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New show · Episode 01

CRATE TALK

Three albums, one take on each, then it's over to whoever's listening. This episode: Isaiah Rashad, Daniel Caesar, and Brent Faiyaz.

How this episode works — three records, one segment each. The liner notes below are just the facts. The "your take" box is yours to fill in before you hit record, and it's saved only in your own browser on this device, nobody else can see it. Once the episode's live, drop the link and let people argue about the albums in the comments under each one.
TRACK 01

IT'S BEEN AWFUL

Isaiah Rashad
Hip-Hop

Rashad's third studio album, and his first in five years since 2021's The House Is Burning. Released May 1, 2026 through TDE and Warner, with production spread across a wide team and features from SZA and Dominic Fike. Where his earlier records leaned on dense, riddle-like wordplay, Rashad has said this one was built to read plainer, less a puzzle to decode, more a direct account. It works through addiction, a public privacy violation from years back, and the slow process of rebuilding an identity on his own terms.

Released
May 1, 2026
Label
TDE / Warner
Features
SZA, Dominic Fike

Discussion angles

  • How does this sit next to The House Is Burning and Cilvia Demo in terms of directness?
  • Does dropping the "puzzle rap" approach work in his favor here?
  • Which stretch of the tracklist hit hardest for you, and why?

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TRACK 02

Freudian

Daniel Caesar
Neo-Soul / R&B

Caesar's debut studio album, released independently in August 2017 on his own label, Golden Child Recordings. Built around warm, gospel-rooted neo-soul, it plays like a loose arc of a relationship, infatuation, devotion, and the fallout after. The Kali Uchis collaboration became the record's breakout moment and helped push it to a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. Nearly a decade later, it's still the record most people point to first when they talk about his sound.

Released
August 25, 2017
Label
Golden Child Recordings
Notable feature
Kali Uchis

Discussion angles

  • Which stage of the "relationship arc" hits hardest for you, track by track?
  • How has Freudian aged compared to his later work?
  • Where does it rank against other 2010s neo-soul records for you?

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TRACK 03

Icon

Brent Faiyaz
R&B

Faiyaz's third studio album, released February 13, 2026 on his own imprint, ISO Supremacy. He originally had it scheduled for September 2025, then scrapped that version the night before release and rebuilt the project around the single "Have To." The final ten tracks carry no features at all, just his voice, over a sound that leans on '90s and 2000s R&B alongside nu-disco textures, executive produced by Raphael Saadiq.

Released
February 13, 2026
Label
ISO Supremacy
Features
None — solo

Discussion angles

  • Does the no-features approach make this feel more personal, or just thinner?
  • How does Icon sit next to Wasteland and Sonder Son for you?
  • Which track are you most likely to actually keep in rotation?

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UP NEXT

Suggest an album for Episode 02

Tell me what to spin next. Upvote the ones you'd actually want to hear covered, the top suggestions have the best shot at making the next episode.

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