This Monday, J.I.D—an Atlanta-based rapper signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records—came to the Aggie Theatre for a stop on his “Catch Me If You Can” tour. His very rare appearance is one to remember.
The show opened with Lou the Human from Staten Island, New York, Trapnhardo from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and recent Top Dawg Enterianment signee, Reason, from Carson, California. All three acts were brief, but they were enough to get the crowd in just the right mood for the main act.
From the moment the first song played, J.I.D had the audience hooked. Opening his set with “LAUDER” off of his debut album, “The Never Story,” he electrified the audience as they fed off his energy in a way that seemed almost second nature.
Eventually, he moved on to songs from his second album released in November, “Dicaprio 2.” This is where J.I.D began to show off his prowess as a lyrical artist. The first song to be performed from the album was “Slick Talk.” Not only was he continuing to move the crowd in every way possible, but he also fired off dense, rapid verses with no shortness of breath.
J.I.D kept the same level of energy to the very end, letting speedy verses fly as he kept turning the energy up. By the time songs like “151 Rum” and “Off Deez” arrived, his on-stage presence was explosive.
Even though he is able to dominate the stage on his own, J.I.D eventually brought out fellow Dreamville member, Bas, for a performance of their song “Boca Raton.” This came as a surprise to the crowd, and from the very moment Bas touched the stage, the energy from the pit skyrocketed.
The energy continued once J.I.D followed with a performance of the song, “NEVER” off of “The Never Story,” a fan favorite.
After a couple more songs, his time was up, and all in attendance were awestruck at the performance they just witnessed. From his first step onto the stage to his last, J.I.D proved to everyone at the Aggie Theatre that he is someone to keep an eye on for a long, long time. He showed not only how well he can perform and get a crowd moving, but also how real his talent is. J.I.D has let Fort Collins know who he is and how big he is about to become.
Miles Parrish can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @parrishm20.
