In a new Complex interview, JID opens up about the five-year journey behind his new album “God Does Like Ugly”, which came with a rare Eminem collaboration. The Atlanta rapper says it was not about charts or placement: “Bro was just sharp and steel. He was just ready to rap”.
Talking about their track “Animals Pt. 1”, JID revealed he originally sent Em 16 bars, and the Detroit legend replied with a much longer verse:
“I was like, ‘It’s long, twin. Let’s make it a song.’ He was like, ‘Nah, let me just get this off’. He wasn’t trippin’ on it being on an album”.
JID added that fans overthink why the verse landed where it did:
“I’ve seen a little discourse about his fans saying, ‘Oh, why wouldn’t he put [it on the album]?’. Bro don’t care. He’s a real rapper. Bro was just sharp and steel. He was just ready to rap. I don’t know if he got a new album. I don’t know what the fuck, but he was just ready to rap. You’ve got to respect that coming from anybody. And not putting such a burden on where it landed. It was just a calm conversation, “Oh, cool, appreciate it. Thanks, Marshall”. That’s crazy”.
JID avoided the conversation about competing with Eminem on a track or hyping himself up before going against the star. JID just shrugs the question off: “Same old. Woke up, smoke a blunt”.
And adds later, talking about this first collab with Em, “Fuel”:
“I stay out of that. I stay out of all of that, ‘who’s got the best verse’. It’s about the music to me. So, whoever got the best, I don’t even really care”.
For JID, the collab with Eminem was part of a dream list that also includes Mos Def, Method Man, T.I., and Outkast. “These are the people who set the foundation for some of the stuff we are doing”, he said. “Having these relationships is bigger than a lot of things I foresaw coming into the industry”.
And this experience of working with legends gives JID a new perspective on longevity in music:
“I want to rap like that when I’m 50 and 40. They be trying to put a cap on rappers like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to stop it. This is a young man game’. No, sir. No, sir. Actually, the best rappers through time made their best albums when they hit that man stage, that full manhood mindset that helps you put stuff together. It’s more of a mental thing, it’s not physical. It’s not sports. Your knees ain’t going to go bad if you want to write a rap”.
