Atlanta rapper J.I.D. is in the early stages of a Fall 2023 takeover. Six days after the 1-year anniversary of his The Forever Story album (August 26), which many fans believe to be the magnum opus of his career up to this point, J.I.D. connected with fellow ATL star Lil Yachty to release a brand new two-pack of songs.
Videos by American Songwriter
Calling themselves the BlakkBoyz, J.I.D. and Yachty’s first song of the two is “Half Doin Dope,” also featuring a verse from burgeoning Detroit emcee BabyTron at the end. Devoid of any hooks, bridges, and choruses, “Half Doin Dope” sees the three-headed monster of J.I.D., Yachty, and BabyTron each rattle off explosive verses, as J.I.D.’s portion sees him rap about his exquisite rendezvous with Jay-Z, contrasting it with the mistreatment Black people have suffered in the U.S.
I’m having some motion
I’m having some brunch in Miami with Hova
I’m braggin’, I’m boastin’
I’m Black as fuck and just be draggin’ my scrotum
I’m mad as fuck at how thеy had or have us in ropes
Half don’t have a daddy at home, half doing dope
The second song from BlakkBoyz, titled “Van Gogh,” includes production from Cardo, famous for crafting instrumentals for songs like Drake’s “God’s Plan,” Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem’s “Family Ties,” Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps,” and more. With solely J.I.D. and Yachty on this track, the newly-formed duo establishes impressive chemistry with back-and-forth flows, riding Cardo’s beat that samples Three 6 Mafia‘s 1994 song “Flaugin Ass N****z.”
[RELATED: J.I.D. Teases Collaborative Album with Metro Boomin]
“Van Gogh” was initially released by Cardo in 2022 as a music video on YouTube. However, since they weren’t able to obtain clearances for the song, it could not earn a digital streaming platform release until now.
And, though “Van Gogh” and “Half Doin Dope” see the introduction of J.I.D. and Yachty as a tandem, with these being their first two collaborations ever, this is only the beginning for J.I.D. this year. At the same time, he first announced the two-pack earlier this week, J.I.D. also confirmed that he has a full-length album on the way titled Forever & A Day, which will come out before his long-awaited joint project with famed ATL producer Metro Boomin.
So, before J.I.D. begins to mark off everything on his loaded calendar coming up, be sure to check out BlakkBoyz’s first two songs below.
Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW
