JID continues to build his legacy in hip-hop. The Atlanta-based rapper has been climbing through the hip-hop ranks since 2016 but is still considered by some a novice artist on the rap scene. Now 32, JID rejects the young man’s game narrative that currently surrounds hip-hop and just broke through another threshold with a partnership with 5 gum, a brand of sugar-free chewing gum. The name “5” hints at the five human senses and that it has 5 calories.
The partnership allows five lucky fans to hear JID’s homage to hip-hop on its 50th anniversary in a track that can only be played five times. Recently, JID stopped by rolling out to discuss 5 gum and ageism in hip-hop.
Now 5 gum has the peppermint flavor. As far as preventing bad breath, what are some oral hygiene tips you’d recommend?
I’m a big advocate for healthy teeth and gums. My process when I wake up, the first thing I do is probably drink a bottle of water. Then, I immediately brush my teeth because I don’t like speaking to anyone before I brush my teeth. A little Listerine, and then right after that, boom. I’m popping in peppermint 5 gum.
You attended Hampton. What did attending an HBCU do to shift your perspective on life?
It gave me a bigger sense of community with like I said, just people who look and speak like me.
Also, I just met a lot of good people. It showed me different sides of Black people, people who look like me and I learned a lot about different walks of life. I know, being from the South, and going to a school that is in the southeast, but it’s like in the middle between North Carolina and Maryland. A lot of people from the North went there, so I was just meeting different cultures and backgrounds, and that opened my eyes. I think it gave me that broader perspective.
You’ve had a longer climb to get to where you are today as opposed to some of these 15 and 16-year-olds who go viral off the rip. What do you tell people who think they’re too old to still pursue their music dreams at 28 and 29?
In the simplest form, this is not sports.
It’s just not the same thing. It’s a competitive thing, but it’s not to the point of, “I need my knees and my arms or my limbs to be useful.” It’s more of making your initial creation in your mind. So as long as your brain is working and you’re able to create, I don’t think there’s even room for [being “too old”].
I know it’s like a stigma of hip-hop, but at the same time, I’ve never believed that music was a young man’s game, because it’s different voices and different people who have stories to tell. You can’t always get that nutrient from someone who has not lived that long, so I don’t even think that’s the thing. I think that’s just a glass ceiling that people put on it, you know what I’m saying? It’s not a real thing. Creation and art, people making things, they never die. I don’t think that ever ends.
