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Source: Michael McLenighan/Getty / Michael McLenighan J.I.D Treats Devoted Fans Through Verizon UP Customer Loyalty Program Verizon Up is breaking the mold and giving customers rewards they really, really want all for paying their bill. From once-in-a-lifetime experiences and VIP tickets to music and sporting events, to everyday rewards on dining, attractions and entertainment, this is Verizon’s way of saying thank you to customers. This opportunity is part of the new music offering from the Verizon Up rewards program, which gives members a chance at one-of-a-kind experiences with 9 amazing artists. Previous and future events include some of your favorites such as Justin Timberlake, Luke Bryan, Maroon 5, Rae Sremmurd, Daya, Skylar Grey, Kali Uchis, JID and X Ambassadors. When asked about the opportunity to team up with Verizon to give his fans a unique reward JT gushed: “My favorite part of being on tour is getting to see my fans up close and give them a night they won’t forget. When Verizon approached me with the opportunity to thank them by providing special access to my tour, I couldn’t pass it up.” Source: Michael McLenighan/Getty / Michael McLenighan Another artist who couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work the wireless giant is Atlanta upstart J.I.D. who tells us exclusively that his mother is coincidentally a long-time Verizon employee. The southern lyricist is set to release his new album DiCaprio 2 on November 26 and his fans’ anticipation couldn’t possible reach a more fevered pitch. BOSSIP Associate Editor Jason “Jah” Lee was fortunate enough to get some one-on-one time with J.I.D during the Atlanta customer loyalty event last night. Source: MoNae Mayweather/@photosbynae / MoNae Mayweather J.I.D is signed to Dreamville Records, a label headed by J. Cole who many would argue will soon be eclipsed by the East Atlanta native if his work ethic remains consistent and his pen remains syringe sharp. J.I.D’s introductory Dreamville release, The Never Story , captivated many an ear in 2017 and 2018 looks to be another year of grabbing listeners by the earlobe and holding them hostage to the arresting frequency of his music. J.I.D’s first two releases from DiCaprio 2, “151 Rum” and “Off Deez” featuring the aforementioned J. Cole are “attention-grabbers”, but as he explains to BOSSIP, there is much more in store. Jah : On The Never Story ‘s “Somebody” you rapped that your sound was “nothin’ particular”, however, the first two singles from DiCaprio 2 seem to have a very intentional sound. Is that what we can expect from DiCaprio 2? J.I.D : Those two songs are just attention-grabbers. I kinda did the same thing with The Never Story . I dropped the song “Never” and I dropped the song “Underwear” which came out about a week before and I dropped a song called “Bruh” with the same energy, but there’s super variations on [this] project, there’s nothing that sounds like those two songs. They’re back to back on the project, they have a section off where they belong. The project is sectioned off. There’s not one complete sound. It’s called DiCaprio 2 because it’s like a movie so each song is an individual film. Jah : Talk about your development as an artist. We know you and Earthgang (another Atlanta-based group signed to Dreamville) lived together and you weren’t always making music. J.I.D: : We were putting in hours every day. It was a competition between each other. And then we was trying to pay rent so n****s was working at Chipotle, Domino’s, cleaning up rat traps, whatever to get some money so we could pay at the end of the month to have lights and record. That’s where the development came from, just doing odd shows in Atlanta, just keeping our blinders on just like a horse in downtown New York. Jah : Speaking of competitive, Cole names you as the closest MC to his skill set on “Off Deez”. Did you know you were going to put him on the song when you first made it? If so, did you write your verse competitively to make sure you outdid him? J.I.D : I record everything by myself at the crib. I record in a secluded environment with just one other person, my composer. So I did it and I sent it to him. No, I didn’t send it to him first. I sent it to–I sent it to Kendrick [Lamar] first (laughs). Facts! That’s 100% what happened. I sent it Kendrick first. Long shot, Kendrick was going on the Championship Tour so it was just a long shot. I knew it wasn’t gonna happen and it’s understandable because he’s a superstar and has obligations. I sent it through the proper channels it just didn’t work out, but he f***ed with it. I made it the around the time of the XXL freestyle back in maybe April. I played if for Ski Mask The Slump God but he got busy and I know the situation with X (the shooting death of XXXTentacion) affected him a lot. Then I sent it to Cole like, “You f**k with this record? It’s hard, right? I’m bout to kill it and do the second verse” and he’s like “Hey, save me a lil’ piece on there” and like, “What? You wanna get on this one?” And we got s**t, but he was just moved when he heard it. I’m trying some different s**t and trying new patterns and he’s just competitive and he’s f***in’ elite at what he does so when he got on there it just made sense. @kendricklamar let’s do a song — (J.I.D) (@JIDsv) September 17, 2018 Where many artists would be intimidated by appearing on songs with peers who are at the top of their craft, J.I.D. has no fear. None. He talks with the confidence of a man who is undefeated in bar fights at his local pub. With all the humility that emotes from his serrated-yet-subdued voice he lets us know that he’s not one to be trifled with on the microphone. “If you look at my songs and the stuff I put out, I don’t think I ever went last. I do that s**t and I let n****s have it. Beat it, if you can. If I ever go last. If I ever hear a n***a verse first, its over. You gonna go back and change that. I’m not changing s**t. I do my work and I keep it moving. I respect all artists. I’m not saying there’s no one better. There’s somebody out there right now that like, n***a…I was the guy and I’m still that guy. But I’m a rap fan. I’m a hip-hop fan. I’m a music fan first before anything. I’ll walk up to anybody like “N***a, you are FIRE!” J.I.D recently credited Beyoncé with inspiring him to create the hook for “Off Deez” and we asked him about the other ways that Black women have inspired him in his life. “I got three sisters and my mom,” J.I.D says thoughtfully, “My sisters are three different type of strong, smart women. All different types of strong, all different types of smart. They showed me strength and I never noticed that. My dad taught me, you know, ‘You’re a boy. You have to do…’, but my sisters and my mom are definitely tougher than me and all my brothers.” You can tell by the manner in which he speaks about the women in his life that J.I.D has been a very grounded and empathetic person long before he became a rap star. “S**t that they been through, s**t that I’ve seen them do, they all had babies and they all figured out life. Women have a different power that’s hard to tap into as a man because we got it lil’ bit easier. The whole giving birth aspect, the whole God creating life aspect goes hand-in-hand to me. They create life and God creates life.” Source: Michael McLenighan/Getty / Michael McLenighan We highly suggest you check out J.I.D’s music and get to know him better as an artist. Hopefully, this interview will serve testament to what type of person he is. Clearly, he is as loyal to his fans as his fans are to him and Verizon Wireless. We heard that.

Original post:
Bossip Exclusive: J.I.D Talks DiCaprio 2 And Reveals How Kendrick Lamar Almost Ended Up On “Off Deez”