J.I.D Explains How J. Cole Elevated His Lyrical Ability & Why He Thinks Battle Rappers Are King
J.I.D just revealed the appreciation he has for both battle rappers and his big homie J. Cole in one fell-swoop in a new interview.
Dreamville’s lyrical powerhouse recently stopped by Way Up with Angela Yee, where he opened up about how label founder J. Cole helped elevate his craft and shared his high regard for battle rappers, who he thinks are at the top of the lyrical food chain.
The candid interview shed light on the creative process behind J.I.D’s razor-sharp rhymes and his love for the art of freestyle. J.I.D kicked things off speaking about how his dedication to honing his skills has led him to experimenting with different writing techniques, including cutting at least 30 freestyles.
“I learned this from Cole,” J.I.D said, crediting the Dreamville mastermind for his relentless work ethic. “Maybe it’s like one of the things he told me, always like trying to perfect your craft. So I learned this years ago. I’m just trying to knock it out like a song, like just don’t stop. Don’t think, just line for line. If you got the next line, just go into it and then pick up from there.”
Reflecting on his journey, J.I.D revealed how Cole’s advice encouraged him to dive deeper into the creative process. Instead of overthinking, he’s embraced a more spontaneous and fluid approach to songwriting.
“This is just more of a practice,” he explained. “Repetition, trying it. Whatever way I can just get it done.”
The Atlanta-bred rapper also shared his admiration for battle rappers, whom he described as “the best rappers on earth.” He fondly reminisced about the Smack DVD era, a cornerstone of the battle rap scene.
“Straight up,” he emphasized. “Those ones, oh my god. That’s how I started it.”
J.I.D’s passion for the raw, competitive nature of battle rap shines through as he hinted at his confidence to compete in such arenas. “It’s a whole list of folks I could eat up for that,” he quipped.
When asked about his recent flurry of freestyles, J.I.D revealed he’s been keeping busy with back-to-back recordings and laid out his plans to release the 30 freestyles he’s crafted so far.
“I’m put them out, the ones I did before 30,” he explained. “The ones I did before wasn’t as good. It was just practice, like I was saying, so I probably won’t do nothing with them. But I’m gonna just keep going. When this one hit like a million views on YouTube, I’m just drop another one.”
In case you missed it, J.I.D started the year last January with his “30 (Freestyle)” which saw him receive rave reviews from his fellow rap peers such as Russ and his Dreamville labelmate Cozz.