Born and raised in East Atlanta, Grammy nominated J.I.D has been heralded as “one of rap’s best storytellers” (Rolling Stone). He grew up on his parents’ collection of classic funk/soul LPs, and broke onto the scene with his 2015 EP, DiCaprio.
When J.I.D joined hip hop duo EARTHGANG on tour, he was spotted by J.Cole who promptly signed him to his Interscope Records venture, Dreamville Records. Soon after signing to Dreamville, he made his major-label debut with the widely celebrated The Never Story (2017), followed up quickly by the critically acclaimed album DiCaprio 2 (2018). The sophomore project received major looks from critics and helped induct the rapper to the year’s XXL’s Freshmen class.
In 2019, J.I.D continued his momentum with stellar contributions to Dreamville’s Platinum certified compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III which went on to debut #1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts and received multiple GRAMMY nominations including “Best Rap Album” and “Best Rap Performance.” Revered for his live performance style, he continued to tour across the country and internationally selling out venues and festival stages.
2022 proved to be a massive year for the Atlanta rapper who was celebrating a global hit over the winter break in “Enemy” with Imagine Dragons. The huge single primed fans for the first release off J.I.D’s third studio album The Forever Story — a much anticipated project by fans and critics alike. The Forever Story is J.I.D’s most personal project to date featuring a slew of guest artists including Lil Wayne, Yasiin Bey, James Blake, Lil Durk, and more. It topped many “Best of 2022” lists including Rolling Stone, Complex, GQ, XXL, Pitchfork and received an incredible live rendition on NPR’s Tiny Desk stage. The 16-track album — including the fan celebrated outro “2007” featuring J.Cole — was a celebration of storytelling and J.I.D’s ability to weave personality and prose seamlessly across infectious production, executive produced by longtime collaborator and DJ Christo. The music was brought to life when J.I.D toured the album on the completely sold out “Luv Is 4Ever” tour alongside hip-hop artist Smino.
His nimble, head-nodding lyricism and lightning-fast flow has awarded J.I.D a loyal and cult-like fanbase while his dedication to perfecting the art is sportsman-like, leaving room for J.I.D to be one of rap’s greatest in the making.