J.I.D

Destin Choice Route, known professionally as J.I.D, was born on October 31, 1990, in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of seven children, his stage name originated from his grandmother’s nickname for his “jittery” behavior. His early musical influences included funk and soul from his parents’ record collection, later expanding to 1990s New York hip-hop acts such as Jay-Z and Nas. J.I.D attended Stephenson High School, where he played football as a defensive back. Following a hip injury during his senior year, he accepted a full athletic scholarship to Hampton University for NCAA Division I football. He played for two seasons before being removed from the team for skipping practices, a turning point that led him to focus on his music career. He later moved in with Doctur Dot and Johnny Venus, members of EarthGang, whom he met at Hampton.

J.I.D began his musical journey by self-releasing mixtapes like “Cakewalk” (2010), “Cakewalk 2” (2011), and “Route of All Evil” (2012). He co-founded the musical collective Spillage Village in 2010 with EarthGang, Hollywood JB, and Jordxn Bryant. To support his early career, he worked at call centers and delivered pizzas. Further independent projects included the mixtape “Para Tu” (2013) and the “DiCaprio EP” (2015). His talent garnered attention, leading to a significant career milestone in 2017 when he signed with J. Cole’s Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. That same year, he released his critically acclaimed debut studio album, “The Never Story,” featuring the single “Never.” He continued to build his profile by opening for J. Cole on the “4 Your Eyez Only Tour” and co-headlining the “Never Had Shit Tour” with EarthGang.

His second album, “DiCaprio 2” (2018), further solidified his critical acclaim with singles like “151 Rum” and “Off Deez” featuring J. Cole. In 2019, he was featured on XXL’s Freshman Class cover and significantly contributed to Dreamville’s compilation album, “Revenge of the Dreamers III,” which included the RIAA gold-certified singles “Down Bad” and “Costa Rica.” His collaboration with Imagine Dragons on “Enemy” (2021) became his highest-charting song, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100. His third album, “The Forever Story” (2022), and his upcoming fourth album, “God Does Like Ugly” (2025), have received further acclaim, with “The Forever Story” debuting within the Billboard 200’s top 15 and featuring the top 40 single “Surround Sound.”