Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, he signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

in 2017. He formed the musical collective Spillage Village with EarthGang in 2010, and later formed the hip hop group Zoink Gang with Smino, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000. His fluent

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

style and usage of wordplay has been frequently acclaimed by

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. JID gained recognition after releasing several independent projects, including ''Route of Evil'' (2012), ''Para Tu'' (2013) and ''DiCaprio'' (2015). His debut studio album, '' The Never Story'' (2017) was met with critical acclaim and contained the single " Never". His second album, '' DiCaprio 2'' (2018), was supported by the singles " 151 Rum" and " Off Deez" (with J. Cole), and saw continued critical acclaim. His 2021 single, "

Enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

" (with Imagine Dragons) — the opening theme to

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's '' Arcane'' — peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song. His third album, ''

The Forever Story ''The Forever Story'' is the third studio album by American rapper JID. It was released on August 26, 2022, through Dreamville Records, Dreamville and Interscope Records. Recorded over a two-year period, the album features introspective lyricism ...

'' (2022), received further acclaim and peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200; it spawned the top 40 single "

Surround Sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to ...

" (featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate).

Early life

Destin Choice Route was born October 31, 1990, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. His parents were Carl Louis Route Jr. and Kathy Jean Route. The youngest of seven children, he adopted the moniker JID from his grandmother's nickname for him based on his "jittery" behavior. Route grew up listening to

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul music, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel music, gospel, and R&B, becam ...

and

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

before shifting to the 1990s New York hip-hop scene and rappers such as

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

and

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...

. He attended Stephenson High School, where he played football as a defensive back. During his senior year he dislocated his hip. He later accepted a full athletic scholarship to play NCAA Division I football at Hampton University. Route was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his first year of eligibility and then played two seasons before he was kicked from the team for skipping practices. Route eventually moved in with Doctur Dot and Johnny Venus, a popular rap duo with the stage name EarthGang who he met while at Hampton University in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Musical career

2010–2016: Career beginnings

JID released his first mixtape ''Cakewalk'' on May 18, 2010. Earlier that year, he formed Spillage Village with EarthGang, Hollywood JB, and Jordxn Bryant. He released his second mixtape, ''Cakewalk 2'' on June 29, 2011. He released his third mixtape, ''Route of All Evil'' on June 25, 2012, with guest features from relatively unheard artists EarthGang and Stillz. JID funded his music career working at call centers and delivering pizza before he was booked for live shows. On October 22, 2013, his next mixtape was released titled ''Para Tu''. The mixtape was later re-released on December 29, 2017. In 2014, he opened up with EarthGang and Bas on Ab-Soul's These Days Tour following the release of Spillage Village's first collaboration project, ''Bears Like This''. On January 26, 2015, he released his first extended play ''DiCaprio EP''. On July 6, Spillage Village released their second collaboration project ''Bears Like This Too''. He also toured with

Omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages ...

on the Elephant Eyes Tour and Bas on the Too High to Riot Tour. On December 2, 2016, Spillage Village released ''Bears Like This Too Much'' with features from J. Cole and Bas, and production from

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known by the stage name Mac Miller, was an American rapper. He began his career in Pittsburgh's local hip hop music, hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed ...

, Ducko Mcfli, Childish Major and J. Cole among others.

2017: ''The Never Story''

On February 20, 2017, it was announced that he had signed to J. Cole's Dreamville label, first releasing the single "Never". The full-length album, '' The Never Story'' was released on March 10, 2017. The album includes guest features from EarthGang, 6LACK, and Mereba, and production from J. Cole, Hollywood JB, Christo and Childish Major, among others. He later released three more music videos from the album: "D/vision", "Hereditary", and "EdEddnEddy". He was also an opening act on the 4 Your Eyez Only Tour in 2017 in the North American and European legs. On October 10, JID appeared alongside rappers Cozz, Kodie Shane and Ali Tomineek in a cypher at the BET Hip Hop Awards. In November 2017, JID co-headlined in his Never Had Shit Tour with EarthGang, and guests

Lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

, Chaz French, and Mereba. It included 15 dates in North America, and continued in 2018, with 19 dates in Europe. On December 13, JID appeared on a remix with Foster The People and Saba called "Pay The Man".

2018–2020: ''DiCaprio 2''

In June 2018, he was featured on the cover of '' XXL's 2018 Freshman Class.'' In July, he was featured on Denzel Curry's "Sirens" from '' Ta13oo'', and was announced he would go on tour with

and Thundercat. However, the tour was cancelled due to the passing of Mac Miller. The first single for his second album was released on September 18, titled " 151 Rum". On October 3, 2018, JID premiered the song "Working Out" on ''A COLORS SHOW''. On his birthday, his second album '' DiCaprio 2'' was announced for a release date of November 26, 2018, and revealed the tracklist soon after. The album's second official single, " Off Deez" featuring J. Cole, was released on November 6. Other collaborators on the album include A$AP Ferg, 6LACK, Ella Mai, BJ the Chicago Kid,

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

and Joey Bada$$, with production mainly coming from his in-house team of Christo, Hollywood JB, J. Cole and

Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...

