Isaiah Rashad - Pieces of a Kid (Staff Pick!)

Unoff. release.

Title: Isaiah Rashad - Pieces of a Kid
Year/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 2013, Hip Hop, Southern Alternative Hip Hop, Chattanooga, Tennessee 8/26
Condition: New (BC) | Members: Isaiah R (91' - )
Cultural Facts:

1. Family Ties: Rashad’s biological father left when he was three, but his stepfather became the father figure who raised him. In a twist that helped shape his future, his stepfather had once rapped in a locally known Chattanooga group called Vibe Tribe, giving Rashad an early connection to hip-hop inside his own home. (Complex)

2. Working Life: Before TDE, Rashad was balancing ordinary jobs with a very uncertain rap career. Beginning around 16, he worked at Hardee’s, DirecTV, a microfilm department, and even a youth program while recording music in makeshift college dorm closets. He had a child on the way when TDE finally offered him a deal. (Complex)

3. Studio Lore: Pieces of a Kid was originally Rashad’s planned project title, inspired by Gil Scott-Heron’s Pieces of a Man. He abandoned the name after good kid, m.A.A.d city appeared and his ideas evolved after signing with TDE; the version fans know as Pieces of a Kid was later assembled unofficially from his early songs. (Complex)