Why You Should Pay Attention to JID
Spencer Yu, Staff Writer
Destin Choice Route, more commonly known as JID, has been touted as one of the best rappers to come out of the 2010’s for his unquestionable ability on the mic. With his latest release, The Forever Story, he shows that not only is he capable of putting out one of the best rap albums this year while working to evolve himself as not only an artist but as a person.
Introspection is not an uncommon theme in the hip-hop genre with big-name artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. Artists often rap about themselves in a manner of self-reflection to give the listener a better understanding of them as a person and perhaps to have a moment of catharsis. Often telling stories of their brightest and darkest moments to paint a picture.
Route does this in spades, telling experiences from him being a struggling artist, being with his siblings, all the way to him being the successful rapper that he is now. What I really like is how he is able to not only execute multiple flows and voices while penning some incredible bars, but he is able to do it so casually. It is very clear Route is very confident in his ability and he doesn’t need to strain himself to show it.
If he continues on this trajectory of self-improvement, I feel that in a few years we would be championing Route as one of the greats as we do with rappers like Lamar and Cole.
The Forever Story isn’t a particularly cinematic album compared to some of the rap albums of the last decade, however, it more than makes up for that with the fantastic production throughout. This is Route at his best and it is evidently clear with the beat switches and excellent use of samples on tracks like “Surround Sounds.”
The thing I love the most about this album is how much variety it offers. Aggressive songs with 808’s that just punch through like on the track “Raydar” to a more mellow jazz-inspired beat with the track “Can’t Make You Change,” there is a song here for every type of rap fan and there is not a single song on this album that is worth skipping— it is that well executed.
This album also features a very wide variety of features including fellow Dreamville members Ari Lennox and hip -hop duo Earthgang. Alongside some fairly big names including 21 Savage, Yasiin Bey (known more commonly as Mos Def), Lil Durk, Lil Wayne and Kenney Mason. While all of the features performed admirably, a standout for me personally is Bey’s verse on the track “Stars.” Not only is he able to tell a story of the unfortunate parts of the rap star lifestyle but he blends it with arguably the best wordplay on the album. My personal favourite line is “VVS is very vertebrae snappin’ lights flashin’.”
Normally when I review an album I set aside a section to give some critiques as to how I think the album can be improved but there isn’t one that I can reasonably offer. Personally, I prefer albums that are under an hour long but even here it warrants the extra length due to how unique and how well produced each track is. Maybe it could have been more cinematic but then again, it doesn’t need it. It is a very dense and well put together package.
The Forever Story is everything a modern rap album should be. A massive variety of sounds, epic rapping, good features, well-told stories and well-produced beats. If you don’t like this album you don’t like rap music, period.
