J.I.D at Uptown Theater (Oct 19, 2025)

It was my first time having to stand in line at the Uptown Theater, the line snaking around the venue and down the block where the tour buses were parked. The two guys in front of me were an interesting pair. One dressed in a sports coat and tie with polished wingtips. His buddy dressed like he was heading to the gym to play a game of basketball. They were parsing rap lyrics the whole time, even pulling out their phones to make a point.

Inside the venue the smoke machines were already churning out smoke in an attempt to provide cover for the puffs coming from the crowd. In the back a mother told her teenage son that she will be right there, pointing to the sloped tier only ten feet away. (Thanks Mom!)

It was a sold-out, all-age show as Chris Patrick took the stage to warm up the crowd.

From New Jersey, Patrick was wearing what looked to be a New Jersey Devils Hockey Jersey with HUGHES on the back, which isn’t something you would think to see from a hip-hop artist. One thing was assured. Patrick was as quick on his feet as he was with his lyrics. Trying to get a photo of him was an exercise of futility. At one point he jumped down into the pit behind me, ran past and was back on stage before I could focus on the blur.

Patrick is supporting his 2024 release The Calm, and he finished with a freestyle of “I Deserve It All” which was rousing and uplifting and left the crowd wishing he would stay for a few more songs.

Pretty quickly SwaVay took the stage dressed like he was about to go outside and shovel two feet of snow. He is from Atlanta and maybe not used to Minnesota weather. He told the crowd that “I got no positive sh*t to say.” But after receiving a positive response to the crowd for his “hard as f*ck, unapologetic lyrics,” he did pull back his insulated Carhartt hoodie and revealed an appreciative smile.

SwaVay is currently supporting his 2025 release BILLY2.

Next up and not missing a beat was Young Nudy. He is also from Atlanta and was dressed appropriately with an insulated hoody embroidered with shiny beads. Since 2022 he has released six albums, the latest being Paradise.

Young Nudy is laid back, relaxed and cool. He’s the kind of musician you would want at a house party or bar mitzvah celebration. The whole time he had a joint in hand, which he kept having to re-light for the duties of rapping kept him from smoking it during the songs.

Being the official opening act, Young Nudy had a more laid-back vibe during his half-hour set. He is quite funny. Fun fact: When researching him I listened to his “Peaches and Eggplants” which is not a song you want to be rapping at an office party. Anyway, halfway through the song I heard an aside, which got my attention:

Come ride me like your rover

All these VVSS, It get cold in Minnesota

After the three openers warmed up the crowd, J.I.D took the stage also dressed for winter.

We got a chance to see J.I.D at the sold-out Fillmore Minneapolis on Mar, 2023, writing:

It was the blistering lyrics and pounding beats that the fans came to see, but J.I.D let his fans know that he has bigger ambitions. You could already see the possibilities if you watch his NPR Tiny Desk concert, where he toned down the theatrics and gave a more soulful and jazz-filled sound.

J.I.D was supporting the wildly popular The Forever Story in 2023, and he is stretching his musical boundaries even more with God Does Like Ugly. He even performed “Glory” from his new album on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier in the week to kick off his God Does Like World Tour. Wearing a winter jacket and backed by a gospel choir, he sang great lyrics like:

Come with the comments, come with the sticks or the stones

Come with a red dot, I’m wearin’ Comme des Garçons

The gospel choir did not join J.I.D on tour nor did he have a band. Instead a DJ named Stokes served up the songs that just kept flowing. Eventually, J.I.D shook off the cold and took off his jacket and put in a performance that everyone came to see or as Mark Chinapen wrote in a review of J.I.D’s latest album:

Performance-wise, you can expect anything but mediocrity from JID. The way he effortlessly switches up his flows and matches the beats to decimate them is a talent.

Talent indeed. One man and one crowd, creating a moment where no winter coats are needed with jumping, hand-swaying, call-and-response, the lyrics being heard from the speakers as well as the people singing along.

Fun facts:

J.I.D will be a special guest at OutKast’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction on Nov 9th. Also, J.I.D told Dazed Magazine that he plans to become a lawyer, saying “By age 40, I think I’m just going to dial right in. My brother’s been in jail all my life. I want to get into the judicial system and figure it out.”

I’d hate to be the opposing lawyer in any case he takes.