, though it’s likely many album cuts would have been effective. Fans of Isaiah Rashad would be wise to check out his new Colors Show performance, as it’s a format that certainly highlights many of the TDE rapper’s strengths — namely his casual charisma, subdued delivery, and clever lyricism.
Are you still keeping The House Is Burning on steady rotation? And if so, are we looking at an album-of-the-year contender?
WATCH: Isaiah Rashad performs “HB2U” on A Colors Show