DiCaprio 2

In the age of overnight virality, JID’s about craftsmanship and good old-fashioned hard work; on <i>DiCaprio 2</i>, it pays off—and then some. On his second album, the East Atlanta native raps circles around just about everybody (including his label boss, J. Cole, who impressively stepped his game up on his “Off Deez” verse) in a dense, breathless drawl that’s bound to draw comparisons to a down-South Kendrick Lamar. The guy’s got bars for days—check “Slick Talk”, a clinic in double-time wordplay that careens from fourth-grade memories to absurdist <i>Maury</i> impressions. But he knows how to set a mood, too, recruiting some of 2018’s best producers (Kenny Beats, ChaseTheMoney) and occasionally veering into slick, upbeat R&B. Partial credit is due to the late Mac Miller, who helped post-produce and arrange nearly every song before his tragic death; but it’s JID’s masterful rapping that makes <i>DiCaprio 2</i> great.