If anyone can pass off as someone who sounds as good, if not better live, it’s JID. 

JID, alongside DC The Don and Young Nudy, performed at the Union Event Center on Nov 6. for “The God Like Paradise Tour”. All artists had incredible engagement with the audience and you knew the night was going to be a good one when DC The Don brought up a kid in a Spider-Man mask from the crowd during one of his first songs. 

The concert started off with a performance from DC The Don, where he didn’t fail to show his high-energy persona. About halfway through his set, he ripped his pants from how hyped he was on stage. He proceeded to finish the set, and it was absolutely electric, setting the atmosphere right for Young Nudy.   

Before coming on stage, Young Nudy presented a video for him to walk out to, showing some of his lifestyle back home in Atlanta, Georgia. Nudy then came out and carried out an excellent performance, featuring some of his big hits like “EA” and “Peaches and Eggplants.” The crowd was loving every second of it and the teenagers were moshing. Before exiting, Nudy made sure to shout out JID and give him a warm welcome. 

The moment 

The room went dark and a video was presented on the screen. Lights shot across the room as the audience sat quietly and anxiously waiting, knowing JID was going to walk onto the stage at any moment. The speakers shouted and he came out in signature fashion, wearing a Braves hat and a bandana. “YouUgly” began playing and he started his inhuman-like rapping. The crowd wasn’t quiet the rest of the night. 

While JID is known for his quick rapping and hard beats, he showcased a lot of his slower, melancholic songs. Throughout the performance, he kept saying, “Let’s vibe.” 

My personal favorite was when “Kody Blu 31” started playing and he had the audience transition into a unified wave, where everyone raised their arms and swayed them back and forth as the chill and catchy intro began. Everyone was truly living in the moment. 

While a lot of performers rely on their audience to help carry out the energy of each song, this wasn’t necessary for JID. The only person in that room who could accomplish and encapsulate the emotion in each track was himself. He didn’t stutter once, which, if you’ve heard his music, is something that seems inevitable. While he showcased a lot of his new album, “God Does Like Ugly,” he played a lot of his old stuff too, featuring tracks like “151 Rum“, “NEVER” and even a Dreamville one, “Down Bad.”

During the middle of his performance, he shouted out a fan in the crowd waving a Dreamville flag, reminding him of his colleagues, J. Cole, Bas, Cozz, etc.  

Throughout the night, there was a constant thought about whether he’d play his notorious verse from the Dreamville track, “Stick.” During the middle of his set, the moshing teenagers began a chant, “STICK, STICK, STICK!” While we were all thinking the same thing, the night went on. Now, the venue went quiet for a second, and then we heard the familiar intro. The crowd went into a trance, bouncing off the walls and bobbing our heads.

The outro 

After the song ended, JID began to express his appreciation and started playing a very special song of his, “For Keeps,” as he dropped down from the stage and began signing the audience’s memorabilia. The night ended with a class act and I doubt anyone in the crowd will forget it. 

As the crowd piled out of the union, we were all stuck with one thing: JID is a true performer and an example of someone who is keeping the beautiful tradition of hip-hop alive. 

You can find his new album here.