by JID
Released March 10, 2017 via Dreamville Records / Spillage Village / Interscope Records
Reviewed March 3, 2022
Top tracks (based on community voting)
NEVER (63%), LAUDER (49%), Hereditary (44%)
At the release of The Never Story, JID was undoubtedly one of the fastest rising stars in music. The J. Cole protégé immediately piqued interest like few others did with his distinctive voice, frenetic flow, and general technical abilities. Looking back at his debut, the hype that surrounded JID’s name wasn’t without reason. The aforementioned qualities are on full display while showing a new side that many fans wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise: his melodic side. A total of 12 relatively short songs is the perfect length to display every dimension of music that JID can take on while not overstaying its welcome. While his attempts at slower R&B songs are interesting enough on their own—and certainly better than some R&B singers’ efforts—it would have been something to witness him trying to mix his melodies with his rapid-fire rapping (something he did more of on DiCaprio 2). Still, even without taking into consideration his later albums, he’s one of the more promising artists in his lane, and when he polishes his sound further, he’s bound to drop a lot of high-quality work. Hopefully, the next wait between albums takes less than four years. – Alan (8.1/10)
With his first project on Dreamville Records, JID's The Never Story was an impressive way to launch his career. The production combines soulful samples, intricate drum loops, and chopped vocals to deliver a soundscape on par with Jermaine himself. At a young age, JID was able to show full command over his lyrics with mechanical prowess. In terms of metaphors and wordplay, he is lightyears ahead of his peers. This is personified on “Never,” one of my favorite songs on the tape. The energy is high and JID is essentially scatting over the beat. He ends the tape on a high note with “Hoodbooger” and “LAUDER.” These songs are the high points on the tape and my go-to’s on relistens. If you’re just getting into JID, there is no better place to start than this project. His skills as an emcee are surrounded by graceful production to deliver a great project. – Daniel (8/10)
DeVán: 8.5/10 | Hadley: 8.5/10 | Alan: 8.1/10 | Daniel: 8/10
Cam: 7.8/10 | Pax: 7.7/10 | Dominick: 7.4/10 | Jared: 6/10
