Fuck expectations. They ruin everything. Seriously, think of any situation you’ve been in that fell flat on its face and tell me it wasn’t all because of poorly placed expectations. 2018 in the music business is nothing but expectations. Which rapper is the next Kendrick? How will Kanye top his last record? How will Noname follow up Telefone? It’s a miracle anybody puts out any “good” music when they have so much to live up to.
And yet, it happens. Now and then you’ll see an artist come out of nowhere with a fantastic project, and then follow it up with another incredible piece of work. It leaves all of us scratching our heads wondering how the fuck they did it. JID’s DiCaprio2 is that project and, specifically, “Off Da Zoinkys” is that track.
DiCaprio2 isn’t good, it’s great (shouts out to Tony the Tiger). It’s dense and relentless, wild and fucking frantic. It finds J.Cole’s secret weapon armed and ready to blow. And while the majority of the album has JID flexing his rapid-fire lyricism at the world, “Off Da Zoinkys” finds the Atlanta MC focusing on himself and his world. But just because the track is more inwardly focused does not mean JID doesn’t bring his best effort.
Produced by Christo, “Off Da Zoinkys” starts with a slow and steady JID. But with every bar that flies by, JID is carefully pushing his foot further down on the gas. And by the time we hit the halfway point, dude has annihilated the sound barrier. And what’s more, this isn’t some “look at me and my fast rapping skills track,” this is JID speaking to his friends and his generation about their drug obsession.
The Never Story was one hell of a debut, and somehow, even with all the anticipation and expectation put on his shoulders, JID outdid himself. Expectations aren't going anywhere, so here's to every artist out there blowing them out of the water.
