Pouya Thinks J.I.D Is a Lyrical Genius

South Florida spitter Pouya is one of the most talented young rappers out there, no slouch at all when it comes to lyrics and flows. So he's not moved by just any artist's talent—if he gives you props, that's high praise. And he did just that for a particularly lyrical 2018 XXL Freshman.

Pouya tells XXL that he was blown away by Dreamville talent J.I.D, adding that the two artists have a couple of collaborations in the can already.

"If you don’t know who J.I.D is, you probably should," Pouya says. "He's the fuckin' greatest, he's like—I don’t even wanna compare him to another artist, he's one of the greatest rappers I've ever heard."

The two rappers met up through a suggestion from Pouya's friend Peanut, another fan of J.I.D's work. What stood out was the Atlanta rapper's command on words, his ability to fire off lyrics from any angle. "J.I.D's flow is ridiculous," he says. "And I love flow, as all my fans can tell, my favorite thing about rapping is flow... J.I.D is just tight bro, I wish I could get on that lyrical level, I'm just not that good. He's a lyrical genius, I put everything on that."

Once J.I.D and Pouya finally got in touch, they found out their musical admiration was mutual and quickly went to work. "He made me step in a different realm, he tested my skills as an artist," Pouya says of their collaborations. "The two songs I did with him are more lyrical. J.I.D is on like some mastermind lyrical shit. I really felt like I had to come correct when doing a song with him."

Pouya came correct with his latest album, Five Five, which dropped in March. It's not yet clear when his songs with J.I.D will be released. But in the meantime, Pouya is currently headlining his own Five Five Tour with Wifisfuneral, another 2018 XXL Freshman, serving as a supporting act.

See New Music Releases for June 2018