Watch Isaiah Rashad’s Homecoming in New IndieLand Video

Isaiah Rashad’s The House Is Burning earned him a warm welcome back to music after a nearly five-year hiatus between projects. The album debuted in the top 10 of the RS 200, where it currently sits at number seven. We joined the Los Angeles based rapper as he was similarly embraced in his hometown of Chattanooga as The House Is Burning’s release was imminent. In our video, over the course of a trip to a local radio station, a stop at his former elementary school, and a cookout, he and his parents reflect on growing up, messing up, and getting better. In one of his last visits home, after his album The Sun’s Tirade, Isaiah says he was in the midst of a crisis. “I understand alcoholism and drug addiction is in my genes,” he says. “I think part of the responsibility is me understanding that.” His mom acknowledges that Isaiah has done “stupid shit,” but still beams with pride. “Isaiah [is] a conqueror,” she says.