J.I.D Tells Us His Cinematic Story: Once Upon A Time In DreamVille
Fiercely private, rarely caught being the centre of attention, yet admired across the globe – the sharp-witted artist talks to New Wave about growing up as the youngest of seven, his diehard love for films, the inspiring story behind his treasured Pontiac G6 and developing a close friendship with the talented Mac Miller just before his passing.
It’s midweek on a cold November day, J.I.D. is keeping his toes warm bouncing from shoot to shoot across East London. Through his reserved demeanour, the visiting Atlanta rapper is sharp and disarming, his head covered by one of the stylist’s caps with a few baby dreads peeping out.
Over the last decade, the man born Destin Choice Route has ascended to cult-hero status amongst fellow rappers and fans alike. Akin to Leonardo DiCaprio, one of Destin’s self-proclaimed idols, he wishes to expand his craft at any given opportunity. “Films are important to me. That's why DiCaprio was important for me. I just love art and creativity in any medium”. DiCaprio being known for both his diverse acting and direction, it seems apt really. This passion for film and attention to detail was something the young star-to-be inevitably picked up from growing up amongst seven older siblings.
The roots of hip-hop are largely founded in making something out of nothing, unafraid to break boundaries – turning "old food into soul food," as Jay-Z maintains. Although J.I.D has always shown skill in his penmanship, he reminds us he didn’t actually pick up a pen until he was in his 20s when his prospective football career was cut short after getting kicked out of school while working towards a law degree.
Words by Sophia Hill
Creative Direction: Derrick Odafi
Photography Elena Cremona
Styling Malcolm Yaeng
Styling Assistant Gloria Iyare
Grooming. Natalie Messino
Production Assistant Hiba Hassan
“My GPA was amazing. Everything was good. It just wasn't supposed to happen. I was gonna be a lawyer in some shape or form. And then I thought about it and I thought why would I want to be a lawyer to a fucked up system and put more people like me in jail. Or I could just go inside and just like fuck shit up.” But law was never in the horizon for J.I.D speaking on his feelings now he adds, “I just didn't want to be a part of none of it. But I learned a lot about it all. I took certain classes and it was letting me know like, this is all bullshit.”
Around the same time, he became close with fellow ATLiens, EARTHGANG, a crew of kindred souls and collaborators; propelling him to new heights, “we had a studio right across my dorm, but I wasn't really rapping. At that time, I was on a full football scholarship. I used to go after practice and record in the studio with the guys and that’s how I met them”.
As he tells this story, amongst others, Destin loosens up and relaxes into the sofa somewhat and despite this change, his soft spoken voice never quavers. We go on to talk about increasingly political topics, “during the pandemic last year. I got super close with James Blake. Super close to the point where he was furious about some issues we were talking about”, these issues being the 2020 protests which went on across the US and many other continents after the killing of George Flloyd. “He [James] was just super supportive of the whole cause. And he makes music, he’s like 6"5, like a beautiful fucking dolphin unicorn.”
His voracious hunger for both learning and sharing is apparent “ I'm a rabbit hole guy. Like if I see something I like or I see something that is interesting. I will rabbit hole the fuck out of that shit.” Each record J.I.D releases has its own narrative, his deftness and dexterity developed through years of work. He finally recieved his dues later on with the release of his first DiCaprio EP in 2015. He signed with J. Cole’s label, Dreamville, in 2016 and his debut album, The Never Story, was released the following March. His potential was once again revamped on DiCaprio 2, which offered a new horizons to his potential.
Destin’s 2019 music video starring Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort for “Off Da Zoinkys” was a particular standout. Destin cites a Robert Altman film as his inspiration for the video which, in turn, was inspired by a book I had read just the previous summer – The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler. A true testament to his potential as a director as it was apparent within this visual alone that Destin had successfully achieved a synonymy with Chandler’s character - Detective Philip Marlowe, this lonesome, troubled individual.
It’s in the lyrics, “I’m not nosy, but I know what I know”, this type of entrenched behaviour makes perfect sense for the famed enigma who leaves lookers-on with just the right balance of mystery and intrigue.
Full Suit, John Lawrence Sullivan
Hat, Thomas Olubiyi
Shoes, Artistt's Own
“We're super special in Atlanta right now. That's super inspiring in itself. Just beIng familiar with a bunch of talented black people, that's just the culture.”
Trousers, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro
Jewellry, Artist's Own
NW: JID, your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper, starting off tell me a little bit about yourself and tell me where you grew up, all that kind of stuff?
JID: Grew up in East Atlanta. Big family, youngest of 7. That’s really all, big, crazy, black family.