, among others. ''DiCaprio 2'' was released on November 26, 2018, to positive reviews and critical acclaim. JID announced the first leg of his headlining Catch Me If You Can tour, which included 34 dates, beginning in January 2019. The supporting acts were revealed to be

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...

, Hardo, and Lou The Human. On February 9, JID's show in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

, was shut down by the police due to a visible crack forming in the ceiling underneath the venue where the concert was held. On February 12, 2019, JID announced the second leg of his Catch Me If You Can tour. The tour did include 26 dates that started in May, and featured supporting acts Saba, Deante' Hitchcock, and Mereba. In 2019, JID was part of the Dreamville compilation album '' Revenge of the Dreamers III''. The singles " Down Bad" and "

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

" were certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. In 2020, as part of Spillage Village, he was featured on the singles "End of Daze" and "Baptize", for their fourth collective album '' Spilligion''.

2021–present: ''The Forever Story'' and Metro Boomin collaborative album

JID was featured on

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCl ...

's song "Options", included on her

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-nominated third album, '' Planet Her''. He later collaborated with Imagine Dragons on the mega-hit "

"; it peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming his highest-charting song. JID teased his third album, ''

'', throughout 2021. The first and lead single from the album, "

" featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, was released on January 14, 2022. On March 31, he appeared on the Dreamville compilation '' D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape'', on the songs "Stick" and "Barry From Simpson". On August 9, JID released the second single from ''The Forever Story'', titled " Dance Now", with Kenny Mason. ''The Forever Story'' was released on August 26, 2022, including guest appearances from Kenny Mason, EarthGang, 21 Savage, Baby Tate,

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...

, Ari Lennox,

Yasiin Bey Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in Political hip-hop, conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and comme ...

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

, Johntá Austin, Ravyn Lenae and Eryn Allen Kane. On September 8, 2022, JID performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. On March 28, 2023, American record producer

Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer and music executive. Widely acclaimed for his dark and cinematic production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential p ...

posted a picture on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

that had JID and Metro Boomin in a studio working on music, with the caption "Got a lot of new music coming but when me and @JIDsv drop" JID then would later confirm that he and Metro are working on a collaborative album. On September 1, 2023, JID released his third EP titled ''Blakkboyz present Half Doin Dope/Van Gogh'', featuring Lil Yachty and BabyTron. On October 13, 2023, JID was featured on

Westside Gunn Alvin Lamar Worthy (born July 27, 1982), known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American Rapping, rapper and fashion designer. He co-founded the Independent record label, hip-hop record label Griselda Records in 2012 with his paternal half- ...

's song "Mamas PrimeTime," along with Conway the Machine off of Gunn's fifth studio album '' And Then You Pray for Me''. On November 9, 2023, JID was featured on the opening of the video game '' Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.'' On July 12, 2024, JID was featured on

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

's song "

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

" off of his twelfth studio album, '' The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)'' On August 8, 2024, JID was featured on

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

's new song "

Artificial Artificiality (the state of being artificial, anthropogenic, or man-made) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotati ...

", from her seventh studio album '' 143''. On April 18 2025, JID released his lead single "WRK" for his upcoming fourth studio album, ''God Does Like Ugly''. The song is JID's first solo commercial release since 2022’s ''

.''

Artistry

Influences

Growing up, JID's first connection with music was through his parents' collection of classic

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

LPs. He names

, D'Angelo,

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

, boom bap,

, Earl Sweatshirt and Little Dragon as his biggest influences. He has also expressed admiration for fellow Atlanta natives

OutKast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...

, Goodie Mob,

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...

and T.I and names them as great influences.

Personal life

Route supported

Jon Ossoff Thomas Jonathan Ossoff ( ; born February 16, 1987) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia since 2021. A member of the ...

and

Raphael Warnock Raphael Gamaliel Warnock ( ; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptists, Baptist pastor serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...

in the 2020 United States Senate elections, performing at a rally for both in 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' The Never Story'' (2017) * '' DiCaprio 2'' (2018) * ''

'' (2022) * ''God Does Like Ugly'' (2025)

Collaborative albums

*'' Revenge of the Dreamers 3'' (2019) * '' Spilligion'' (2020) * '' D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape'' (2022) * ''JIDTRO'' (TBA)

Tours

Headlining * Never Had Shit Tour (2017–18) * Catch Me If You Can Tour (2019) * Luv Is 4ever Tour (2023) Supporting * Elephant Eyes Tour (2015) * Too High To Riot Tour (2016) * I Told You Tour (2016) * 4 Your Eyez Only Tour (2017) * The Swimming Tour (2018; cancelled) * Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Tour (2019) * American Dream Tour (2024)

Awards and nominations

References

{{Portal bar, United States, Biography 1989 births Living people 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American rappers American hip-hop singers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American male singer-songwriters Dreamville Records artists Interscope Records artists Rappers from Atlanta Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Singers from Atlanta Southern hip-hop musicians