By Nick Forbes, Managing Editor of Content
Hip-Hop. It is undoubtably the most prolific music genre of our generation. Since its humble beginnings in the late 80s, Hip- Hop has undergone so many changes and so much evolution that the rap music of today is almost a completely different genre than the Grandmaster-Flash-era of rappers.
Hip-Hop began as a political tool; an outlet for African-Americans fighting against injustice and racism. Hip-Hop gave a voice to a culture that, in a racially divided America, wouldn’t have one. The instrumentation was important, but what was more important were the lyrics. And so they were for the next 20 or so years.
In the 90s, lyrical legends reigned supreme, with Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. spinning mind-boggling tales of life in the hoods of the East and West coasts. Nas burst on to the scene with a flow and bars so next level that he is a consensus top-three rapper of all time.
Eminem broke barriers in the late 90s as one of the first white rappers to go mainstream and garner respect from a pre- dominantly black fanbase and culture. What set Eminem apart was the dizzying speed in which he delivered his rhymes, and the vocabulary that Em boasts is second to none.
But somewhere along the way, the love for lyricism was lost. In the early 2010s, Hip-Hop’s lyrical fingerprint was set aside in favor of funky beats and window-rattling bass lines. Enter the “mumble rap” generation.
Artists like Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti and Kodak Black redefined the genre with unintelligible verses and flows that sound like they should be more a part of the instrumental rather than the focal point of the song. Much to the dismay of Hip-Hop “old heads,” it seemed that original sound of Hip-Hop had gone away.
That is, until 2018. Enter J.I.D.: Atlanta-born M.C. who, despite actively pursuing music since 2010, didn’t gain notoriety until 2017. In fact, I’d venture to say that most of you reading this haven’t heard of J.I.D.
How do I describe J.I.D.’s style? The words that come to mind are “jittery” or “frenetic.” The 28-year-old’s high pitched voice and fast-paced, off-kilterflow is an anomaly in today’sworld of rap, and in my opinion a welcome one.
On Nov. 28, 2018, the rapper released his second studio album, “DiCaprio 2,” to little fanfare. Nonetheless, the album slid into the 17 slot on Billboard’s 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2018 list.
I know that it’s 2019 and reviewing an album from last year may seem untimely, but you know what? We’re going to do it anyway, because I bet you all haven’t heard of it yet. And also, this thing slaps.
The first track after the album’s intro, entitled “Slick Talk” features J.I.D. nonchalantly declaring himself one of the best rappers in the game: “When I’m done, please know that I was trying to diss y’all/ ‘Cause if this is a competition, then I’m setting this bar.”
The next two tracks on the album, “Westbrook” and “Off Deez,” feature Hip-Hop heavy- weights A$AP Ferg and J. Cole respectfully. Both songs are immaculate, but “Off Deez” re- mains one of my favorite songs off the album to this day.
J.I.D. decimates the track like it’s nothing, spitting verses so fast it makes you wonder if he ever needs to take a breath. It doesn’t hurt that this song features an all- time verse from J. Cole.
The album continues to rise in intensity: with high-paced beats on “151 Rum” and “Off da Zoinkys” J.I.D. touches on every subject, ranging from his lyrical dominance, to women he’s loved, to his upbringing in drug-infested Atlanta.
One of the most special songs on the album for me is “Skrawberries:” an ode to a girl J.I.D. had been with that was produced by the late Mac Miller – my favorite artist.
“I mean shawty had relations thatwenevercouldspeakabout/ You get mad, I’m mad, we sleep it out,” the rapper spits over the shimmery instrumental.
I’m sure that mumble rap will be around for years to come. Just to be clear, I don’t mind that. I actually like a lot of the rap artists of this generation. But the emergence of J.I.D. is like a beacon in the night to lifelong hip-hop fans. Lyricism is not dead.