Crazy! A lot of artists we speak to with older siblings are often introduced to artists that are way beyond their years. You seem to have a really huge interest in that soul era. What artists were you listening to growing up in Atlanta?
Obviously, I like Neo Soul, like Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, stuff like that. Then, of course, hardcore Gangsta Rap. R&B too. I’m just super fluid in different genres. Even to this day, I appreciate different sounds and styles. I hope it comes out in my music.
100% You can feel that versatility in your style.
Thank you.
There was a video interview you did with pitchfork where you talked about your favourite verse, Outkast’s “Chonky Fire”. There's a lot of foundational figures that come from Atlanta. Are there any other artists from Atlanta that stood out to you?
Of course, you know, Outkast are like the forefathers! But, we got a scene in Atlanta right now that’s unparalleled... With Thug and Gunna, Baby, EARTHGANG, people like Kenny Mason & Noraz, people you haven’t even heard of. We're super special in Atlanta right now. That's super inspiring in itself. Just being familiar with a bunch of talented black people, that's just the culture.
Are you seeing your influence in Atlanta since you came out?
100% In what way?
People not being afraid to divide, you know everyone is into trap. Then there’s artists like me and a couple of other young guys I see like ‘oh yeah, I understand that’. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
There’s this ongoing conversation surrounding new and old school styles of rap...would you say that you’re trying to expand the definition of rap or is it more that you’re trying to take it back to what it was?
I feel like with every new artist, the genre grows, it’s like 50 sub-genres of rap now if you think about it. What Uzi and some of these other guys are doing, it’s not what the older guys could ever imagine. It’s like their wildest dreams, Run DMC for example, he didn't imagine Lil Uzi coming from there.
That trickle-down.
Yeah, that trickle-down [laughs]. I love it. Going back in time, you got to know the past to move forward. I don't think none of those old dudes could rap better than any of these new dudes right now. Just because it's smarter. It’s 2021. It's easier to get stuff out now. They definitely set the foundation though.
We hear what you're saying. We hate the idea of saying something's hasn’t developed, it's been there the same amount of time. It's grown into something else. You can't say that it's worse than it was before. It's just something different. We've moved on from that.
[J.I.D raps imitating Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”] “I said a hip hop,” Exactly! They used to be rapping about hip hop. Like, literally. That's literally what he said. Like all this shit. Now it’s people telling their life stories and helping people through those stories, there’s more ways to escape. As you say, there are more storytellers now, people like Maxo, yourself, Kendrick, J Cole... there's a lot of people that can narrate a story and carry people along the way.
That's a really incredible thing.
Exactly.
DiCaprio II really hit the mark for me. Like peeling off new layers to your skills as a rapper, and an artist as a whole. Really portraying that versatility. Is that something you were conscious of?
Yeah, it felt fresh when I was doing it, I feel like the first two projects I dropped would be super unexpected later on... We didn't do it for the number one, chart-topping success. But I feel like I needed to show people that this body of work is special, that’s what I make it for – for the longevity as opposed to just a flash in the pan, number one this week, and then it’s out of your life. I let the shit grow or I nurture it. And really, that's how people care about your craft. And I'll just take the same time, I'm easy. That's why I say you can take as long as it takes for me to drop the next one just because I'm growing with it.
Jacket, Song For the Mute
Trousers, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro
Jewellry, Artist's Own
Definitely. Listening back to your discography you can see the amount of work that you put into each project. Every album feels thoughtfully put together and your style matures. But how do you feel about the power of a single versus the power of an album?
I’m an album artist for sure. Like singles are cool and stuff. Well, singles are amazing. I'm
seeing a whole other side of it right now with this feature we just did with Imagine Dragons.
The song is going fucking insane and it’s like ‘Oh, this is what they mean’. [laughs]
How did that come about, was it just something that you were into at first?
Music is like a universal language. So, I feel like just as well as me being a fan of them
because I knew them before they came back, they were a fan of me. So it was just like a
beautiful union, even meeting with them and chilling with them, it was like ‘Oh, this perfect’ because I could stand beside y’all and I can really like agree with your morals and everything. That's what I try with the people I try to work with that think you don't do the normal things in the industry, you not of the same standards that everybody's trying to fit into.
Would you say that opened your eyes to things not just personally but also as an
artist? Aside from having a new audience...
It opened my eyes to a whole other world of music how is released and how people take
care and the time we put into one record is one song. I take that same time for albums.
When you have that one, you have that one. So, I'm trying to be on both ends of that. It’s
working pretty well, God willing everything plays out and I can turn into that superstar rapper
that I proclaim to be.
You have all the attributes to the the biggest; the skillset, the melodies, you have that potential to make big songs, that’s why this move is perfect because there’s probably people out there just now discovering you, what’s that like?
