The Forever Story

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The Forever Story
JID - The Forever Story.png
Studio album by
JID
ReleasedAugust 26, 2022
Recorded2020–2022
Length59:06
Label
Producer
JID chronology
Spilligion
(2020) 		The Forever Story
(2022)
Singles from The Forever Story
  1. "Surround Sound"
    Released: January 14, 2022
  2. "Dance Now"
    Released: August 9, 2022

The Forever Story is the third studio album by American rapper JID. It was released on August 26, 2022, through Dreamville and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Kenny Mason, EarthGang, 21 Savage, Baby Tate, Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, Yasiin Bey, Lil Wayne, Johntá Austin, Ravyn Lenae and Eryn Allen Kane.

Background[]

The Forever Story was a highly anticipated project, as it marks JID's first solo output in almost four years, since the critically acclaimed DiCaprio 2 was released in 2018.[1] Our Generation Music wrote: "With a forthcoming album that's been in the works for nearly a half decade, fans could ironically call the wait for JID's next project 'The Forever Story.'"[2]

Conceptually, The Forever Story is a sequel to JID's debut album, The Never Story, released in 2017.[2] The title is a direct reference to the 2017 album's title, and the artwork alludes to the 2017 album's artwork.[3] The artwork depicts the rapper "standing in the middle of a crowd containing people from all walks of life",[4] capturing "the different realities Black people face in America."[5]

Recording and production[]

In March 2020, JID began working on the album at the Spillage Village studio house in Atlanta with members of the group expected make appearances. However due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they decided to record collectively for the album Spilligion.[6] In an interview with, he told Billboard, "This next album [The Forever Story] is the best shit I've ever done in my life. Every step I've taken was worth it, and our blocks are building."[7]

The album was executive produced by Barry "Hefner" Johnson, JID, and Christo. The production was mainly handled by Christo, Monte Booker, Kaytranada, James Blake, Thundercat, DJ Khalil, Childish Major, Groove, Tommy Brown and Cardiak, among others.[8]

Promotion and release[]

JID began teasing his third studio album in 2019 through use of social media, but promotion did not begin until January 2022, when the lead single, "Surround Sound", was released. During his performance at Coachella in April 2022, he told the crowd he would announce the album release date during another performance the next week; however, he never ended up doing it.[9] On August 9, 2022, he unveiled the album artwork and revealed that it would be released on August 26. A second single from the album, "Dance Now", was also released the same day.[3] On August 19, JID released "2007"—a song which was originally meant to serve as the album's outro, but could not be included in the end due to problems with sample clearance—exclusively through YouTube.[10] On August 22, he revealed the album tracklist, consisting of fifteen tracks.[11] Two days before the release, JID hosted a promotional scavenger hunt event in three different US cities; he instructed fans that those who are able to locate a Pontiac G6 (a car JID used to own) will get to hear the album early.[12] The album was officially released on August 26, 2022.[13]

Music and lyrical themes[]

Prior to the release, JID commented on the album's themes and creation process: "Initially I wanted to create an album that serves as an origin story and speaks to who I am and what I came from. [...] This has been the heaviest project for me to make and I take pride in my vulnerability that came in the midst of creation."[14] In an interview with Complex, JID spoke on why he wanted to include personal family stories in the album saying:

[My family] is basically a part of how I became who I am. It gives inklings of why my [mindset] is a certain type of way. I gave more detail and in-depth stories [on this album], but there's still more layers to be peeled back, which I am going to do because this is going to be a long process of trying to understand me. This is just a good piece of the origin story, and this is me finding that space to be more visible and present with words.[15]

The original outro for the album, "2007", is a narrative-driven song that tells the story of JID's upbringing and college experience from an aspiring football player to a rapper. JID highlighted release dates of several albums as checkpoints to depict critical moments in his life, such as J. Cole's The Come Up, The Warm Up, and Cole World: The Sideline Story, Kendrick Lamar's Section.80, and his debut The Never Story. The song also includes skits from his father talking about when he found out JID was kicked out of college and decided to pursue rapping, and J. Cole telling the story about how they met and when he decided to sign him to Dreamville.[15]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Clash8/10[18]
HipHopDX3.2/5[19]
Pitchfork7.3/10[20]
TheNeedleDrop9/10[21]

The Forever Story was met with critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 5 reviews.[16]

Ben Broyd of Clash praised the album, saying “JID’s latest release is a wonderful insight into the rapper’s formative years, and ultimately through the introspective manner allows for an enthralling listen. Through ‘The Forever Story’ JID has claimed his seat at the prestigious table of Atlantan greats”.[18] Writing for Pitchfork, Dylan Green called it “a sprawling and sometimes frustrating bridge between JID’s upbringing and his place within hip-hop canon and Black history at large”.[20] In an anonymously written assessment for AllMusic, the reviewer claimed that it was "an album every bit as ambitious and monumental as the two solo studio outings that preceeded it" and felt it demonstrated that JID was, "growing in terms of technical talent while also opening up more lyrically."[17]

In a more mixed review for HipHopDX, David Aaron Brake claimed that "the skills are there, it’s littered with flashy displays of technique and it sounds better than fine most of the time. But there’s nothing on the line: at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who wins the game."[19]

Track listing[]

