It's Official. Isaiah Rashad's Return Record Is en Route

‘It’s Been Awful,’ the rapper’s first LP since ‘The House Is Burning’ is due out everywhere on May 1, with its lead single slated to land on streaming this Friday.

If you haven’t been privy to the internet discourse in the hip hop ether over the course of the past few days, Isaiah Rashad has been up to something.

At first, on Monday, the rapper took to his Instagram stories to share an image of what appeared to be a new project entitled It’s Been Awful, stamped with a Top Dawg Entertainment authentication on the bottom. Later that same day, TDE’s Punch shared a post on X, reading “It’s been awful,” followed by the same posts from label signees Doechii, ScHoolboy Q, Devin Malik, and Zacari. Within the hour, posters were reportedly seen throughout New York City promoting the at-the-time enigmatic It’s Been Awful, and photos of new merch materialized on X, including one featuring Rashad posing with Lexa Gates.

Come Tuesday morning, Rashad has officially revealed that It’s Been Awful is, in fact, a studio album that’s due out in less than a month. What will land as his fourth longform project, Rashad’s return album is slated to drop everywhere on Friday, May 1.

What a press release refers to as “a raw, fully-realized return,” It’s Been Awful also marks the rapper’s first longform studio release since 2021’s acclaimed The House Is Burning.

Yesterday, Zay also dropped the project’s trailer, which introduces the visual world that seems to play a heavy role in the project’s narrative arc.

“​​The record itself is trunk-rattling and grounded in his roots, while the visual flips it into something darker: a surreal, psychological nightmare where Zay literally battles himself, blurring reality, pressure, and personal demons in a way only he can,” elaborates the same release. “After years away, he’s sharper, more honest, and accountable than ever—this isn’t just a comeback, it’s an evolution and the reset that rap conversation desperately needs.”

We’ll get the first glimpse into It’s Been Awful this New Music Friday, with lead single “SAME SH!T” confirmed to drop then.

Stay tuned as more updates transpire on the album and keep an eye out for “SAME SH!T,” which hits streaming services in two days. Rashad also made an Instagram account specifically for the album – @itsbeenawful – and completely revamped his website, both well-equipped for updates in real time.