Great art can take a heavy personal toll, especially when you’re reliving dense experiences night after night to cheers of thousands. J.I.D recently explained during an interview with People why his acclaimed album The Forever Story is hard to perform. While it’s become one of the most acclaimed rap projects of the last decade, it’s incredibly taxing to evoke that deep story on stage. Of course, the Dreamville MC is incredibly grateful for all the praise and excitement surrounding his latest LP. However, he does have his reservations about this phase of his career, and is looking forward to the next step.
“I see people comparing me to people I should never be compared to,” the 32-year-old expressed. “And not in a positive way, like comparing me to DMX or André 3000. That’s why Twitter is the wild, wild west because you could just say anything and it could be a topic of conversation. But yeah, I see a lot of conversations around the project and people saying that it put me in a different position with it. I still got goals to go forward.
It’s Hard To Perform The Greatness On “The Forever Story” For J.I.D
“This project, it’s helping open up the door for the rest of the stuff I’m going to be doing,” he continued. “So I like how intentional it was. And it was so serious, to the point like I have to have fun on the next one. Because I was a little stressed. I was going through emotional s**t, I was digging up old traumas. I was dialing backwards. It’s hard to perform it every night, you know what I’m saying? I’m ready for the next album cycle. The [setlist] stretch from ‘Sistanem’ to ‘Kody Blu 31,’ I’m cooked. And then ‘Workin Out,’ I’m cooked. Yeah, I’m an emotional wreck at that point.
Also, fans may remember the “Raydar” rapper’s recent remarks about free styling, which involved his Funk Flex appearance. After stating that Funk’s lackluster response dissuaded him from free styling again, the radio legend responded. While they haven’t confirmed anything yet, it’s all love between the two and only time will tell if Flex brings him back in a booth. Regardless, come back to HNHH for the latest news, updates, and greatness from J.I.D.