Events

[HIP HOP] If you like Isaiah Rashad’s rhyme scheme and are at all partial to the “black hippy” rap subset, don’t miss this opportunity to see him serve it up at the Studio at the Waiting Room on Tuesday, January 24, since his next Western New York visit will probably be to a much bigger venue. The 25-year-old Chattanooga, Tennessee native’s debut, the conceptually ambitious Cilvia Demo, cracked the top 40 of Billboard album chart despite being a digital release with hardcopies available only via mail order. But success left Rashad in a tough space, apparently, which is something he discussed with Andres Tardio in Complex magazine on the eve of releasing his full length via Top Dawg Entertainment, The Sun’s Tirade. Rashad spoke candidly about struggling with depression, mixing alcohol and prescription pills, and the necessity of sitting with dark feelings in order to get better. The bumpy ride between releases nearly cost him his deal with Top Dawg, but Tirade, out last September, has been a sizeable success. Rashad credits OutKast, Erykah Badu, T.I., and Lil Wayne among his biggest influences. Jay IDK opens the show.