What comes after forever? It's a good question for a God-fearing lyricist. JID's gritty spirituality has always been a part of his music, especially as he's reckoned with a harsh Atlanta upbringing and desires to better the world around him. But where previous projects yearned for a higher sense of eternally defined purpose and peace, his new album God Does Like Ugly accepts the fact that he already found these north stars. They're just not exactly what the Georgia rapper expected, and he didn't know where to go from there.
Following years of critical acclaim, commercial crossover moments, and leagues of fans proclaiming Destin Choice Route to be hip-hop's newest leader, none of that really healed or satisfied his artistry's hunger. The result is the Dreamville MC's most ambitious and sonically distinct record yet, amping up the contrast between his most hellish and holy soundscapes.
Many of JID's previous muses and conceptual interests show up again on here: the ATL love, the emphasis on penmanship, vivid images of Black oppression, and the bridges between old-school rap styles and the current meta. The difference this time around is the conceptual framing of an ugly religious reckoning, for better or worse. While these narrative risks made for underwhelming moments peppered throughout, his newly nuanced perspective on religion and his commitment to hip-hop fundamentals still crafted a gratifying and expansive listen.
JID The MC
That last point is what consistently makes JID a conversation starter in the game: debates about his technicality supposedly overshadowing his themes. For fans of lyrical miracles, that was clear from the first single "WRK," and pops up most flashily in "On McAfee." Throughout the tracklist, though, the 34-year-old includes scathing specificity on occasion and really hones in on a song concept, such as a solid Clipse collaboration in "Community" or the back-and-forth conversation of "No Boo" with Jessie Reyez. This makes GDLU come alive amid more meager statements and song structures like "What We On" with Don Toliver.
Still, even when JID's not saying much we haven't heard, he's making my job a lot easier. Clear diction, engaging rhyme schemes, and seamless flow switches are arguably even more abundant here that on previous full-lengths, as more frequent beat switches and sonic redirections leave a lot of room for malleability. Pair that with consistently crisp and sharp production regardless of style, and you have instant head-bobbers. But what lies beneath the surface?
"Of Blue" with Mereda is what bests sums up God Does Like Ugly's mission. Three sections reckon with JID's relationship with God – and more specifically, the church. "Even seen the preacher on the TV tell me, 'Sinners, $199.99,' and he can save our soul," he raps on the cut, arguably the album's clearest confrontation with institutional religious exploitation. This track revamps the conversation that began on albums like The Never Story: finding God to deal with a cruel world. Now, the focus shifts to finding God within a cruel world, and JID places much more lyrical emphasis on how the horrid parts of his life inspired him just as much as his blessings.
God Does Like Ugly's Production
Ironically, the nastiest parts of God Does Like Ugly are the ones that inspire this record and really make it tick, rather than being the monsters JID runs from across these 15 tracks. The intro "YouUgly" with Westside Gunn might be this catalog's most definitive opener when it comes to setting the tone and separating itself from the pack. Heavy bass and crooked percussion get the point across without skipping a beat. The next track "Glory" doubles down by employing stark drums and dark piano chords to ground an otherwise soaring gospel sample. While we're on the ugliness, guests like Baby Kia make that energy clear, whereas others like Vince Staples engage with the weariness of this struggle instead of its fire-fueling nature.
Elsewhere, though, the beats you'll find on God Does Like Ugly will not differ much from other LPs. Nevertheless, Christo leads a remarkable group of behind-the-board support from Jay Versace, Boi-1da, Trakgirl, Mario Luciano, Lex Luger, and many more. They're overall compelling despite some empty space here and there.
Most critically, the melodies in R&B-centered cuts like "Wholeheartedly" are still solid, and it's actually one of JID's best sung performances. Yet, instrumentally, these songs don't do much to emphasize or fully contrast what's supposed to be a cohesive sound working with the topical concepts here. Interruptions in the tracklist's flow, such as the regional roller rink homage "Sk8" with Ciara and EARTHGANG, frankly sound best out of context (while still being engaging stories on the album). For the front-to-back experience, they risk muddying the sparse through-lines in what JID wants to say with this album.
What Makes GDLU Different?
However, these nitpicks owe themselves to what we know he's capable of, and he still delivers by tying loose strings together on GDLU. For example, "Gz" explores the expectations of boisterous gangster images, whether in the booth or in the streets. "Dealin' with some real s**t, they faking beef, we creating / Call it competition, feel more like it's class participation," JID raps on the cut. Still, for all the conflict and chaos that these performances of toughness and survival cause, he allows his pen to point to systemic issues as the root instead of the moral quandaries that defined previous records.
"VCRs" continues this theme, although some of these concepts reveal themselves as thin when you go bar for bar. Rhymes aren't everything when you're sending a message. Despite wanting something more out of lyrical specifics, this is arguably the best beat on here. The guitars flutters paint the picture in its place, and complement the verses all the way to a highlight on here. It's one of many, but it also stands as a strong thematic pillar amid a more general pool of topics on other songs. So GDLU's main distinctive weapon is still sharp despite not emerging on the battlefield as often as some fans would like.
What Does JID Believe In Now?
Even though God Does Like Ugly falters a bit in some of its many ambitions, JID's most idiosyncratic statement yet is still in there. After The Forever Story narrated his spiritual journey through the lens of his family, this album retreads its territory while looking for new details. "For Keeps" is another thankful reflection on the early days of JID's career like "2007" was. But it comes after accepting the horrors around him as virtuous missions under the light of his experience instead of distant memories that contextualize and validate his success.
This LP won't convince the skeptics or shock the die-hards, but it does provide dynamic songwriting, skilled focus, and brief moments of levity with cheeky references and celebrations of cultural and regional identity. It also finds purpose, honor, and principle in the darkest corners of JID's life. When "they selling God, we trust music," according to "K-Word," the most menacing moment of ugliness on the record.
Still, the beauty the Atlanta native continues to find in the firestorm is what reaffirms his faith. He realized that what comes after forever is just tomorrow, and with a little more focus and detail, he will, hopefully, wake up the next day and do right by his community and his life's experienced values, not the ones that the powers that be try to sell to him.
User Reviews
JID fans on HotNewHipHop gave God Does Like Ugly an average score of 4.58 out of 5 stars, based on six reviews. "insane features bro holy that first listen was something else," one fan wrote. Another posted, "I don't think this quite matches The Forever Story, but it gets so, so, so very close. I'm looking forward to giving this more listens." We'll see how this album continues to age for listeners.
