On August 8, 2025, rapper JID released his fourth studio album, God Does Like Ugly. JID is known for his incredible flow and lyricism, and this album definitely continues that, containing strong themes of southern hip-hop infused with gospel, jazz, trap, and soul. The album has 15 tracks, 14 songs and one interlude, featuring Westside Gunn, Vince Staples, Clipse, and more. The name God Does Like Ugly came from JID’s grandmother after they were talking about an event that happened in the world.
This is a top three album of the year for me, alongside Alfredo 2 by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist and Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd. This was a really enjoyable listen and I liked every single track. However, three stand out in particular.
The opening song on the album “YouUgly” has a surprising feature from Westside Gunn- I was not expecting him to be on the album. Within the first couple of seconds, listeners can hear Westside Gunn’s incredibly recognizable voice. After Westside Gunn’s intro, JID comes in with with a verse. JID uses vivid storytelling and his sharp wordplay. The lyric that stuck out to me on this song is “And fans argue ’bout record sales like they record execs themselves,” suggesting that critique artists performance like they are actual industry executives. After JID’s first verse, Westside has a couple more lines then JID has another verse. On his second verse, JID starts to fully going into his flowstate and then the song ends with Westside saying to be on time to church while also threatening them with violence.
The song “VCRs” features Vince Staples, a very underrated artist. The intro starts with a monologue that references the 1921 “Black Wall Street Massacre” in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Then JID referances the classic American Dream, “Look, you want a piece of that American pie? Probably humble you, Want that nice crib in the Hills? Real comfortable,” telling someone chasing that dream to be careful. Later in the track JID and Vince trade verses with seamless chemistry, blending their distinct styles. They both reflect on the violence, hardship, and violations in their communities, sprinkled with vivid storytelling and personal history. This song touches on the inequality, survival, and the emotional scars of living the street life. They both have these astonishing verses, raps over a very eerie and haunting beat. This track doesn’t even have a chorus, just a lyric-forward song.
“Wholeheartedly” stands out as one of the album’s more emotionally resonant tracks, blending orchestral strings with layered choir-like vocals, creating an expansive, R&B soundscape. This song sits firmly in the realm of Trap Soul/R&B. JID leans into singing more than rapping, and does phenomenal on both, and Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack both add rich, soulful textures. This trio seems to just blend so well together. The track has a theme talking about trust, loyalty, and emotional honesty. The chorus line “Love me wholeheartedly,” underlines a plea for genuine connection, and the verses hint at navigating storms and staying true. This track is a solid change from the rap… it just makes me want to hit a little jig, and then during that chorus it gives the listener that sensation of floating in mid-air.
This album is breathtaking, listening to the lyricism and the insane flows that take part in this album. One of the more popular lyrics from this album is from the song “Community” featuring the rap duo, Clipse. The lyric is “I’ll put a bullet in Bob the … Builder,” which is humerous, but a little rude… what did “Bob The Builder” do? This album is a very pleasant listening experience. Highly recommend taking a listen to this for fans of rap music.
