Forever and Always: JID is back | Krishna Nagarajan
On The Forever Story, JID skillfully demonstrates his rapping ability and unique lyricism.
JID has somehow been able to handle everything that’s been thrown at him. He was on the verge of graduating from Hampton University in Virginia and his family suddenly got the call: he had been expelled. He was then kicked out of his home by his father, left with a Pontiac G6 and a drive that has stayed with him to this day.
On his latest album The Forever Story, the Grammy award-nominated rapper has, in some ways, grown into his shoes as he thoughtfully introspects about his success and how the past shapes each and every person in its own unique way. He also delves into the importance of family and how this has shaped his life. After a soulful introduction, in which the rising rapper calmly says “Forever can’t be too far away/From never, stay where you are/Everyone’s a star, every day’s the move”. This intro sets the tone for what is to come on this carefully crafted album. In the following song, Raydar, JID explains that he has something to offer to each person who listens to his music, but not in an overbearing or slightly corny matter; rather, over the fast beat, the rapper uses crafty lyricism to cleverly introduce a theme that is so pivotal throughout his album.
JID also reflects on his past experiences with poverty and difficult life as a child on both “Can’t Punk Me” (featuring Earth Gang, his frequent collaborators with whom he released Spilligion, a full studio album from 2020) and “Crack Sandwich”–these two songs truly help show who the 32-year-old rapper is: a man of intelligence is moving toward greater knowledge regarding his own identity.
On “Surround Sound” with 21 Savage and Baby Tate, JID shows his innate rapping ability and unique lyricism that separates him from many of his peers. However, the rapper dives even deeper during the core of his album: in “Sistanem”, JID looks at how his fame has impacted a once-unbreakable relationship with his sister while on “Bruddanem”, a Lil Durk-assisted song, both rappers analyze their profound love for their brothers. In “Can’t Make U Change”, Ari Lennox (a fellow Dreamville artist), the rising star references his views and relationships with women and how this has been impacted by his success in the music industry. To conclude the album, JID builds off “Lauder” (on which he talks about his goals and dreams for the future), and on “Lauder Too”, he is left thinking about the concept of his future and his aforementioned goals.
The Forever Story is an impactful album that serves as a glimpse into the mind of one of the most promising rappers in today’s generation and connects the mind and soul of the listener as this body of work gradually moves toward an overall concept of internal peace. JID powerfully intertwined so many ideas into a masterful body of work that only leaves the listener thinking about what the future holds.