Isaiah Rashad stopped by Genius to discuss his hit song “Heavenly Father,” which has been streamed over 80 million times on Spotify to date! The song is produced by D. Sanders and off Isaiahs debut EP Cilvia Demo. On today’s episode of Verified, watch the rapper reflect on the song and what it means to him now 10 years later.
“When I think about the mentality I was in of not thinking I would make it to 25 to being here right now at 32. Honestly, I’m like damn that was a dramatic little boy, shame on him.”
Watch him go line-for-line on “Heavenly Father” in the video above, and subscribe to the Genius YouTube page.
“When I think about the mentality I was in of not thinking I would make it to 25 to being here right now at 32. Honestly, I’m like damn that was a dramatic little boy, shame on him.”
Watch him go line-for-line on “Heavenly Father” in the video above, and subscribe to the Genius YouTube page.
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MusicTranscript
00:00 When I think about the mentality I was in, not thinking I'd make it to 25, being here
00:04 right now at 32.
00:05 Honestly, I'm like, "Damn, that was a dramatic little boy.
00:08 Shame on him.
00:09 Dramatic ass.
00:10 Go to sleep, little nigga."
00:11 I'm like, "Damn, thank God I don't feel like that no more."
00:13 What I remember most about making "Heavenly Father" is that Punch was not going to let
00:23 me not make that song.
00:25 He recorded it.
00:26 If he wasn't there, I wouldn't have made it.
00:28 I wouldn't have had the courage to sing.
00:29 Ten years later, it's a very pivotal part of my music and creative process and probably
00:34 more known for the singing in a bar.
00:36 That's what I remember most.
00:37 And it says it came and saved it.
00:38 It was going to be on the fucking floor, scrap floor, because I didn't like it.
00:41 It's the making of people believing in me, really.
00:44 It was me giving something raw to myself and the homies making me put it out.
00:47 "Now everybody telling me a lie.
00:51 Well, Lord, you gave me something for my soul.
00:55 See I don't want to think of suicide, so please don't take the lock of your mind door."
01:00 Those opening lines come from my awareness as a young man, feeling that people were feeding
01:07 me information and lifestyles that I wasn't really sure was really conducive to just living
01:13 every day.
01:14 It was like, "Everybody's telling me a lie."
01:15 "And I was tired of fucking all them girls.
01:18 And I was tired of spending all my dough.
01:21 And if I give my story to the world, I wonder if they bought me for a show."
01:26 I, as a kid, was very much so influenced to have as much sex as I could.
01:32 And I don't know if it was just the culture of 90s babies or whatever, but in college
01:37 it was just fucking and it was pretty toxic.
01:39 I was early realizing that.
01:41 And I guess when I look back on it in reflection, I'm like, "Damn, I'm subconscious."
01:44 I realized I was a storyteller when I realized I wasn't good at telling stories.
01:59 I'm not good at telling a linear story or how you can listen to Snoop Dogg old shit
02:03 and he's starting the morning and ending or some good day.
02:06 I'm not like that.
02:07 That's why I appreciate Future and Wayne because they taught me how to use non sequiturs and
02:12 vivid imagery to paint a whole movie instead of a story.
02:16 In the midst of self-deprecating and fucking woe is me-ing, I think I'm blessed that I
02:32 always seem to remind myself, "Chill, you ain't the only one going through it."
02:38 Compassion for self is compassion for others.
02:40 When I think about the mentality I was in, not thinking I'd make it to 25, being here
02:56 right now at 32, honestly I'm like, "Damn, that was a dramatic little boy.
03:00 Shame on him.
03:01 Dramatic ass.
03:02 Go to sleep, little nigga."
03:03 I'm like, "Damn, thank God I don't feel like that no more."
03:05 When I was six, I accidentally hung myself and my parents had to come get me down.
03:32 It was an Eastlake project, so I don't know how it happened.
03:34 We were fucking around and I thought it'd be funny.
03:36 And then I didn't think it was that funny no more.
03:38 And they cut me down.
03:39 I was like six.
03:40 So I was just referring to that.
03:41 It's some crazy shit.
03:42 Yo, my dad used to call me drunk all the time.
03:54 He's an alcoholic.
03:55 Shame on that man.
03:56 Shame on niggas who come into their kids' lives and be crying on the phone, talking
04:00 about da-da-da-da-da, "You don't love me."
04:03 And it's like, "Nigga, I didn't ask you to call me like this.
04:04 It's six o'clock in the morning, bro.
04:06 Why you drunk?"
04:07 My dad's really put me and my brothers and my sister through it, man.
04:10 So fuck him.
04:11 But shout out to Recovery, man.
04:32 When I hear this third verse, I'm like, "Damn, what the fuck was I doing, bro?
04:35 Where were my friends?"
04:36 Like right now, I don't feel like I have actual friends.
04:38 Which I'm cool with saying that on Genius.
04:40 I got a couple homies.
04:41 I know we're closer than siblings, but I don't think I've made any friends the past few years,
04:45 which is sad.
04:46 Totally have been focused on not doing the right shit, man.
04:49 Like being entertainment for other people and not treating my life as serious as I should've.
04:54 I know some niggas that talk good, the wise men from a long line, the bitch made and bridesmen.
05:00 You never had nothing but fucking dreams.
05:02 You just caught up in the hype.
05:03 The fashion and so on seems the limelight.
05:06 I know that I rhyme tight.
05:07 No need for your two cents and burning your blueprints.
05:11 These people think I really give a fuck about the shit they give a fuck about.
05:15 Just need a moment of silence.
05:16 Just close your fucking mouth.
05:17 Infatuated with violence, gun in my fucking mouth.
05:20 So you'll know that I'm serious, know what I'm talking about.
05:23 I just don't like rapping ass niggas, bro.
05:25 I've never liked dudes who rap about fucking rapping and they shits about rapping and it's
05:31 about how good of a rapper they are.
05:33 Whatever they getting for being a good rapper, it's like you can't even spell, nigga.
05:38 You not that tight.
05:39 Your entangles aren't that good.
05:40 You not using proper vocabulary.
05:43 It's like you not a real rapper.
05:44 Like chill.
05:45 So I hate hearing lyrical miracle ass niggas, bro.
05:48 I bet you Black Thought ain't got one book in his car.
05:51 Cause he a real one.
05:52 His words is his shit.
05:53 You feel me?
05:54 I ain't got punchlines so I be saying what I be meaning.
06:22 This one makes me doing the genius kind of weird.
06:24 It's like, yeah, confirmed.
06:26 For sure.
06:28 We living in the present, but the past still exists.
06:32 That kid still going through that shit.
06:34 And I just feel terrible for putting him through it.
06:36 But you know, we straight now.
06:38 We all right now.