Bonnaroo 2023 Artist Spotlight: J.I.D.

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2023 lineup. After roaring back to life last summer, after two years off due to Covid and weather, this year marks Bonnaroo’s 20th installment (and 22nd anniversary), boasting not only another great and varied lineup, but also more changes and improvements then we’ve seen in years, with more flexibility in ticketing and camping, a reimagined “Outeroo” campground area, new activations, and further new ways to Roo. Back once again in its usual June 15-18 timeframe, we’re counting down the days until another great weekend on the farm.

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend at the fest!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

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One of just a few artists announced for the cancelled 2020 and 2021 Bonnaroos who wasn’t apart of last year’s lineup but is finally being brought back this year, Atlanta rapper J.I.D. (or JID, as we’ve also seen it stylized) is a hip hop fixture we’ve been keeping an eye on for a number of years now. Though his first studio album, The Never Story, arrived in 2017, shortly after signing to J. Cole’s Dreamville label, J.I.D.- who was raised as much on classic hip hop as he was r&b, funk, and soul- had already been making music for years at that point, dropping a series of well-regarded mixtapes in the early 2010s, and joining Atlanta musical collective Spillage Village. After collabing with numerous high-profile artists and touring with the likes of Mac Miller and Thundercat, J.I.D. dropped his sophomore album, DiCaprio 2, in 2018, scoring more viral hits and earning broader acclaim, positioning him as one of hip hop’s most promising rising stars. Since then, he’s appeared on compilations with Dreamville, teamed up with the likes of Doja Cat and Imagine Dragons, played NPR’s Tiny Desk, and dropped his biggest album yet in last year’s The Forever Story, featuring an array of huge guests like Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, and Ari Lennox. Served by his eclectic musical taste, J.I.D.’s work is much more timeless, genre-bending, and inventive than some of his more of-the-moment SoundCloud rap peers, pulling from indie rock, Motown, soul, classic east coast hip hop, substantive rap legends like Outkast, and more. And, though his past few years have been an impressive run that any rising artist would envy, J.I.D. has felt like he was just about to be the next big thing for a minute now, with the potential to reach Kendrick-like heights. Obviously a Bonnaroo must-see for fans of quality hip hop, his late night Saturday performance promises to be a highlight of the whole weekend, period.

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