J.I.D - The Never Story
Hailing from Atlanta, J.I.D got my antenna perked up when it was announced that he was Dreamville's latest signee. Dreamville and Top Dawg Entertainment have been on an absolute tear recently as the snap up artists who are largely unknown, fit either label's aesthetic yet hold their own as unique talents and J.I.D fits that mould perfectly.
Listening to an artist for the first time always brings joy, especially when that first listen involves a body of work and not just a song. This was not only my first opportunity to learn about J.I.D and hear his narrative covered on 'The Never Story' it was also my first opportunity to hear why J Cole and Dreamville snapped him up. Given that, I was eager to enter J.I.D's world and play this album on repeat to really catch his drift.
Trying to catch J.I.D's drift leaves you in a place where you're pondering a mixture of Andre 3000 lyrics and Old Dirty Bastard's grittiness. You can hear J.I.D spit pure bars on 'Never' or 'Lauder' where he not only juggles flows and rhyme schemes, but the subject matter and content leaves you in a fluff as you try to rewind. For many, this will come as a welcome surprise with Atlanta's music scene now headlined by your standard thumping/mumbling tracks and J.I.D rides in the opposite direction as he delivers music from the gutter in an enticing fashion.
Whether J.I.D is telling you that he's 'never had a Rolly on my wrist' or that he 'slept in a car, but never a park or a bench' you can understand the reality of the story J.I.D is telling. Constantly going at 'happy trappers' and keeping it all the way real about his situation leaves you in no doubt that J.I.D is the messenger for a sound or story that just hasn't been told yet. There's a heavy amount of inspiration in J.I.D's music which is slipped in on most tracks, with the introspective vibe also a highlight as J.I.D is honest in assessing his demons or difficulties he faces.
Chuck in funky references to 'Ed, Edd and Eddy' as well as dropping a melancholy cool Mathew McConaughey nod on 'Underwear' along with the upbeat, 'Somebody' and you've got layers to the gritty lyrics offered by J.I.D. Everything feels gritty and dirty, it's just that J.I.D appears to be able to ride different sounds and use his voice to deliver what could be heard as a gloomy message in a funky manner.
Anticipation is the only feeling left are enjoying The Never Story as I now wait to see what moves J.I.D will make next and hear what music he delivers. That anticipation is countered by the fact that The Never Story stands alone as a entertaining and low key though provoking album; regardless of what's next with J.I.D and Dreamville, I'll still bump this hard-hitting project a whole lot.