We’re watching Christo on TV. Not really it’s BJ The Chicago Kid, Thundercat with a Mac Miller tattoo on his arm, and J.I.D, an Atlanta rapper who’s sound in part comes from the mind of producer Christo, performing on late-night television with Jimmy Fallon. If you’re from Pittsburgh, you know how to support a moment like this when a hometown kid like Christo gets significant placements on a mainstream, number one hip-hop album being played live on national television. This feels like watching your star jock friend from high school ball out on ESPN with some pass deflections while beating the number two college football team in the country (aside because J.I.D got a scholarship to play football at University of Georgia).

Christo is Pittsburgh sound to the international audience. Christo has been out here productively and consistently producing music. What have you been doing?

His catalog amplifies local hip-hop talent from around Pittsburgh although Christo has built success elsewhere too.  “I made a conscious decision to build with J.I.D and the whole Since the 80s camp,” Christo said in a November Instagram story. “DiCaprio 2” is an album by J.I.D, but the project has a lot to do with Christo. “Dicaprio 2 is the best work I’ve done with any artist to date… no cap lol,” he finished. In total, Christo has credits on six songs from “DiCaprio 2” as a composer, engineer, lyricist, producer, and studio personnel. Listen to “Westbrook.” J.I.D and A$AP Ferg feature, but Christo also wrote it says rap Genius.

Headed to Keith.wav and Zende’s album release party at The Bushnel back in October, Grace (DJ) played an early copy of “DiCaprio 2” off the aux in my Volkswagen Tiguan, whipping through Penn Hills, Pittsburgh. This was a clouted car honestly with Grace, My Favorite Color (slickest tongue in rap), and  Taylor Babushka (media personality/artist) processing the new music. Listening to J.I.D is “like reading a book,” Grace said as she broke from the 14-song album to play a more rhythmic “Immediately” by Mystro and Wizkid. You do have to pay attention when listening to J.I.D. You can get lost in the Christo bounce, and J.I.D’s intelligence comes across so clearly in his records that his words and flows make you think almost too much.

At any rate, that’s what makes J.I.D great. “DiCaprio 2” deserves your support for all mentioned here. Shout out to more Pittsburgh influences on the record too, like Nice Rec musicianship on “151 Rum” and management from Zeke of Since the 80s. Read a good DJBooth article about the bunch. Listen to music below.