After moving up to VA to attend Hampton University on a full-ride football scholarship, JID met Doctur Dot and Johnny Venus from EarthGang, which would prove itself to be an important career builder in years to come. After his time at HU, he would move in with the two.
JID would release his first three mixtapes in 2010, 2011 and 2012 all the while working in call centers and delivering pizzas to provide for himself until he began to book and get paid for shows. He released his fourth mixtape, Para Tu, in 2013, but would go on to re-release it in 2017. In 2014, he released Bears like This along with the rest of Spillage Village , Johnny Venus, Doctor Dot, Hollywood JB, Jurdan Bryant, Mereba, 6lack and Benji. At the top of 2015, he released his first EP, Dicaprio, followed by Spillage Village’s Bears like this Too in July. with features and production from artists like Bas, Mac Miller, Ducko Mcfli, Childish Major and J. Cole
In 2017, JID was signed to Dreamville Records. On the heels of the release of his first official single, “Never,” JID released The Never Story, which included guest features from EarthGang, 6LACK, and Mereba, and production from J. Cole and Childish Major, among others. This project officially established JID as a lyricist with many critical reviews complimenting his songwriting ability and his use of beats that juxtapose the bass heavy ones that many other Southern artists use. Later that year he co-headlined the Never Had Shit Tour along with Earthgang.
In 2018, JID would go on to be named an XXL Freshman and participate in an XXL Freshman Cypher with Ski Mask the Slump God, which was pretty good. In late 2018, JID would drop DiCaprio 2 with features from A$AP Ferg, 6LACK, Ella Mai, BJ the Chicago Kid, Method Man and Joey Bada$$.
JID names Sly and the Family Stone, D'Angelo, Wu-Tang Clan, Little Dragon, Nas, Jay-Z, Arctic Monkeys, OutKast, T.I., Goodie Mob and Gucci Mane as influences and you can hear the influence of funk and even jazz in his music from the smoothness in his delivery on several tracks to the production that he chooses to use.
JID also has his fair share of collaborators. In addition to being a part of Spillage Village, he is also a member of the hip hop supergroup Zoink Gang, with Smino, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000.
JiD would release his third album, The Forever Story in mid-2022 after teasing the album all throughout the previous year. The album would feature Kenny Mason, EarthGang, 21 Savage, Baby Tate, Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, Yasiin Bey, Lil Wayne, Johntá Austin, Ravyn Lenae and Eryn Allen Kane.
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