JID’s God Does Like Ugly plays like the hip-hop equivalent of an overachiever’s term paper, strategically packed with source references for maximum GPA-boosting impact. The Atlanta rapper dazzlingly hurls around syllables like an auctioneer, set to jarring production shifts that swing from church-organ gospel to West Coast bounce to post-Dilla jazz-noodling, with a guest list of fellow hyper-articulators to prove JID can keep pace with just about anyone.
Much like J. Cole, his label boss, JID is deeply concerned with his legacy to an eye-rolling degree, and it’s almost as if he’s terrified of letting one densely packed bar slip by, so he keeps trying to top himself. In the past, JID could let a beat ride and a thought breathe; here, like on 2022’s The Forever Story, it’s all fireworks, any intimacy buried under the confetti of his own ambition.
Right from the jump, God Does Like Ugly comes out swinging with aggressive shout-outs to haters, potshots at anyone checking JID’s first-week sales, and beat and flow switches stacked like an endurance test. Less a welcome mat than a pissing contest, “YouUgly” hammers home the album’s thesis: JID rules, you all drool.
The rapper then ricochets between trap and boom bap on cuts like “WRK” and “Community,” not so much settling into a groove as frantically trying to prove he can play in any sandbox. With jazz-sample head-nodders fighting for elbow room with sub-rattling Atlanta trunk-bangers, the album’s production is versatile but whiplash-enducing. The whole thing is restless, overstuffed, and desperate to impress.
Lyrically, JID is at his most self-conscious here, packing the album’s 15 tracks with wordplay and rapid-fire flows that are often driven to the edge of exhaustion. He waxes philosophical on the three-part “Of Blue,” but it comes off as heavy-handed and overwrought. That striving for profundity runs through the whole album, with dense, layered verses seemingly designed to meet critical expectations rather than emotional ones. JID’s technical skill is never anything short of impressive, yet the heart of God Does Like Ugly is buried under conceptual grandstanding.
God Does Like Ugly tries too hard to be all things at once—a trap-banging opus, a spiritual journey, a mic-shredding clinic—that it ends up being none of them for very long. The result plays less like the next step for a talented artist and more like an expensive audition reel. It’s all hubris and no humility.
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never review shit again this rating is trash. seen a certain pattern with the ratings specifically the tone of their skin. genuinely hope you get fired.
Hahaha what a sh#t review, giving critic is okay but this is out of the world. I prob should not care about Paul, but this is pure to troll the internet.
you really don’t know what u talking about please never review again
how tf did you like donda 2 more than this are you deaf
I can’t believe that your honest, good faith opinion is that this album has less merit than Donda 2. I feel that you underrate popular and otherwise well recieved hip hop albums for the sake of clout and controversy and thereby pollute the discussion surrounding the albums.
Honestly idk why you’re even counted as a critic this is one of the laziest reviews I’ve ever read
This review is incredibly out of touch, gotta be clickbait
Stop rating music u a bum.
This album is phenomenal. Horrible review
Paul, giving God Does Like Ugly a 40/100 isn’t a review, it’s a public confession that your ears and brain are going through an amicable divorce. This album is layered, emotionally raw, and musically inventive — but judging by your score, you must’ve listened with the volume off.
You didn’t critique the artistry; you penalized it for not holding your hand and spelling out every emotion in crayon. Your review reads like you skimmed Genius annotations while scrolling Instagram and decided that was enough research. It’s the kind of take that makes people wonder if you write your reviews by shaking a Magic 8-Ball until an insult falls out.
Calling this a 40 is like walking into a five-star restaurant, ordering tap water, and complaining that it’s not a cheeseburger. It doesn’t make you edgy, it just makes you the guy at the table no one invites back.
You missed the themes, the sonic risks, and the lyrical depth so hard that if “misinterpretation” was an Olympic sport, you’d be standing on the podium waving. And if that’s the standard you’re bringing to music criticism, Paul, maybe it’s time to hang up the pen before you give Illmatic a 6 because you “weren’t feeling the vibes.”
Bro I hate this review just as much as you but you don’t need to get chat gpt to flame it for you man you can just say that review was ass.
bro thinks any long response is gpt generated ;-; are u like 4
The snow flakes in these comments are truly a reflection of the delicacy of the up and coming precious generations. God forbid someone has a personal honest opinion on music which opposes the egos of the boys commenting here. And not only can they not mentally reason someone differing in opinion, they actively request the man gets sacked or decide he’s racist.
I’m with you on that, it’s just a review
is this ragebait?
didn’t even type the album name properly in the aoty review, who tf letting these random ahh become official critics. All opinions are accepted except an official critic who can’t get the album name right, I bet you were vibe coding while listening to this. Js know I hate you