When Kendrick Lamar dropped his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, one track, in particular, got fans’ attention straight out of the gate. Thanks to its unnervingly accurate depiction of a contentious domestic dispute, “We Cry Together” became a polarizing fan favorite — if I can use that term loosely. While some were uncomfortable with Kendrick’s and guest star Taylour Paige’s performances, others (including one very enthused security guard) praised them for bringing their actual experiences to life. Now, Kendrick’s gone one step further, releasing the accompanying short film for the first time since its June premiere in Los Angeles.
The short film is pretty much exactly what the song portrays: A couple in the midst of an explosive argument, trading acidic insults and disquieting threats. Kenny’s in character as a blue collar worker and the whole episode mostly takes place in the cramped confines of the couple’s living room as the toxic discussion unfolds. It ends, as the song does, with a messy, Insecure-esque sex scene that is, frankly, not safe for work at all. In a nice twist, though, the camera pulls back to reveal that the living room is indeed a movie set, giving viewers the opportunity to decompress as they realize it’s all just a production.
You can watch the “We Cry Together” music video/short film above.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
A few weeks before he announced his third studio album The Forever Story, JID tweeted an intriguing statement about his burgeoning popularity. “None of my rap co-workers be tryna rap wit me dawg,” he wrote. “I think y’all n****z is scared, I’m talking to bigger rap artists.” The Forever Story presents a wealth of compelling evidence to support that theory.
In fact, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that The Forever Story is the – as in singular, as in only – best-rapped album to come out in 2022. Present your arguments for whomever and however you see fit, but the Atlanta rapper’s project has at least one song to give it an edge over its qualified competitors.
I’ll go out even further on this narrow branch and say that JID belongs in the top five contemporary rappers discussion, and has since 2018 when he dropped DiCaprio 2. Since then, he’s followed up with the folksy Spilligion alongside his Spillage Village cohorts, utterly stolen the show on two Dreamville compilations, and made me enjoy an Imagine Dragons song.
So, why hasn’t JID gotten the recognition he deserves? There are a couple of reasons that spring to mind. First of all, JID has the unfortunate timing to have made his debut in a time slightly removed from the era where super technically skilled rappers could gain a lot of traction in a relatively short amount of time.
Think about the “blog era,” which spawned such lyrically-gifted standouts as Big KRIT, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, or Wale. Being a rapper’s rapper was prized at such a time because hip-hop goes through different cycles. There’d been a long lull in the priority of bars-first traditionalism, and the massive cultural shift toward blogs and weekly freestyles allowed artists like these to grab a lot of the spotlight.
That era came to an end in the middle of the last decade, as Chance The Rapper, who is probably the last of the blog era super rappers to get on, won his Grammy for Coloring Book. Then the Soundcloud era began, and colorful characters like Travis Scott who prized “vibes” over rhymes began to take center stage. JID is decidedly not one of those, but because he made his debut during that era, fans of hyper lyrical rappers likely wrote him off as just another punk kid.
Another reason might come directly from JID’s own words. One of the biggest drivers of any new – or even established – artist’s rise to stardom is the willingness of their peers to collaborate. Consider Lil Durk, who actually appears on The Forever Story on the song “Bruddenem.” He toiled on the underground scene for nearly a decade until Drake featured him on the 2020 standout “Laugh Now Cry Later.”
Now, Durk’s considered an A-lister, a hotly-demanded feature artist in his own right with numerous No. 1 albums under his belt. No one has yet done this for JID, aside from J. Cole, who hasn’t featured the younger MC on his own albums despite working with him on the Dreamville collabs on songs like “Stick.” Even if he did, JID’s an artist on his label, and would probably be subject to the “homie write-off” effect that plagued underlings in groups like Disturbing Tha Peace, St. Lunatics, and Roc-A-Fella. There’s only so much star power to go around, and artists can get overshadowed by their more famous labelmates.
Other rappers might really be nervous to feature JID, whose sheer force of persona could potentially overpower or overwhelm the sort of mainstream-friendly tracks it would take to expose him to a wider audience more used to party anthems than aggressive battle rap tracks.
Meanwhile, any rapper who considers themselves more lyrics-forward runs the risk of being “Renegaded” – the fan term for being outrapped on your own track, as applied to Jay-Z’s 2001 song “Renegade” from The Blueprint. When Eminem’s intricate, wordy verses seemed to tower over Jay’s more laid-back, heady ones, Nas ridiculed Jay, “Eminem killed you on your own sh*t.” Nobody wants the potential embarrassment.
The last reason JID might not radiate star power like some of his peers do is that he’s so down-to-earth and humble. He’s quiet, not prone to making outrageous pronouncements or having emotional outbursts on Twitter. In the few engagements we’ve had on that platform, he always seemed more curious and willing to learn than he did defensive, boisterous, or argumentative.
Hip-hop loves a villain – or at least an antihero – someone who talks loud and seems unafraid to make enemies. Acts like Kanye West or 50 Cent seem larger than life. Hell, even Tekashi 69, whose antics were decried by hip-hop fans, remains a subject of fascination. The soft-spoken JID just isn’t going to be as sensational a character for them to latch onto.
