Rapper J.I.D recently made an offer of $500,000 for a feature with Nicki Minaj whilst she was on Instagram live. He took to the comments publicly stating: “I just wanna rap wit da Queen, I’m on bended knee” followed by, “I got 500k for shawdy.”
The offer was met with mixed reviews, one being, “Oh I’ve beeeeeeen wanting a J.I.D and Queen collab! They would straight up devour a track and the hip hop culture!”
While others were left wondering if the rapper is deserving of the feature, or if the song would even perform well stating: “Dude it’s not 2012 anymore. That song is not gonna chart.”
Before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to know of J.I.D’s background and the respect he’s earned as an artist over the years. Born Destin Choice Route in Atlanta Georgia, the 31 year old got his stage name from the nickname “Jiddery” that his grandmother had given him as a young boy. His passion first lied with football but that came to an end when he lost his athletic scholarship due to an injury, and was kicked out of school just as graduation was approaching. However, good fortune came out of his college experience and that was due to meeting the EARTHGANG duo-Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot. They first met in their campus studio when J.I.D walked in on them recording over one of his tracks from his first pseudo mixtape, James Hall Mixtape, and this surely wasn’t the last they would see of each other.
After being kicked out of school, and kicked out of his home-due to a tattoo, his Pontiac G6 became his new home where he continued to follow his passion for music at 22. He applied the same determined mentality he had for football into music as he studied the writing and lyricism of some of his favorites such as Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang Clan. J.I.D spent weeks in his car before rekindling with the EARTHGANG duo who eventually got him off the streets and helped him begin establishing his music career. Their work ethic during these times is extremely admirable as they would work in their studio all day then proceed to their night jobs at call centers and pizza stores to pay their bills.
The momentum picked up for them in 2013 when J.I.D released his second mixtape Para Tu and EARTHGANG released their first album Shallow Graves For Toys, both including collaborations with members of the now known group Spillage Village. While touring with EARTHGANG in 2014, J.I.D made valuable connections and caught the attention of J.Cole who would later sign him to Dreamville Records in 2017. Founded in 2007 by Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad, Dreamville Records roster includes artists such as Ari Lennox, Bas, Cozz, Omen, Lute, and of course the EARTHGANG duo. Back in 2018, Cole explained the potential he saw in J.I.D when first signing him:
“The first thing is how gifted he was with putting his words together. The thing that solidified it was when I saw his work ethic and his hunger. A lot of people want it, but they not willing to put in the work. He’s not one of those people. His potential is GOAT status.”
Dreamville Founder J.Cole speaking on J.I.D
Since then, many Dreamville collaborative projects have been released featuring J.I.D such as the well known Revenge of the Dreamers III and the most recent D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape.
Even though J.I.D has signified himself throughout the years, some of the Barbz still remain sceptical towards his offer-with some even mentioning $500k wouldn’t be enough. Considering the impact of a Nicki Minaj feature, and the influence she holds in the Hip-Hop community, many fans are questioning if his intentions are pure or if he is deserving. It’s also important to consider the ‘Hate Train’ Minaj experienced beginning in 2017 – which, as Blessing Mukosha explains, was an agenda to remove her from the female rap market and led to many turning their backs on her. It’s safe to say since that era many Barbz have had their guards up when it comes to artists who approach Minaj looking to collaborate.
On the other hand, many fans are anticipating this collab especially after hearing the heat he brought to Doja Cat‘s “Options” on Planet Her which now has nearly 60,000,000 streams on Spotify. One fan said, “is he the guy from Options? If so, YES. If not, no.”
J.I.D absolutely delivered on this track and while elevating it to a whole new level he proved he has the chemistry to work with female rappers. “Options” provides insight into how a track with him and Nicki Minaj might sound while also being able to bring something new to the table.
It’s also important to note what Minaj has said regarding her recent collabs with Lil Baby, “Do We Have A Problem?” and “Bussin.” She discussed the thought process behind these two tracks with Zane Lowe, explaining that they bring back that natural essence of rap again:
“I know when this come on in the club all of the baddest bitches, and they’re with their dude-the dudes gonna wanna say what Baby’s saying and the girl gonna wanna say what I’m saying because it makes both of them feel like they that person…I knew it was time (to release these songs) because we’re missing that right now.”
Nicki Minaj speaking on the release of “Do We Have a Problem?” and “Bussin”
Based on that, we can expect a track between Minaj and J.I.D to be a hit in the club on top of bringing it back to the nature of rap that doesn’t seem to be present right now. Another fan even said, “(Nicki) might fuck around and bring Roman back. This collab would be one for the books. J.I.D ain’t no wack ass rapper and Nicki definitely gone push that pen. I NEED IT!”
Considering their followings and talent, a track between them has an immense amount of potential along with the ability to perform really well. It’s clear many fans are eager for this collaboration to happen, some even suggesting this is the closest sound we would get to a Minaj collab with Kendrick Lamar or J.Cole. Currently, Nicki Minaj has not responded publicly to the offer so fans will just have to wait and see if this collaboration comes to life on any of their upcoming projects.
Works Cited
Hill, Brandon. “The Rise of J.I.D: From Never Had Shit to Rollie on the Wrist.”
Chesman, Donna-Claire. “J.Cole Explains Why He Signed J.I.D: “His Potential is GOAT Status.”
