Fans seemingly waited “Forever” for JID’s third studio album The Forever Story.
Dropping the highly-anticipated project at midnight ET on Aug. 26, it had been nearly four years since the Dreamville superstar shared his previous LP DiCaprio 2 (2018) — ultimately becoming one of the most quick-witted, versatile and beloved wordsmiths in the game.
Comedian and rapper Zack Fox encapsulated fans’ feelings best on a teaser titled “Tough Love,” saying “Just drop the album n—a” while he repeatedly flames JID for making fans wait this long. However, the Forever-long wait was well worth it.
Featuring a star-studded production roster in KAYTRANADA, Thundercat, James Blake and features from Kenny Mason, Lil Wayne, Lil Durk, EARTHGANG, Ravyn Lenae and more, The Forever Story is everything JID is and is willing to be — evidently pushing himself to the forefront of Album Of The Year conversations. Holding transparency at its core, TFS leaves no stone unturned for the Atlanta mainstay — defining each side to his sound and documenting his journey to Forever.
In the weeks after the album’s arrival, JID continued building on the multi-dimensional project, as he added album’s slighted, 7-minute outro “2007” to the project as an Extended Version on Nov. 3. The song, named after the year he realized his rap dreams, was originally meant to close the album off, but due to sample clearance issues, he had to release it solely on YouTube a day before TFS‘ release.
Full of vocal contributions from Dreamville co-founder Ibrahim Hamad, JID’s father and J. Cole, “2007” sees JID speak on the process of transitioning his passion for football into rapping. Although he could not include the use of the “HiiiPower” by Kendrick Lamar sample, JID can finally rest assured that he gave fans the full Forever Story experience with “2007”‘s long-awaited inclusion.
Earlier on, JID also provided three additional music videos post-TFS release. Nearly an entire month after delivering the family-driven “Kody Blu 31” visual, JID unleashed the video for the LP’s thirteenth track “Money.” Depicting two young brothers practically raising themselves, the video shows how the blissfulness of youth can distract from the hardships of poverty.
Following this, JID dropped the combined visual for “Bruddanem” and “Crack Sandwich” on Oct. 19, just a week after he had announced his North American “Luv Is 4Ever Tour” with Smino, set to begin in January 2023. It truly feels like the promotion of this project will last “Forever,” and rightfully so.
In terms of the musicality on TFS, songs like “Raydar,” “Kody Blu 31,” “Stars” with Yasiin Bey and “Bruddanem” with Lil Durk all prove to be masterpieces in their own right. “Dance Now,” with a guest appearance from fellow Atlantan Kenny Mason, was another instant highlight on the LP. Released on Aug. 9 as the album’s second single, “Dance Now” is JID and Kenny’s third collaboration together — with the former two cuts being on IDK‘s “Cereal” and Dreamville’s “Stick” off D-Day. They reconnect on “Just In Time” with Lil Wayne later in the record, but “Dance Now” truly sees them flex their chemistry — playing to their strengths in all aspects.
Consisting of two patented, choppy, Ja Morant-inspired verses from JID, separated by a soulful hook from Mason, “Dance Now” contains subtle yet effective changes in the beat and smooth harmonized ad-libs halfway through. The “bum bum” looped vocal on the beat creates a comfortable, jazzy atmosphere that JID has leaned into recently and throughout his career, evident on songs like “Surround Sound” with 21 Savage and Baby Tate. Of JID’s prior 2022 singles, only “Surround Sound” and “Dance Now” landed on TFS.
A lot of growth has gone into this version of JID, as The Forever Story helps the slick-tongued Georgian define his legacy for the “Forever” that’s ahead of him.
Listen to JID’s ‘The Forever Story’ extended version below!