But his rhymes are sensational. Whether he’s talking tough on “Dance Now” and “Surround Sound” or telling nostalgic stories on “Crack Sandwich,” waxing philosophical on “Better Days” or getting confessional on “Sistanem,” he shows a grasp of the artform that almost nobody in the rap business today even comes close to. So, while he might not be as universally recognized as I believe he should be, The Forever Story might well change that.
He’s got the big-name co-signs from guest stars like 21 Savage and Lil Wayne. He’s starting to talk his sh*t on Twitter. He’s got enjoyable slow burners like “Can’t Make U Change” with Ari Lennox and veteran blessings from Yasiin Bey on “Stars.” All that’s left is for listeners to finally, well, listen. The Forever Story will reward them for doing so. In turn, all they need to do is hail JID as the best rapper of his generation.
The Forever Story is out now via Dreamville/Interscope. Get it here.
The hot girl coach is back in her acting bag! Megan Thee Stallion recently appeared on Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, working alongside Jennifer Walters, a.k.a. She-Hulk, played by Tatiana Maslany. Megan played herself in the episode, where she appeared in court after a case of a Catfish. Walters’ co-worker, Dennis, hires her firm to […]
We’ve gained much more insight about Murder Inc in recent months, thanks to Irv Gotti and the label’s current BET docuseries. The internet lit up when Gotti went on his promotional tour, often mentioning Ashanti during his interviews. He was criticized for how he spoke of his previous romantic relationship with the singer when she was also an artist on his label, and after receiving a wave of backlash, Irv has promised that he’ll be answering Ashanti questions with “no comment” from now on.
There have been murmurs about a Murder Inc reunion developing sometime soon, and it isn’t a bad idea, according to fans. Back in July, the singer laughed at a question about her inclusion in the docuseries, so Ashanti’s participation in a tour is questionable.
Former Murder Inc artist Lloyd caught up with HipHopDX and asserted that if a reunion show or tour were to develop, there are certain names that have to be involved.
“I don’t think you can have a Murder Inc. reunion tour without Ashanti, and I don’t think Ashanti and Irv are seeing eye to eye in any capacity right now, so that’s probably far-fetched,” he said. While that idea continues to simmer, Lloyd added that he and Ja Rule may have something in the works.
“I talk to Ja all the time about us recording new music,” Lloyd said. “I think he’s now back in his bag and feeling creative, which he hasn’t been for a few years since being released after his incarceration. I sent him music when he first got out, the first week, just to show him, ‘Hey, you know, I’m right here when you’re ready.’ We actually talked the other day and he says he’s ready.”
Do you think a full roster Murder Inc tour could actually happen?
Kendrick Lamar has shared another masterpiece after dropping visuals to his unique track “We Cry Together.” The LA rapper reveals his acting skills in the short film. K Dot never seems to stop amazing his fans as he continues to produce classic projects. The “Mr. Morale” rapper recently dropped a new music video to the […]
You know Dreamville isn’t messing around with Ari Lennox’s rollout when an EP arrives a week prior to the release of her full-length album. The DMV songbird has been a standout in the R&B scene in recent years, and she has found that her list of supporters has grown exponentially since the release of her debut, Shea Butter Baby.
Next week, Ari Lennox will finally release her anticipated record age/sex/location, however, she’s making sure her fans are getting as much music as possible by sharing her EP, Away Message. The five-track EP includes Lennox’s most recent release, “Queen Space,” which arrived with assistance from Summer Walker.
“No more tip toeing. No more docile,” she said. “Providing grace and compassion to myself. Blocking those that no longer serve me or just literally not responding. Blocking the resistance to heal. Allowing accountability and maturing. Allowing growth to happen. Allowing self worth and self love and inner work to happen. Allowing therapy. Allowing dating me to happen. Doing things I like to do whenever I want.”
Stream Away Message and let us know what you think, and stay tuned for age/sex/location‘s delivery on September 9.
A dinner with Jay-Z or half a million dollars? According to King Combs, the most logical answer is to meet with Hov for a few words of encouragement. When Diddy is busy closing million-dollar deals, his son Christian Combs, AKA rapper King Combs, is sitting down with Jay Z, who he describes as his “uncle.” […]
She didn’t even mention Young Thug’s name but Mariah The Scientist still faced off with a social media user who tried to tear her down. Rumors regarding the singer’s romance with the incarcerated rapper have been brewing for some time, and recently, it seems that Mariah was ready to confirm the gossip. It was just about a month ago that Thugger pulled a grand romantic gesture that Mariah shared online, and later, she returned the favor to celebrate his birthday.
As Young Thug’s legal team fights his RICO case, Mariah has apparently been holding him down. When a fan asked her about her “favorite type of person” she likes to date, Mariah answered, “My husband.” Another user jumped in to say, “Crazy how yall letting that man play yall both from JAIL.”
It was suggested that this person may have been referencing Jessika Karlae, the First Lady of YSL Records, who also dated Thugger. It was a comment that could have been ignored, but Mariah took a moment to address it.
“U sure got a lot of intel on my life to be a fan who don’t even follow me,” she said. Mariah looked into the user and added, “I’ll be performing at your school homecoming though, come holla at me, take a pic or sum.” The person fired off several crying laughing emojis, telling Mariah that she doesn’t go to that school anymore.
The singer replied, “U might need to back cus u seem confused,” and added the definition of homecoming. “[It] is the tradition of welcoming back former students and members and celebrating an organization’s existence.”
