The Forever Story - JID: Review
is an Atlanta rapper who first rose to prominence as a member of the Spillage Village collective and a signee on J. Cole's Dreamville label imprint. His previous studio album DiCaprio 2 came out in 2018 and drastically rose his profile as both a commercial artist and a critical darling.
Review by Lav:
While I wasn't the earliest to come around to JID I have been able to watch his rise over the past 6 years where he's not only drastically increased his profile but also his talent. I did get some flak from hip-hop heads on twitter for not completely fawning over DiCaprio 2 but with this new record, I feel pretty validated. Not only has JID improved his talent on just about every level, but also his scope and ambition with it. The results are one of the best hip hop records I've heard in 2022.
I'm really glad the lead single to this record still managed to land on the record. Surround Sound is a track I've been enjoying all year with one of the best hooks I've ever heard on a JID song and great contributions from 21 Savage and Baby Tate. Even the goofy, cartooney bars JID spits on the second half have grown on me the more I listen to it. As you'd probably expect if you're familiar with JID's music, the bangers here really go hard. Raydar is a dark and rumbling opening track that is impressively versatile with a great switch-up to an even more booming beat in the second half and a nonstop unfolding of killer bars.
My favorite deep cut on the record and maybe my favorite song period is Can't Punk Me a jittery banger featuring Earthgang that keeps the energy dialed up to 100 for the entire song. I love the sparse percussion in the instrumental and JID's completely unhinged hook this track is wild. Dance Now is a single I wasn't crazy about at first mainly because of the hook which is subject to some weird vocalizing I'm not crazy about. Thankfully it's more of a nitpick than a genuine complaint about the song. Similarly, Just In Time is a decent banger that mainly works around a killer Lil Wayne feature that elevates it from just okay to pretty enjoyable.
As good as the bangers were always going to be I was just impressed by some of the experiments in the mix. Crack Sandwich is an absolutely crazy multi-faceted song that everyone has been talking about and for good reason. It's the crazy second half in particular that really blows me away as JID goes into detail on a fight in his past that he almost feels is part of his birthright. The song slowly builds up momentum to a climax and while the sampled outro goes on a bit long it's still a wonderful song. The longest song on the record Sistanem sees JID speaking directly to women with the help of the beautiful voices of James Blake and Yuli. I won't break down absolutely everything he touches on throughout the song I'll just say that there's a LOT to chew on and even at 6 minutes the reserved demeanor of JID's performance is engaging throughout.
I also enjoyed Stars quite a bit as it was one of the songs I was most excited for given it sports BADBADNOTGOOD production and a Yasiin Bey feature. Despite JID's impressive bars throughout the track the instrumental just steals the show with everything sounding so eerie the way it hovers in the mix. This is also present on a solid closing run of tracks bookended by both Money and Lauder Too. The former is a pretty standard hip-hop meditation on money, fame, and success with some lyrical highlights like the Marcus Smart line and the bologna sandwich refrain. Lauder Too closes the record with more mind-bending flows and wordplay as JID is in absolutely rare form over this stuttering and absolutely infectious beat.
This record doesn't have many duds and even when it flirts with that they are normally tracks that at least try to do something interesting. Bruddanem with Lil Durk and Better Days are the only songs here that I just find plain boring or uninteresting. Can't Make U Change is the records turn to R&B and it has a lot of advantages that the average R&B mixer on a rap record doesn't. Ari's performance is great and one of the best I've ever heard from her as she really is left isolated in the mix but still delivers so much in her vocals. It also has this dusty instrumental that sounds like something from Voodoo but with an irresistible twang to it. The real whiff is on Kody Blu 31 which is one of the record's most sentimental songs and while JID pulls it off lyrically it's the least interesting song on the record sonically. The attempts to craft a gospel-like effect with the group vocals and grand key phrases aren't great and fail to live up to the grandeur of the song's subject matter.
Despite a blemish or two this is one of the boldest and most interesting rap records I've heard all year. While it may not be on quite the same level as albums like Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and Visions Of Bodies Being Burned it's firmly in the very next tier. Not only does the record see JID achieving the potential everyone always knew he had, but occasionally even flashes moments so brilliant that I think he might be capable of even better in the future. Don't miss The Forever Story. 8.5/10
Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:
This album cover is really cool, almost like you're playing Where's Waldo. No matter where you look in the composition there is a story being told and it all comes together when you view it as a whole. I wish it was brightened up a little because it fades a bit too much in the background and if you're looking at it on a phone it might not have the full impact. I love the different colors in it and think it would be really cool as a larger print. 8.5/10
For more hip hop check out my review of Black Thought & Danger Mouse's Cheat Codes here
