Ever since I heard the Never Story by JID, I’ve been a fan of his art. His capabilities on the mic are up there with the most elite MC’s and his approach to a track is a sight to behold. I had been highly anticipating the Forever Story pretty much ever since I heard about it (as well as his other announced album, God Does Like Ugly), and when this album dropped on August 26th, Meechy and JID were fighting for spins on my Spotify.
I recognize that as I get older, it sometimes takes longer for albums to click with me. This was definitely one of those albums. I wanted to review this pretty much the week it came out, but if I did that, the review would have been largely negative. I didn’t grasp the concepts of the project and a lot of his lines went completely over my head, as did the production. I love the Never Story cause it had a little bit of grit to it. When Dicaprio 2 dropped, I recognized it for what it was, a great album that was marketed towards getting the college crowd and a way to stave the fans while he crafted the Forever Story. His work with Earthgang and 6LACK and the other brilliant artists in the Spillage Village Collective is incredible as well, and Spilligion still gets daily plays from me. Through all of those projects, I quickly adapted to the sound and the bars.
“You know it rains for somethin’, you know the pain’s for somethin’
JID – Kody Blu 31
I hope a change is comin’, just keep on swangin’ on”
This piece of art though definitely required 5 listens to click. Within the first few listens I recognize the surface level concepts; he’s getting real personal and he’s really digging into his past. I noticed his mentioning of siblings a lot more and the album didn’t come off as braggadocios as Dicaprio 2 did. It took the Never Story and catapulted it into a new stratosphere.
The opening track Galaxy is a great ode to the Never Story. It feels like a track that could have been made during the Spilligion sessions in 2020. From there, the first third of the album is what I expected from JID for the most part. There were hype tracks such as “Dance Now” and “Surround Sound” that share a braggadocios vibe to “Never”, and then more reflective tracks like Crack Sandwich. This is the first track that alludes to what the rest of the album will entail; family and how JID really is.
The final two thirds of this album took a turn that I wasn’t expecting, it’s the reason that it took me a whole month to review this project. JID delves deep into his family and his close circle. With Kody Blu 31, it feels like he’s singing an anthem for his people, both black and Atlantians. “Bruddanem” and “Sistanem” see JID reflecting on his siblings. “Sistanem” in particular is an incredible tune that chronicles his relationship with one of his sisters and how they communicated, or didn’t, during trying times as their families shrunk and they dealt with loss.
While I don’t intend to discuss every single track on this projects, there are a few standout moments I want to address, and those are the features. JID really took his time with the feature selection as well. Dreamville labelmates Earthgang and Ari Lennox killed it as always (Check out their albums, Ghetto Gods and A/S/L are great albums in their own right!) Getting Yaasin bey on a track was a great pick and it was amazing to see him get Wayne on a track, especially since JID has referenced him as a vital influence to his style and approach to rap. Wayne’s ‘time’ scheme was absolutely insane and it was our bi-yearly reminder that Wayne still has it and isn’t a slouch on the mic.
The final point is how JID decided to close this album. With “Better Days” and “Lauder Too”, JID makes sure he wraps up this album with incredible story telling. You can really see his maturity when he talks about how he approached the rap game in “Better Days”. It reminds me a lot of Vince Staples and how he discusses his approach to the rap game. His grasp of the game is strong and it shows me that he isn’t going to get swallowed whole by the industry.
“Fuck a net worth, I made a million off of merch
JID – “Better Days”
Pay the bills first and then invest in guest verses
Progress shit, the lessons, the blessings, the journey
Agitate the white guilt, explain the black burden”
Overall, this album is a masterpiece, it’s a work of art. I could sit here for hours and discuss how he managed to distill Atlanta into an album coupled with self reflective content and production that matches the vibe. I wish that 2007, the track that JID dropped a week or two before the album came out, was able to make the album. It definitely ties in the album together and is absolutely the bow on the gift that is The Forever Story. This album was absolutely worth the wait, JID did what very few could do, surpass expectations after an exceptionally long wait.
Memories In Wax 
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