It’s fine because it’s just about patience over anything. You know what I’m saying? Just be
patient with it. I got signed in 2016. It’s about to be 2022! How many artists do you know that
pass through? That you don't even hear. I literally, today, at this moment have the biggest
song I've ever been a part of, like it’s steady growing. So, it's like, okay, that patience is a
virtue. It's like, it's no cap.
“I was always like, be inquisitive. When I was a child, to my parents I’d be like, “But why? Why? Why is that?” My mom always said I used to do that.”
Shirt Tokyo James
Trousers, John Lawrence Sullivan
Shoes, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro
Knit Sweater ZILVER
Trousers, ZILVER
Shoes, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro
What does having a legacy actually mean to you? In a few words.
Just family.
Great answer. You were on your way to a varsity career when you were younger, so, from football to studying other rappers, you seem to find a way to widen your skill-set no matter the circumstances you’re under. Was this curiosity something you had from a young age?
I was always like, be inquisitive. When I was a child, to my parents I’d be like, “But why? Why? Why is that?” My mom always said I used to do that. So even with that, I used to get in trouble. But at the same time, it turned into something that kept my imagination. It kept me always wanting to dig deeper into things. I'm a rabbit hole guy. Like if I see something I like or I see something that is interesting. I will rabbit hole the fuck out of that shit.
Do you feel like growing up with older siblings made you grow up faster?
Yeah, I'm definitely an old man. Even when I was a kid, I have siblings who are like six years older than me, so we weren't necessarily close. I wasn't super close, because I'm the youngest.
It's almost like having extra parents.
Exactly. It's just like watching them, making mistakes and stuff like that and just being around.
It's like juking in American Football, when you're on the field you see the mistake they make and you kind of like evade it
Exactly.
You talked about being an old man having those interests that are beyond your years. You had Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort in the visual for “Off Da Zoinkys” which was a really cool tribute to Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye. Have you got a particular interest in films?
100%. Films are important to me. That's why DiCaprio was that. I just love art and creativity in any medium. To be painting or dancing, but film is like something that I always had. My family always liked to watch movies and stuff. And I always took that with me along the walks of life and I just, I love movies.
So what are your top three?
It's hard to say.
Top three DiCaprio movies?
Ooo, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, is one of them. Imma say Apocalypto, he wasn't in it, but if you ever seen that movie, it's one of my favourites, Apocalypto. And I'll give you another... I mess the name up, it may be called The Beach. When they went to those island. It's amazing. He was young too, it's crazy.
What actually make made you become fascinated with DiCaprio?
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Because he was this kid playing someone who’s special and this is when I first came to the realisation he was acting. They really got this kid. That's even crazier. Like it's a key role. It just blew my mind and ever since then I've just been following his career.
If you were to become a director? What kind of director would you be?
I never even thought about that... I've been writing a script and it's kind of like sports comedy. But I wouldn't be a sports comedy director [laughs], I don't know. It'd definitely be some dark shit or something like super out of this world.
At university you started Spillage Village with EARTHGANG?
Yeah we were at school together in Virginia, it was cool. So We stayed in two different dorm rooms. And my dorm, we had a studio right across my room, so I wasn't really rapping. At that time I was on a full football scholarship. I used to go after practice and record with the studio with the guys and that’s how I met them. Especially like the first time, I didn't even hear about them before this, but when I met him, I had a song that I had recorded and I came in the room and they was recording. But it was tight. And ever since then, we just tapped in and we made Spillage Village together.
On the same frequency.
Yeah, I wouldn't be rapping if it wasn't for them, that's probably why people think they brought me in but we did it together like let's make this.
Isn't that crazy, that three guys go from that. That come up at college to now being signed to the same label. Like one of the biggest artists.
Yeah, we playing, we juked the label that we juked them like we were supposed to do something like that. We're from Atlanta, so we finesse. We knew it was going to work out. We just had to get the opportunity, to get to the platform.
So was that the moment that you first decided to properly pick up a notepad or were you already doing bits like that?
I got kicked out of college. And when I got kicked out I was like oh shit, I lost the full scholarship. I was playing football I was going into like my senior year. I was good, I was about to graduate. My GPA was amazing. Everything's good. It just wasn't supposed to happen. I was gonna be a lawyer in some shape or form. And then I thought about and I thought why would I want to be a lawyer to a fucked up system and put more people like me in jail. Or I could just go inside and just like fuck shit up.
“I was gonna be a lawyer in some shape or form. And then I thought about and I thought why would I want to be a lawyer to a fucked up system and put more people like me in jail. Or I could just go inside and just like fuck shit up.”
So were you into criminal law more than corporate law and stuff?