The Forever Story track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Galaxy"
Monte Booker0:52
2."Raydar"
3:24
3."Dance Now" (with Kenny Mason)
  • Christo
  • Aviad
3:47
4."Crack Sandwich"
4:57
5."Can't Punk Me" (with EarthGang)
3:23
6."Surround Sound" (featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate)
3:49
7."Kody Blu 31"
  • Route
  • Justin Barnett
  • Jerramy Barnett
  • DJ Barnett
  • Nick Barnett
  • J. Welch
  • Ian Welch
  • Margaux Whitney
  • Taji Jones-Ausar
  • Christo
  • Benji
  • Yuli
  • Tane Runo
3:44
8."Bruddanem" (featuring Lil Durk)
3:55
9."Sistanem"
  • Hollywood Cole
  • Christo
  • Yuli
6:09
10."Can't Make U Change" (with Ari Lennox)
  • Elite
  • Christo
  • Bass Charity
  • A.J. Hall
4:48
11."Stars" (featuring Yasiin Bey)
  • BADBADNOTGOOD
  • E. Jones
  • Christo
4:18
12."Just in Time" (with Kenny Mason featuring Lil Wayne)
  • Monte Booker
  • Christo
3:27
13."Money"
Khrysis4:26
14."Better Days" (featuring Johntá Austin)
  • Route
  • Johntá Austin
  • J. Welch
  • I. Welch
  • Ju. Barnett
  • Je. Barnett
  • D. Barnett
  • N. Barnett
  • Christo
  • Benji
  • Hero the Band
4:14
15."Lauder Too" (featuring Ravyn Lenae and Eryn Allen Kane)
3:53
Total length:59:06

Notes

  • "Galaxy" features additional vocals by Benji, Asiahn, Eryn Allen Kane & Reggie Ball, Sr
  • "Raydar" features additional vocals by Benji
  • "Dance Now" features additional vocals by Fousheé & Jesse Royal
  • "Crack Sandwich" features additional vocals by Bas & Yuli
  • "Kody Blu 31" features additional vocals by Benji, Olu, Jean, Sheed, Hero the Band, Vonda Fuller & Barbara Wilson
  • "Bruddanem" features spoken word by Mustafa the Poet
  • "Sistanem" features additional vocals by James Blake, Benji, Sheed, Jean, Justine Skye & Fousheé
  • "Can’t Make U Change" features additional vocals by Sheed & Vonda Fuller
  • "Stars" features additional vocals by Benji, Sheed, Jean & Tane Runo
  • "Money" features additional vocals by Randall Smith, Kaden Chea, Maddison Williams, Sunshine & Emma Hathaway Delhomme
  • "Better Days" features additional vocals by Angel White

Charts[]

Chart performance for The Forever Story
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 42
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 65
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 59
Irish Albums (OCC)[25] 50
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[26] 46
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[27] 16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 69
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 74
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[30] 36
US Billboard 200[31] 12

References[]

  1. ^ "J.I.D. × Surround Sound". 360 Magazine. January 16, 2022. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Galindo, Thomas (August 8, 2022). "JID drops 'Dance Now' with Kenny Mason ahead of 'The Forever Story'". Our Generation Music. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Kress, Bryan (August 9, 2022). "JID Announces New Album The Forever Story, Shares "Dance Now" with Kenny Mason and Fousheé: Stream". Consequence. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Gonzalez, Alex (August 9, 2022). "JID Finally Shares A Release Date For 'The Forever Story' And It's Coming Sooner Than You Think". Uproxx. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Saponara, Michael (August 9, 2022). "JID Shares New Single 'Dance Now' & 'The Forever Story' Album Cover Art". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Ridner, Grant. "How Spillage Village Hunkered Down in Atlanta and Captured the Chaos of 2020". Rolling Stone.
  7. ^ "J.I.D Says His Career Is at a 'Boiling Point' After Top Five Hot 100 Success of 'Enemy'". Billboard.
  8. ^ "JID reveals 'The Forever Story' official tracklist". Revolt.
  9. ^ Williams, Ian (June 21, 2022). "Everything we know about JID's 'The Forever Story'". Our Generation Music. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  10. ^ DeVille, Chris (August 19, 2022). "JID Tells His Story With Help From His Dad, J. Cole, & More On "2007"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Destin Route [@JIDsv] (August 22, 2022). "JID.lnk.to/TheForeverStory [...]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (August 24, 2022). "JID Holds Scavenger Hunt So Fans Can Hear His New Album Early". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  13. ^ Callas, Brad (August 26, 2022). "JID Drops New Album 'The Forever Story' f/ Lil Durk, 21 Savage, Lil Wayne, and More". Complex. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  14. ^ Powell, Jon (August 19, 2022). "JID unveils autobiographical new single "2007"". Revolt. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "JID Has Mastered the Art of Patience". Complex.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Forever Story by JID Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Staff, The TiVo (August 24, 2022). "JID – The Forever Story Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Broyd, Ben (August 26, 2022). "JID – The Forever Story: The Atlantan storyteller returns with a generational album …". Clash. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Brake, David Aaron. "JID | The Forever Story Album Review". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Green, Dylan. "JID - The Forever Story". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  21. ^ Fantano, Anthony. "J.I.D - The Forever Story ALBUM REVIEW". The Needle Drop. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  22. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – JID – The Forever Story" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  24. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – JID – The Forever Story" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  25. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  26. ^ "2022 35-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  27. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – JID – The Forever Story". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  30. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  31. ^ "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (1/2)..." Billboard on Twitter. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
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