Photo credit: Dave Zylstra/Shepherd Express
We’ve been anticipating this one. IshDARR turned our heads last year with a handful of knock-out tracks that showcased the lyrical side of the then-17-year-old Milwaukee rapper. There was nothing subtle about them: Those early tracks played like a talent reel, spotlighting IshDARR’s gift for stacking syllables into ever-climbing towers of metaphors and internal rhyme. He was flagrantly showing off.
A year later, though, IshDARR has passed the point of needing to prove he can rap. The songs he teased in the lead up to his full-length debut Old Soul Young Spirit have been roomier, less uptight. He no longer feels the need to cram every nook and cranny of every track with wordplay; he’s learned to let them breathe. A little bit of Chance the Rapper’s jazziness has crept into his delivery, too, so he glides over these tracks, speeding up his flow when he’s fired up, and pulling back when the beat begs to ride out on its own.
And those aren’t the only tricks he’s learned. IshDARR spent the last year playing shows, and that experience working crowds comes through on Old Soul, which is livelier, punchier and more party-minded he debut EP The Better Life. These songs were designed to send hands in the air. “Ride Now” bounces authoritatively, while “Too Bad” throws IshDARR’s conscious-rap leanings to the wind with a massive crunk beat and spazzed-out hook. The year is young, but so far this is the Milwaukee rap album to top in 2015.
Complex premiered Old Soul Young Spirit yesterday. You can stream it below and download it for free at Audiomack.com.
