Top Dawg Entertainment has become a cornerstone in rap music. But to Isiah Rashad, TDE is more than a factory that churns out classic records—it’s a family.
It’s often said that you’ll truly find out how a person feels about you once you’re not in the position to do something for them. During a recent conversation with Billboard, Rashad recalled a time when he wasn’t the most productive or focused artist on the TDE roster and how this didn’t stop the label’s founder, Top Dawg, from doing all he could to help Isaiah win.
“When I didn’t have no money coming in and I was like, ‘This n***a is paying my rent and I haven’t made a song in months,’” Rashad said. “He locked me in his house and said, ‘We gonna get through this shit.’ I gained some confidence and betrayed his confidence fucking up in the streets. When I came to him humble and I needed help, he still gave me the help. He’s a solid n***a, man. I ain’t never seen a n****a happier to hand a n***a a $1 million check. That n***a happier than I am, doing skips down the steps. He loves me, man.”
Rashad has been vocal about his battles with mental health and substance abuse. He recently detailed for Fader how this deep spiral forced him to go broke and move back to his mom’s in Tennessee. Yet because Top loves him so much, he brought Rashad back to Los Angeles and got him the proper help and professional rehab he needed. Rashad recognizes how fortunate he is to have these people in his corner and doesn’t take his support system for granted.
“Grateful,” Rashad said to Billboard when asked what he would title this new chapter of his life. “It’s the only thing keeping me to the ground. On God, I’m embracing it. I’m ready to fuck shit up, baby.”
