On Saturday (April 16), Isaiah Rashad took the stage at Coachella 2022 and began his set with a powerful message.
Earlier this year, a sex tape that allegedly showed Rashad engaging in sexual activity with two men circulated online. The footage seemed to be outing the Top Dawg Entertainment rapper as gay. At the time, many found the video offensive as it appeared to have been released in an attempt to publicly shame and mortify him.
As Rashad took the stage, a video montage of people discussing the situation began to play.
“The purpose of doing that was to embarrass him. However, that backfired. When his video leaked, his streams and everything went up,” a voice says in the intro. Commentary on the topic came from Joe Budden, The Game and other notable voices from the hip hop community.
In defense of the “From the Garden” rapper — during a radio interview that appeared in the clip — The Game says, “Bro, why is you so worried about what another man is doing?”
After the montage played, a visibly emotional Rashad addressed the crowd and said, “I’ve seen y’all messages and all that shit, all the positivity. Y’all niggas kept me alive these last couple months.”
Rashad has openly talked about his struggles with depression and addiction in the past.
Aside from the crowd that went wild with support, the Tennessee rapper was joined by members of his TDE family like Doechii and SiR.
As the clip from his Coachella performance continues to be shared online, others have continued to root for the “Wat U Sed” rapper. One fan stated, “Good for him he doesn’t owe anyone shit and the tape getting leaked in the first place was wrong asf but I’m glad he’s doing better now.”
Another user added, “As a fan I’m honestly thankful he is still with us and hopes he gets the recognition he deserves we rooting for you fam.”
His TDE labelmate SZA commented on one repost saying, “LOVE MY BROTHER !!!! SO Proud of him ! #TDE.”
Isaiah Rashad’s intro video at Coachella: “The purpose of doing that was to embarrass him. However, that backfired. When his video leaked, his dreams and everything went up.” pic.twitter.com/xnPUzuftmT
— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) April 17, 2022