Everlast has a few things to get off his chest with Embers to Ashes. Known for 90’s hip-hop hits like “Jump Around” (with House of Pain) and his radio rock ballad “What It’s Like,” he has continued to refine his signature blues-rap sound with just as much to say. After almost three decades as a recording artist, the 57-year-old songwriter—whose real name is Erik Schrody—has just as much to say as when he came up.
The record’s name was inspired by the loss of Schrody’s home in 2018 to the Woolsey fires, which led to an 8 year hiatus since his last solo LP, House of Pain. With executive production credits from contemporary rapper Yelawolf, he returns to his craft with a newfound introspection that’s just as explicit and confrontational as his social commentary.
Everlast’s new edge is a profound sensitivity. The bluesy swing of “Losing Man’s Game” introduces the album with an intimate, frustrated admission of a heartbreak he can’t walk away from. Songs like “Stones” grapple with the turbulence of alcoholism and reckoning with its demons unleashed on loved ones.
“Rubber Bullets” channels the same protest energy Everlast has been known for. Written in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, the lyrics are a vivid recall to the gas-filled demonstrations and violent clashes with authorities.
Perhaps the most mature sentiment on Embers to Ashes is Schrody’s enduring self-awareness—to which his longevity as a recording artist can be attributed. On “Lies,” the spoken intro sets broken conversation against a car radio playing “What It’s Like,” offering reflective glimpses of his life as of late. The track transitions into a country guitar, touching on the same (if not worse) working-class struggles of his earlier music: “Got to get high just to get by/And all the good work’s hard to come by nowadays.” Instead of aggressive testimonies or active dialogue, Schrody offers consolation in a love song about making the best with what you’ve got. The final verse especially amends this sentiment as he sings, “They say every day’s another blessing/And all the bullshit that you’re stressing, just let it go.”
As other tracks continue Schrody’s reflections on life, nostalgia rises as an additional setting to make a statement. “1987” is an upbeat country-rock riff with a bittersweet telling of his party days in LA as a young man. As each verse recalls an adventure on “the west side of the valley,” his memory turns woeful as the final hook carries, “We went to house parties up in the west hill/With no money, had to find cheap thrills/We never tell the young that speed kills.”
It is rare for artists of Everlast’s genre to remain sincere and committed to their craft for as long as he has. Rather than ditch his hip-hop roots and confuse more acoustic songwriting with maturity, his vocal delivery takes rap inspiration with a refreshing seriousness, along with production nods to drum breaks and spoken skits. Embers to Ashes is more than a return—it’s a testament to artistic authenticity and continual evolution.
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