{"id":69,"date":"2022-09-20T20:20:03","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T20:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/?p=69"},"modified":"2022-09-20T20:20:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-20T20:20:03","slug":"jid-the-forever-story-album-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/2022\/09\/20\/jid-the-forever-story-album-review\/","title":{"rendered":"JID &#8220;The Forever Story&#8221; Album Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An extremely well-rounded rap project showcasing JID\u2019s wealth of talent through a plethora of mediums.&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0:not(.this-stops-third-party-issues){margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list:not(.this-prevents-issues):not(.this-stops-third-party-issues):not(.tijsloc){margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);margin-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list{grid-row-gap:5px;}.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap .kt-svg-icon-list-single{margin-right:10px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-0 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-1 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-2 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-3 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-4 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-5 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-iconlist kt-svg-icon-list-items kt-svg-icon-list-items_b60907-f0 kt-svg-icon-list-columns-1 alignnone\"><ul class=\"kt-svg-icon-list\"><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-0 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong>RELEASED: <\/strong>August 26, 2022<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-1 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong>Label: <\/strong>Dreamville, Interscope Records<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-2 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong>Movement: <\/strong>Rap<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-3 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong>Lane: <\/strong>Kenny Mason, Lil Wayne Reason<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-4 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong>Rating: <\/strong>8.5 \/ 10<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-5 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong>Heat: <\/strong>Kody Blu 31, Radar, Can&#8217;t Punk Me<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Georgia-based artist JID is back with his third full length LP titled \u2018<em>The Forever Story\u2019.&nbsp;<\/em>It comes as the sequel to his first album&nbsp;<em>\u2018The Never Story\u2019&nbsp;<\/em>and contains 15 tracks for a total runtime of just under an hour.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To say the least, this project is amazing. It has everything you look for in a rap project and more. Every track keeps listeners on the edge of their seats with frequent beat switches, perfectly curated features, and amazing group vocals across the album.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You simply can\u2019t talk about JID without mentioning his mastery of wordplay and flow creativity. The bars on this project and frankly throughout his career are absolutely top notch. His calm and cool delivery is easy to listen to and it\u2019s difficult to even describe how unique and ingenious his lyrics are.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Off of&nbsp;<em>\u2018Kody Blue 31<\/em>\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSomebody told me when I was small&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>that the pride cometh right before the fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God son died for us all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So for mine, I\u2019m running through a wall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or especially in&nbsp;<em>\u2018Dance Now\u2019:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMomma said the Messiah\u2019s in moccasins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tryna save the kids in them apartments and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>show a way to live with other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Opulence, decadence, black excellence and lots of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: The Forever Story\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/3QVjpIxcksDkJmOnvlOJjg?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As for his flow creativity, JID has such a good sense of what flow will sound best at what time on which song. He has a seemingly bottomless vault of flows at his disposal and it seems he comes up with new ones daily. It\u2019s certainly refreshing to hear such creativity in hip-hop and JID is most definitely a leading pioneer for the genre currently.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an\u00a0interview for Apple Music\u00a0JID talks about the idea of \u2018<em>The Forever Story\u2019\u00a0<\/em>being symbolic of the seemingly unending systematic oppression faced by African-Americans, his family included. Throughout the album he raps about the injustices he\u2019s faced but how ultimately, the overlying theme is overcoming these through sticking together as a family and remaining true to where you came from.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A beautiful instance of this is the beginning of the track \u2018<em>Kody Blu 31\u2019&nbsp;<\/em>where JID samples a clip of his father singing a gospel song at his grandmother\u2019s funeral. It\u2019s a touching example of the richness and depth of JID\u2019s music and his excellence as an artist. Not to mention we get some genuinely good vocals from JID as he opens singing the chorus; just another addition to his wealth of talent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"710\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2022\/09\/jid-kody-blu-31-video.jpg\" alt=\"JID's family\" class=\"wp-image-73\" srcset=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2022\/09\/jid-kody-blu-31-video.jpg 710w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2022\/09\/jid-kody-blu-31-video-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2022\/09\/jid-kody-blu-31-video-230x130.jpg 230w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2022\/09\/jid-kody-blu-31-video-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2022\/09\/jid-kody-blu-31-video-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px\" \/><figcaption>In an interview for Apple Music JID speaks of the impact of his family on his music and how he is constantly trying to give back.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Features come at just the right times and serve to coincide and promote JID rather than him crowd out. Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and Earthgang standout with prominent contributions. Both acts have advanced lyrical skills which flourish alongside JID\u2019s own and the excellent production on both tracks demonstrates JID\u2019s skill in bringing out the best in the artists he collaborates with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ari Lennox delivers a smooth and airy performance on \u2018<em>Can\u2019t Make U Change\u2019&nbsp;<\/em>which is then capped out with a stellar verse from JID.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only thing missing really would be a feature from J Cole. JID is signed to Cole\u2019s Dreamville records (along with Ari Lennox and Earthgang as well) and the two have linked up several times in the past. Fans were expecting another hit from the two yet JID chose a different direction here. Considering how good the album is, it\u2019s not a major loss but it would have certainly been the icing on the cake.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nonetheless, this album is filled with creative lyrics, unique production and superb features that really serve to demonstrate JID\u2019s growth and evolution as an artist. Chart performance may not reflect it, but JID is fast becoming one of hip-hop\u2019s best and brightest. \u2018<em>The Forever Story\u2019&nbsp;<\/em>will certainly age well and is yet another classic on JID\u2019s discography.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An extremely well-rounded rap project showcasing JID\u2019s wealth of talent through a plethora of mediums.&nbsp; Georgia-based artist JID is back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":71,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/551"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/owenkroppsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}