It's been nearly three years since J.I.D delivered his last studio album in DiCaprio 2, a project that featured guest appearances from J. Cole, Method Man, Joey Bada$$, 6LACK and more. Though several loosies and a strong presence on Revenge Of The Dreamers 3 (read about his involvement in Dreamville's compilation album here) have dulled the wait, anticipation for his upcoming project stands at an all-time high.
Previously teased to be titled The Forever Story, a thematic callback to his 2017 debut album The Never Story, little is admittedly known about J.I.D's next endeavor. Originally rumored to feature heavy involvement from No I.D, who was revealed to be working with the Atlanta rapper for a collaborative project, The Forever Story has been kept relatively under wraps. In fact, much of what has been learned has been gleaned from J.I.D himself, who occasionally offers brief updates on his Twitter page.
J.I.D. Josh Brasted/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Alas, a recent post from the lyricist doesn't exactly bode well. "Been waiting almost 2 months for one sample to clear, this shit gotta change," laments J.I.D, alluding to a holdup that doesn't appear to be moving forward at a desirable pace. "If someone sample your song take the money and shut tf up it’s art, u put that shit out there."
Of course, it's not the first time an artist has seen their project delayed over sample clearance-related issues. Sometimes, entire songs are forced to be cut over an artist's reticence to pull the trigger on allowing their music to be sampled. It has long been a provocative debate within the industry, and in this case, it's abundantly clear on which side J.I.D stands. We can only hope that the process takes a turn for the better, as The Forever Story would be a most welcome addition to the 2021 release slate.
Check out J.I.D's since-deleted message below.
