Last updated on September 17th, 2025 at 11:41 am
JID is an American rapper and singer. He is part of the musical collective Spillage Village, founded by EarthGang in 2010, with Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, and 6lack, among others. He is also signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records and Interscope Records.
He is also a member of the hip-hop supergroup Zoink Gang, with Smino, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000.
Destin Choice Route was born on October 31, 1990, in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were Carl Louis Route Jr. and Kathy Jean Route.
The youngest of seven children, he adopted the moniker JID from his grandmother’s nickname for him based on his “jittery” behavior.[10] Route grew up listening to Sly and the Family Stone and Earth, Wind & Fire before shifting to the 1990s New York hip-hop scene and rappers such as Jay-Z, Nas, and Mobb Deep.
He attended Stephenson High School, where he played football as a defensive back.
He received a scholarship to play NCAA Division I football at Hampton University, where he redshirted his first year, then played two seasons before he was kicked off the team.
JID eventually moved in with Doctur Dot and Johnny Venus from EarthGang, whom he met during his time in Virginia.
Full Name: Destin Choice Route
Age: 34 (as at 2025)
Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 31, 1990
Height: 5 feet 6 inches (1.67 m)
Weight: 74kgs
Nationality: American
Genre: Hip hop
Profession: Rapper, Singer, Songwriter
Relationship: N/A
Net-worth: $1 Million
Career:
JID began gaining recognition after releasing several independent projects such as Route of Evil (2012), Para Tu (2013), and DiCaprio (2015). His debut studio album, The Never Story, was released in 2017 to public praise and included the single “Never”.
He released his second album, DiCaprio 2, in 2018; it contained the singles “151 Rum” and “Off Deez” and also received critical acclaim.
JID released his first mixtape, Cakewalk, on May 18, 2010. Earlier that year, he formed Spillage Village with Earthgang, Hollywood JB, and JordxnBryant.
He released his second mixtape, Cakewalk 2, on June 29, 2011. He released his third mixtape, Route of All Evil on June 25, 2012, with guest features from EarthGang and Stillz.
JID funded his music career with jobs at call centers and delivering pizza before he started to get booked for local live shows.
On October 22, 2013, his next mixtape was released, titled Para Tu. The mixtape was later re-released on December 29, 2017.
The first single for his second album was released on September 18, titled “151 Rum”.[31] On October 3, 2018, JID premiered the song “Working Out” on A COLORS SHOW.
On his birthday, his second album DiCaprio 2 was announced for a release date of November 26, 2018, and revealed the tracklist soon after.
The album’s second official single, “Off Deez” featuring J. Cole, was released on November 6.
In 2019, JID was part of the Dreamville compilation album Revenge of the Dreamers III. The singles “Down Bad” and “Costa Rica” were certified gold by the RIAA.
In 2020, as part of Spillage Village, he was featured on the singles “End of Daze” and “Baptize” for their fourth collective album, Spilligion.
2021–present: The Forever Story
On January 19, 2021, JID announced the title of his third studio album, The Forever Story.
He featured on Dua Lipa‘s song “Not My Problem” on the reissue of her second studio album, and on Doja Cat’s song “Options” from her third studio album Planet Her, which was released on June 25.
He later collaborated with Imagine Dragons on the song “Enemy”, becoming his highest charting song.
On January 14, 2022, JID released the first single on The Forever Story called “Surround Sound”, featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate.
Personal Life:
JID was born Destine Choice Route to parents Carl Louis Route, Jr. and Kathy Jean Route. He is the youngest of seven children and adopted the name “JID” from his grandmother, who nicknamed him based on his “Jittery” behavior.
He grew up listening to Sly and the Family Stone and Earth, Wind & Fire before shifting to the 1990s New York hip-hop scene and rappers such as Jay-Z, Nas, and Mobb Deep.
Songs:
Studio albums
- The Never Story (2017)
- DiCaprio 2 (2018)
- The Forever Story (2022)
- God Does Like Ugly (2025)
Collaborative albums
- Revenge of the Dreamers III (with Dreamville) (2019)
- Spilligion (with Spillage Village and EarthGang) (2020)
- D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape (with Dreamville) (2022)
Awards
Grammy Awards
- 2020
- Best Rap Performance for “Down Bad” (with J. Cole, Bas, EarthGang & Young Nudy) – Nominated
- Best Rap Album for Revenge of the Dreamers III – Nominated
- 2022
- Album of the Year for Planet Her (Deluxe) (as a featured artist on “Options”) – Nominated
- Best Alternative Video for “Enemy” (with Imagine Dragons) – Nominated
Other Awards
- BET Rookie of the Year: JID was named Rookie of the Year by BET in 2018.
- Berlin Music Video Awards:
- 2022: Nominated for Best Cinematography for “SURROUND SOUND”
- 2023: Nominated for Best Narrative for “Money”
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