JID shines in “The Forever Story”
Atlanta and Dreamville artist JID released his long-awaited third studio album, “The Forever Story,” Friday. For some, JID has always been under the shadow of head labelmate and hip-hop star J. Cole, but his collaboration with Imagine Dragons on “Enemy” and his latest project has allowed JID mainstream success and established himself as one of the biggest rappers in the game within his own right. While he could’ve easily chosen to capitalize off of his newfound mainstream success and change his sound, he chose to stick to his core music style.
Throughout his career, JID has put out some of the most lyrical and flawless records among his peers. His debut project on Dreamville, “The Never Story,” vaulted him from the Atlanta underground scene and landed his name in more mainstream conversations. His second album, “DiCaprio 2,” began to grow upon this success, with the track “151 Rum” appearing in popular HBO show “Euphoria.” Outside of features on his label’s collaborative albums, JID refrained from putting out new music for some time, leaving his core fanbase in the dark.
Before the album was released, JID dropped the single, “Surround Sound,” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, as a sort of a preview of what was to come on the album. The song samples Mos Def’s 1999 hit, “Ms. Fat Booty,” and showcases his wide range of beat selection.
The album starts off strong with the second track, “Raydar,” which features a beat switch in the middle that lets JID show off more of his versatility and lyricism. The album then transitions into more of a boom bap mode, with JID enlisting the help of fellow Atlanta artists Kenny Mason and EARTHGANG to soulfully explore his upbringing in East Atlanta. With this album, JID continues to demonstrate a pride in his background that is prevalent throughout his music. This love for his hometown is common in Atlantans and is shown all throughout the album.
Two tracks that stuck out the most were “Bruddanem,” and “Sistanem.” On “Bruddanem” — a play on popular Chicago slang word foenem, meaning family — JID enlists the help of Chicago-based rapper Lil Durk to declare their loyalty to their brothers, both blood and not. On the flip side, he uses “Sistanem,” which features James Blake, to show some vulnerability, discussing how his newfound fame fractured his relationship with one of his sisters. While talking about how important and influential she is in his life, he delivers an introspective piece about how fame has changed him.
On “Sistanem,” JID raps “Look, I never gave that much a fuck about this shit / To let it challenge my integrity / But you questionin’ me, got me thinkin’ you thinkin’ less of me,” and acknowledges the transformation he’s made since becoming famous, but also how fame affects his relationship with the values that he came from.
The conclusion of the album is quite confusing in relation to the rest of the project. Similar to “Raydar,” “Lauder Too” presents a longer song with a beat switch, but the beats couldn’t be more drastically different from each other. This, however, is what makes JID a great artist: His ability to adapt to any and everything both lyricially and melodically.
In all, “The Forever Story” is an amazing album and a contender for rap album of the year thus far. While it has some glaring faults, including some features that feel unnecessary or could’ve been suited for other songs, the album continues to build upon the modern day legend of JID. He recaptures the sound that made so many dedicated hip-hop fans fall in love with him right before the turn of the decade.