JID said that each song on the album feels "like an individual film", and rapper Mac Miller helped post-produce and arrange almost every song on the album before his untimely death.[2] JID was supposed to serve as an opening act for Mac Miller on his Swimming Tour, but the tour was cancelled.[2] JID has also said that rapper J. Cole helped him work on the storytelling for this album.[3] The album experienced several delays due to issues with sample clearances.[4]
Title and artwork
On September 15, 2018, JID revealed promotional artwork for the album. The design draws inspiration from the film, Inception (2010), and is a replica of the "spinning top" of which never quite stops as the movie comes to an end.[5] On October 31, J.I.D revealed of what was then billed as the album's official artwork, featuring Konrad Annerud, a model and look-alike of actor and film producer, Leonardo DiCaprio.[6] The album was released on November 26, with the cover of the DiCaprio look-alike as the official artwork, but was mysteriously changed a week later on streaming services to the alternate artwork of which features JID in the form of a golden statuette holding a number two and was inspired by the iconic Academy Awards statuette.[7] JID later confirmed that the artwork, featuring the golden statuette was the new official cover for the album and explained the change of artwork to fans on Twitter, saying, "That artwork is what the artwork was supposed to be upon release, but they couldn't change until after we dropped for upload reason."[7][8]
The album's title was inspired by DiCaprio; JID has cited DiCaprio as his favorite actor.[9] JID's manager Zekiel "Zeke" Nicholson explained why the album is an interesting contrast between the artist and actor:
The DiCaprio theme is really an ode in the biggest way. You don't know what movie DiCaprio is going to be in. What you expect is a performance at the end of the day. That's kind of the mantra we went with for this project: let's give them a bunch of different movies. But in these movies the performances are high-level. These are movies that deserve to be rewarded.[10]
Release and promotion
On October 31, 2018, to celebrate his birthday, JID revealed the album's release date.[6] On November 11, JID revealed the album's tracklist, blurring out the album's remaining features, other than J. Cole on already released single, "Off Deez".[11] JID revealed the remaining features on November 15.[12] On November 19, JID released the album's trailer. In the trailer, JID depicts six scenes from DiCaprio's films: Inception, The Revenant, The Wolf Of Wall Street, Titanic, Django Unchained, and The Aviator, with album instrumentals for each scene.[13]
JID announced the first leg of his Catch Me If You Can tour on December 4, 2018, in support of the album. Leg one begun on January 22, 2019, in Eugene, Oregon and conclude in New Orleans on March 23.[14]Reason, Lou The Human, and Hardo served as opening acts on the first leg of the tour.[15] The second leg of the tour was announced on February 12, with Saba, Mereba, Deante' Hitchcock, and Mez serving as supporting acts.[16]
Singles
On September 16, 2018, JID announced the album's first single, titled "151 Rum".[17] The single was released on September 19.[18][19] The song was produced by Christo and Nice Rec.[20] The music video was released on May 1, 2019.[21]
On November 4, JID announced the album's second single, "Off Deez" featuring J. Cole.[22] The song was released on November 6, and was produced by ChaseTheMoney, with additional production from Dro Fe.[23] The music video for "Off Deez" was released on December 4, and was directed by Cole Bennet. The video features a cameo from rapper Joey Badass.[24]
DiCaprio 2 was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30] Writing for Uproxx, Aaron Williams praised the album calling it "the blueprint for the next generation of talent in the rap game". He continued saying: "DiCaprio 2 is a masterclass in the good things that happen when an up-and-coming talent takes the game seriously enough to work on the skills. JID's one of those rappers who'd be compelling on his own; his story, voice, and charisma are all enough to make him a star almost by default."[38] Mitch Findlay of HotNewHipHop gave the album an 87% rating saying, "DiCaprio 2 has positioned him for something truly monumental. It might be too early to count him among the game's best current lyricists. But then again, there's no time like the present."[32]
In a positive review from HipHopDX, Scott Glaysher said, "As cliché as it sounds, there is something for everyone and their mother on DiCaprio 2. J.I.D. breaks the mold originally set by J. Cole, takes all the best parts and mixes them with his own distinctive practice and pitch that work seamlessly with the array of trap and soulful beats (Thanks Christo and company)."[36] Jonah Bromwich of Pitchfork complimented the sounds of each track with noting that "J.I.D's melodic instincts are strong, sharing ties with Isaiah Rashad and even, occasionally, Bone Thugs, and he has the ability to get jokes off even in the midst of triple-time rapping, a la Big L or Lil Wayne.[34] Eric Lowers of Exclaim! admired its concept of the whole body of work saying "Dicaprio 2 exemplifies what the ideal student of the game sounds like — someone who's conscious of how a hook presents itself, how to control their delivery and how to diversify their lyrical bonds. He added that "Though J.I.D isn't as seasoned as Leonardo DiCaprio just yet, he is the inception of what makes someone the G.O.A.T.".[37] Jerome Taylor of Comm Radio praised the albums details saying that "Although the most remarkable aspect of the album is J.I.D's technical lyrical ability, he also showcases the ability to provide social commentary, be introspective, and deliver impressive R&B cuts during the middle of DiCaprio 2".
