2016 ended with J. Cole dropping the surprise 4 Your Eyez Only album, which topped Billboard’s 200 album chart following its debut in December. As he continues to make moves for his Dreamville crew while he climbs higher and higher into rap’s Mount Olympus, a surprise announcement that J.I.D was the newest signee to Dreamville Records was recently made. So far, not much is known about the Atlanta native outside of his most recognizable single, “The Never Story.”
With that in mind, allow HipHopDX to provide several facts about J.I.D.
J.I.D Is The 7th Signee To Dreamville
J.I.D would be the first new artist signed to Dreamville since Ari Lennox in 2015. This rounds out the label’s artist roster to seven. Though Dreamville has yet to produce an artist with the same chart topping abilities as their fearless leader, clearly some plans are being set in motion to make them a priority.
He’s Pushing His Pontiac G6 Until He Can Get A Maybach
In “The Never Story,” J.I.D talks vividly about his Pontiac G6. For those who don’t know, this is the car that Oprah gave out to audience attendees in 2004. The mid-sized family sedan is a vehicle he drove in college and even lived in at one point. According to the video, he also once had rims and other accessories in his whip. Currently, the driver side handle is missing due to a robbery attempt. At least Cole enjoys the ride.
A Member Of The Spillage Village Collective
The Spillage Village collective has spent the past couple of years helping bring Atlanta’s alternative Hip Hop scene to the forefront. Alongside J.I.D, EarthGang, Jordxn Bryant and Hollywood JB are all members of the team. So far, the collective has dropped several projects including last year’s Bears Like This Too Much, which featured Cole as well.
He’s Already Worked With Quentin Miller, 6lack & O.G. Maco
J.I.D has a few significant friends within the industry already as Spillage Village has collaborated with some heavy talent. This includes working alongside Quentin Miller, 6lack, O.G. Maco and a host of others. He’s even branched out to international waters with a guest verse on a project from Filipino songstress Karencitta.
“Never” Has Reached Over A Million Spotify Streams Since Its Release Last December
Today, a lot of listeners are just being put on to J.I.D and streams of his earlier work are probably going through the roof. Though the monochrome video for “Never,” dropped just yesterday, the Christo and Childish Major-produced track has been out since last December and currently sits at a million streams so far. Expect that number to be boosted in light of the recent Dreamville news.