Dreamville has successfully continued their impressive run of Australian performances; this time Sydney got to witness JID steering the ship with his recent show at Max Watts.
The show kicked off with Gold Coast Rapper Saint Lane ripping shoeys and orchestrating some energetic moshpits.
He performed a couple tracks which were actually recorded in Hawaii at the same studio used by Kanye West for his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album. Saint Lane kept the energy going by engaging fans in-between records before handing the mic off to JID.
JID opened up with the braggadocious outro off his first album called ‘LAUDER’. Fans were throwing their hands up all together and even hoisted up vinyl copies of the album, while JID rapped every single word with an iron lung.
He rapped each verse in its entirely while also controlling his breathing, which is an important yet underrated skill in modern rap showmanship. He stayed on key and pronounced every word and syllable like a veteran wordsmith.
Next he played ‘EdEddnEddy’, an ode to the 90’s cartoon. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed this and kept up with the cadence long enough that they probably deserved a jaw-break for their efforts.
Soon after he shifted the vibe and showcased his artistry by performing more croonful R&B and Soul cuts from his albums like ‘Hereditary’ , ‘Workin out’, ‘All Bad’ , and ‘Tiiied.'
It was really dope to see how well he transitioned from one skill set to the next while managing to gracefully float between the melody of the hooks and bridges of each song. His pitch was clear and his notes weren't out off key.
He’s also a member of Spillage Village along with 6lack, EarthGang, Hollywood JB, JordxanBryant, so it easy to understand how the R&B, and Soul influences from these other members have seeped into JID's pen, it’s made him a versatile artist with heavy hand in multiple disciplines.
After the Soul & R&B records, he went right back to getting live as f*ck. At one point I turned to my homies Locky Mvck & Travy P and we were all blown away by how the crowd continually responded to his energy and the bass filled music radiating from the stage.
He played ‘Off Da Zoinkys' and gave a little monologue about the importance of self-discipline and looking after your n*ggas which I felt was important.
He then asked the crowd what they wanted to hear and they exclaimed back ‘“BIG BLACK TRUCK”’ almost as if they had a meeting and were in agreement before the show. He then maestro'd tracks like 'Costa Rica' & 'Wells Fargo' & 'Down Bad'
He then brought out a Earl Sweatshirts as special surprise guest, who emerged from the back casually like a resurrected messiah and performed 2 records. The fans which was delight to see because Earl tends to do things at his own pace and is rather selective when he does shows or drops projects. He does things on his own time, but to see him come out and show face days after his Laneway set, was admirable.
After Earl's performance I dipped off, before everyone could crowd the exit.
I tried really hard to be impartially and unbiased even though JID is one of my favourite rappers right now, but it was hard to find a flaw.
I was curious to see if the same energy on display at the Watts show would have been replicated in a bigger venue like Hoarden Pavillon or Enmore. The crowd at Max Watts was a tighter fit but I felt like that played a big part in the energy that filled the room. It was tough to be idle if everyone around you was bouncing around, it was Coronavirus contagious.
I saw his set at Laneway a couple days prior and although it was a solid set, it was no near the energy level of his Max Watts show.
This may be due in part to the rain that ensued throughout the entire day at the festival and his set was at 8:30, which by this time everyone was probably still happy, but tired and bogged down by the rain.
JID is definitely a staple in the rap game and one day I hope he'll be remembered as legend; which I think he is capable of if he continues to rap and diversify his pen game with the same fortitude he's been rolling with. He reminds me a lot of Lil Wayne with braggadocious talk that just boasts confidence, and squeaky yet gritty bars.
He killed the show and deserves a round of applause for his efforts.
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