East Atlanta rapper and Dreamville’s uppermost lyricist, JID, is an artist that puts everything into their craft. He values music as an art form which can hold the power to create change. JID admires the hip-hop legends before him and derives a style that is uniquely his own.
The Journey to Dreamville
The 32-year-old had a groundbreaking 2022, thanks to his critically acclaimed third studio album The Forever Story, released in August. The album is regarded as the third best hip-hop album of 2022, according to Rolling Stone.
JID’s dedication and passion for music became clear when he decided to pursue a rap career instead of his football scholarship. Many mixtapes and a debut album later, his hard work ethic finally paid off. In early 2017, he landed a solo deal with J.Cole’s record label, Dreamville. The following year, JID would release his sophomore album DiCaprio 2. This would spark comparisons of JID to greats like Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne. His charisma, energy, versatility, and lyricism was refreshing and exciting for true hip-hop heads. Then in 2020, he joined Spillage Village for a collaboration project, Spilligion. The following year, he collaborated with Imagine Dragons.
Is The Forever Story JID’s Best Album?
Many fans consider The Forever Story as JID’s best body of work to date. The rapper continues to perfect his craft with every release. The Forever Story has ever-changing flows and vocal inflections, imaginative wordplay, and sharp delivery. JID accentuates his lyricism while touching on personal topics such as family, upbringing, perseverance, relationships, and more.
He also tackles conscious themes like Black voices, artistry, and black fetishization on the track “Lauder Too.”
“Yeah, pardon me but a part of me lookin’ for more / Givin’ my heart, my art, my artery, what do you want? More / Majority push packs, they unemployed.” JID is often addressing systemic racism that impacts Black communities. In addition, “Lauder Too” sees JID rapping about his frustration with his message getting lost in translation to an audience. And despite giving his heart, soul, and body, he feels as if people still demand more of him.
Not only does he keep the listener entertained with his strong hooks, but the feature performances as well. Lil Wayne, Baby Tate, Ari Lennox, and Lil Durk are some of the amazing contributions to JID’s vision with this project. Much to people’s surprise, The Forever Story puts his impressive vocal abilities on display.
JID’s potential is limitless, and he is truly a natural-born talent. Every year he gains more fans tuning into his greatness and story.
