J.I.D has teamed up with fellow Atlanta rappers 21 Savage and Baby Tate for "Surround Sound," a soul-samplng posse cut that attacks from all angles. The Spillage Village member teased the track's intro — 30 seconds of Aretha Franklin's "One Step Ahead," most notably sampled by Ayatollah for Mos Def's "Ms. Fat Booty" — on Instagram Tuesday, pledging to drop the song "on 1/14 Friday" if the post received a single comment. He followed through on his promise last night at midnight, releasing the full cut along with a cleverly shot music video.
Producers DJ Scheme, Christo, and Nuri stay largely faithful to Ayatollah's interpretation of the Aretha track, tweaking it ever so slightly to give it a more ominous feel. J, 21, and Tate use the sample as a springboard, each launching headlong into their verse without hesitation.
Just under three minutes into "Surround Sound," the beat slows down and gets trappier, leaving J to take the reins for the remaining 90 seconds. The video follows suit, transferring from hypnotic shots of a barren warehouse to eerie, black-and-white takes from inside a stately manor, where J raps in front of a mounted deer head, a fireplace, a telescope, and a wall on which he's tastefully tagged "J.I.D was here."
Watch it above, and check out the Coachella 2022 lineup, which features both J.I.D and 21 Savage, here.
