He first gained recognition following his performances on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour alongside rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA.

He is a founding member of the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based hip hop collective The House, which he formed with rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.

[citation needed] McClain signed with the Carson, California-based record label, Top Dawg Entertainment to release his debut mixtape, Cilvia Demo (2014).

Met with universal acclaim, it marked his first entry on the Billboard 200 and foresaw McClain's inclusion as part of XXL Magazine's 2014 Annual Freshman Class issue.

[6] He began getting industry connects, forging relationships with DJ Z and Max Pete from DJBooth.net and Jeff Weiss who writes for Rolling Stone.

He also released many free singles on SoundCloud using beats from well known producers such as MF Doom and Flying Lotus, which helped increase his popularity.

[11] In March 2013, Rashad met production team Digi+Phonics' Dave Free, who then introduced him to Anthony Tiffith, the CEO of Carson, California-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).

[11] On June 3, 2013, it was reported that Rashad was the recent buzz about signing to Top Dawg Entertainment, home to rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock.

[3] Following the signing, Rashad moved to Los Angeles, California, and began living and recording at the TDE Red Room Studio.

[18] On October 15, 2013, Isaiah Rashad made his national television debut when he participated in the TDE Cypher during the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, alongside his label-mates Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock.

[30][31] As promised, Cilvia Demo was released on January 28, 2014, via digital download retailers and was made available in CD format exclusively from Top Dawg Entertainment's website.

[34] On May 5, 2014, XXL revealed Rashad was included in their annual freshman class, alongside fellow up-and-comers Chance the Rapper, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan, Vic Mensa, August Alsina, Troy Ave, Kevin Gates, Lil Bibby, Jon Connor, Lil Durk and Jarren Benton.

[37] The following year, it was announced that Rashad will be included in a docu-series by Sprite, which will support the brand's "Obey Your Verse" Lyrical Collection.

During an Instagram live video on June 20, 2019, he played a new excerpts of a song produced by Kenny Beats and announced the title of his upcoming studio album to be The House Is Burning.

[48] On May 7, 2021, Rashad released the albums first single, "Lay wit Ya" featuring Duke Deuce, alongside a music video directed by Omar Jones.

[50] Rashad's music is characterized by its woozy, often nostalgic tone and conscious lyrics that touch on topics of depression, drug addiction, and family.

Jason Moore of Complex said, "Rashad spits thoughtfully, intelligently, and with precision, morphing his delivery to fit different production styles and making each line count.

[citation needed] Rashad has credited OutKast, namely Big Boi, Scarface, and Jay-Z,[16] as well as Erykah Badu, Gnarls Barkley, ScHoolboy Q, T.I.

[36] Rashad also names Nas, Snoop Dogg, No Limit Records, Cash Money Records, The Fugees, KRS-One, Dead Prez, Kanye West, Little Brother, Three 6 Mafia, 8Ball & MJG, UGK, George Clinton, James Brown, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Gorillaz and Danger Mouse among artist he grew up influenced by or still listens to.