jid

Conway The Machine, JID, And Ludacris Spit Athletic Verses On ‘Scatter Brain’

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It’s been about four months since Conway The Machine released a new project (the deluxe version of From King To A God), so it’s just about exactly the right time for him to drop a new one, semi-unannounced. It’s called La Maquina, it’s packed with production from some of hip-hop’s heaviest hitters (Bangladesh, Cardiak, Don Cannon, and The Alchemist all appear on the tracklist), and loaded with unexpected features like the guests “Scatter Brain,” the single Conway shared just moments ago ahead of the full album’s Friday release.

“Scatter Brain,” which is produced by Don Cannon, features skittering, lightspeed verses from ATLiens JID and Ludacris for a cross-generational cipher-style linkup that lets all three lyrical technicians put their full skillsets on display. The beat features blasting 808s, a ghostly chant, and rainfall snares, providing a different sort of backdrop from those longtime Griselda followers may be used to hearing from Conway, but which he rides with ease and grace. Next up, JID weaves a spider web of a verse with interlocking syllables stacking like a waterfall in reverse.

After a reprise from Conway in which he boasts that he “still get a paycheck from Shady” despite rumors he departed the label last year, Ludacris swoops in to bat cleanup, sounding every bit as athletic as he did in his prime over 10 years ago. As a taste teaser of the upcoming full project, it’s beyond an appetizer — it’s the first hit of a highly addictive substance, leaving fans itching for the full course. Fortunately, they won’t have long to wait; La Maquina is due 4/16 via Griselda.

Listen to “Scatter Brain” above.

Spillage Village’s ‘Baptized’ Remix Adds Fiery Verses From Deante’ Hitchcock, IDK, And Flatbush Zombies

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Atlanta rap supergroup Spillage Village had one of the best albums of 2020 in Spilligion, and today, they took a huge step in extending its shelf life, releasing a remixed version of the album’s second single “Baptize.” The new version adds a who’s-who of the group members’ favorite collaborators, including Deante’ Hitchcock, who contributes the verse from his #NewAtlantaTuesdays freestyle over the beat, IDK, and Flatbush Zombies to turn the introspective track into a full-blown posse cut of cerebral rhymes and complex cadences. Group member Hollywood JB also makes an appearance to help keep the Spillage crew’s presence strong.

While the original version of the song focuses heavily on religious imagery as a lens through which to make sense of the global turmoil at the time of the album’s creation, the new version mostly does away with the framing devices, allowing the guest rappers to right down to the nitty-gritty. While Hitchcock spits socio-political commentary, IDK boasts of his off-season accomplishments and wonders if he should forego meetings with Netflix to work with HBO. Juice and Erick of Flatbush Zombies bat cleanup, preaching self-reliance and optimism to cope with the issues plaguing the world.

Listen to Spillage Village’s “Baptized” remix featuring Deante Hitchcock’, IDK, and Flatbush Zombies above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

JID Kicks Off A Random Acts Of Kindness Campaign By Giving A Fan A Car

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Coming off the successful release of Spillage Village’s Spilligion and working on his follow-up to 2018’s DiCaprio 2, Atlanta rapper JID took time out to help a local fan who was going through some recent hardships and put out a call for more members of the community to assist.

Rosalee Thomas lost her job and health insurance during the pandemic but then, to make matters worse, her car was also totaled. JID partnered with Seattle-based pizza chain MOD Pizza to drop off a new car to Thomas as the opening act of their “Random Acts of MODness” campaign. After the video of the gift went live, JID himself went on Twitter to offer “three wishes” to more fans in need.

One responder was a first-generation student who needed help paying for school, while another was an ICU nurse at the VA hospital in Temple, Texas. Finally, JID selected a second-grade teacher to receive school supplies and library books for her students. In a press release promoting the campaign, JID explained, “It’s been a tough year and we know folks are struggling. So, I’m excited to partner with MOD to spread some love in our local communities.”

In addition to recording his long-awaited third album, JID also released a handful of new songs and freestyles this year, including “Cludder Freestyle,” “JIDtranada Freestyle,” and “Skegee.”

JID Calls Out Institutional Racism In His Poignant ‘Skegee’ Video

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While many view Black History Month as a time to celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans, JID wants to call a little attention to America’s history of institutional abuse of its Black citizens. His new single, “Skegee,” is named for the city of Tuskegee, Alabama, a city central to both Black achievement and where the US conducted the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study from 1932-1972.

In the first verse, JID addresses the conflicting choices with which many Black Americans are faced: “You peep all the karma that come with makin’ the cream,” he rhymes, posing the dichotomy before pulling back the curtain to reveal the game behind the game. “Get your eyes cleaned for something you have never not, not seen.” An interview with former mayor of Tuskegee, Ronald D. Williams, also reveals insight into the city’s history.

In the second verse, he shows how these forced choices are the results of policy, not just tough situations that cropped up out of nowhere. Although JID says he was recruited to Tuskegee University, a prestigious historically Black institution, the name only calls to mind the 40-year experiment in which Black citizens of Tuskegee were involuntarily studied for the effects of untreated syphilis and denied treatment (or even information about the existence of treatment once it had been developed). While JID’s recollection isn’t entirely accurate (there’s no evidence that the unethical study deliberately infected its subjects), his song may very well be many fans’ first-ever introduction to the existence of such a study — and why it remains important to this day.

With so many Americans currently refusing COVID-19 vaccination, it’s important to understand why some of them might mistrust the government, knowing this history, as well as acknowledging how much work is left to be done to repair that broken trust if true progress is to be made.

Meanwhile, JID fans continue to eagerly anticipate his follow-up to 2018’s breakout DiCaprio 2. In the meantime, he’s had several standout moments on compilation albums such as Revenge Of The Dreamers III, the Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack, and as part of Spillage Village’s fourth studio album and major-label debut, Spilligion.

Watch JID’s “Skeegee” video above.