It's all trash. I just didn't want to be a part of any of it. But I learned a lot about it all. I took certain classes and it was letting me know like, this is all bullshit.
You've got an understanding of two sides of the coin, you were a student of law and you've actually been on the other side where you're like fuck this.
I can help more over on this side.
100%.
I don't have to... I can't lose my bar, you know when they say pass the bar. – well they can't take it away from me.
What would you say is one thing about the system, let's say in law or society...
Black shit. Anything to the opposition of Black people. I just don't fuck with it. It has been oppression. I'm from the South, from Georgia... Who was I talking to about Lake Lanier [looks around the room], just little shit like that, like if you know the history of the place, Lake Lanier, in Georgia it's a Black town, killed all the people, flooded. Made it Lake Lanier, what the fuck. That's the type of shit.
We realised what was that, like, certain things change over time, but it derives from these like, dark sinister things and it's just like commonplace now.
Yeah, these memories, these people: can't be erased. You can feel it, you can feel it. Being in these places, in these towns, my parents are from small towns in South Georgia. Everybody knows about Atlanta. It's a Black clusterfuck, it's a great city, you can see the richest black woman down to poorest black man there on the same black, we drive outside of Atlanta, it might be difficult for you. You might get pulled over, you might get... I don't even know, it's 2021. But it still is a possibility. Which is even more ridiculous.
And it's quite interesting that you say about carrying the the past of that town you're carrying the past. And it's important as an artist, to bring people's awareness to it.
Yeah, learn the history.
It can be it can be quite a lot of pressure as well in some situations. Do you feel that it's pressure to be that voice? Or is that something that comes naturally?
I say yes and no. Because more so the responsibility, I guess, as a human, as a black man, to say certain things regardless of what happens. I feel like in certain aspects, if it came down to me standing behind what I say in songs, I really believe in it. It's like Martin and Malcolm. You know, they stood up for what they said they believed in it. And it's a different level of activism these days. We have some names like Tamika Mallory. She's an activist that I super stand behind. Like right now, but for the most part, most activists are the artists, the rappers, the singers.
Artists can lend themselves to people like Tamika and be a vessel giving them exposure, and this exposure or just even taking advice from them. Yeah. Being an ally to them. So do you feel like that's something that needs to happen more? Or it just has to happen organically?
It should all be natural. There's a need for because it's kind of the same issues going on. I mean, those issues were super defined in the last year, during the pandemic. You know, stuff that was going on in America with riots and protests and shit like, everything was well exposed.
A lot of people felt this lack of certainty or lack of structure that they may have felt before and the pandemic sort of stripped that away. And to have some people that say, 'You know what, I can see that this is happening as well'...
You wanna know what's crazy? Not really crazy. But during the pandemic last year. I got super close with James Blake. Super close to the point where he was furious about some issues we were talking about, and before we started doing music. He was just having conversations about Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. And I was telling him about how I had bought a crib it was still in the hood and is right down the street where the guy got killed it at
Wendy's and it was when there was protests going on outside of the house. There were people parking close to where we stayed and were walking to the Capitol. And James was just one of the people that I was like, Well, I consider you an ally like, you really want to understand my pain, he wanted to make sure like he contributed. He was just super supportive of the whole cause. And he make music, he was like 6"5, he's like a beautiful
fucking dolphin unicorn.
You came into the spotlight almost a decade ago. You've never appeared to make commercial compromises to music, with your second tape Route of Evil having turned ten in June, What would what would present day Destin say to 2011 Destin?
I was not killing it [laughs].I was working on myself. I was tryna figure it out. I would say: Snapped. You snapped. 2011 is when I got kicked out of school.
Oh for real? And you were living in your Pontiac G6 at the time?
Yeah!
Is that car still going?
Ugh. I gave it to my brother. And my brother was in some type of situation with some girls and just did a fucking Jazmine Sullivan and bust the windows out of my car.
No way!
Like, what type of hurt ass dude busting windows out of a car? That's some weird shit.
There’s more to that story for sure.
Yeah some weird love triangle shit. Yeah, I love when I put my brother on blast. I'm fuming, I don't even know where that fucking car is. I don't know where it is right now! You got the windows bust out, he slashed the tires...
I feel like it will find it's way back to you one day.
Somehow. I know I'm gonna find my way back to him.
There's gotta be a film about this car someday.
You've also been enlisted to go on tour with some incredible artists, including the late Mac Miller. Have you got any favourite stories going on tour over the years?
So he passed just before the tour started. But prior to that, we were getting like super close, working on music to teaching, he was teaching a lot of stuff. Venting to me about Ariana Grande at a time... It’s so unfortunate what happened.
