The Top 5 Moments From J.I.D’s Brooklyn Paramount Concert

At the end of his Monday night concert at Brooklyn Paramount, J.I.D  decided to flip the “meet & greet” concept onto its head. Rather than connecting with fans backstage after the show, he asked the crowd to choose the last song he’d perform before wading into the audience to sign autographs and take pictures. It was an intimate moment in a night full of kinetic shouts and rap pyrotechnics. It was also the first of two NYC stops for his God Does Like Paradise Tour, a trek promoting his latest album, God Does Like Ugly. 

Okayplayer caught the whole thing and had some thoughts. Check out our top five moments from the show below. 

5. Pick a Song, Any Song

As I alluded to in the intro, J.I.D closed out his pretty interactive show by letting the crowd choose the last song he’d perform. That track was his The Never Story cut, “EdEddnEddy,” which the crowd rapped along too even though we were at the very end of the show. And then, of course he rewarded them by stepping into the audience moments later. 

4. “Gangsta Gangsta” 

I think I like The Forever Story more than God Does Like Ugly, but I think “Gz” is my favorite track between the two albums. With clips of Spit at the Reporters 2Pac and other spurts of aggression projected onto the screen behind him, JID brought the track to life as he performed the track at Brooklyn Paramount. It was one of those cool moments where music and atmosphere coalesce into something engrossing. Now I just hope I get to see him perform it again. 

3. “Down Bad” Reminds Us Why J.I.D is, in Fact, Not Down Bad 

Although he’s pigeonholed as a rippity rapper, J.I.D’s not-so-quietly got some anthems that call for shouting at the top of your lungs. “Stick” is one of them, and that one rang off, but my favorite is “Down Bad,” a Dreamville anthem where he lends a stellar micro-verse before delivering an emphatic, phonetically fun chorus. Bouncing across the stage at Brooklyn Paramount, J.I.D had the crowd shouting back one of the most memorable hooks of his career. 

2. J.I.D Takes It Back to Day 1

The first time I heard J.I.D, I was writing up a news post about his then-new 2017 single, “Never,” which was his first as a Dreamville Records signee. Before jumping into a breathless performance of the track, JID noted that this was probably the first time any of us had heard one of his songs, and the whole audience reacted that way when they rapped out every other bar. 

1. J.I.D Once Again Proves He Can Like — Actually — Sing. Live. 

Little background on me: I was on the XXL staff for three years (freelance news writer two years before that), and was part of the crew that chose J.I.D to be a 2018 XXL Freshman. I didn’t actually end up in the listening session where we picked him, but from what I remember, my colleagues in attendance were impressed with the upside he showed as a pure vocalist. Meaning, bro could sing, too. He flaunted his singer chops on his Forever Story cut, “Kody Blu 31,” and surprisingly, performing it live, he sounded *exactly* the same as he does on the actual recording. In general, his ability to project his voice — a lithe one — was genuinely impressive. Whether he needed to make it deep or high, whether he was rapping slow or fast, he never lost control of his tone or his diction. I felt that most when this pretty diverse crowd belted out a modern negro spiritual that soared into the Brooklyn Paramount ceiling.