Today, .idk. — the artist born Jason Mills whose career as a rapper, singer, producer, and cultural architect has taken him to the NPR Tiny Desk, the cover of GQ, and the lecture halls of Harvard University — will release “S.T.F,” a kinetic speaker-knocker produced by Kaytranada and featuring the late legend DMX.

Listen to “S.T.F” here.
Watch the “S.T.F” video, directed by Ella Ezeike, here.

“S.T.F” – first played at the LeBron James “Forever King Tour” in Shanghai, China earlier this month – is the first posthumous collaboration that Desiree Lindstrom and Sasha Simmons, co-administrators of the Estate of Earl “DMX” Simmons, have cosigned since his passing. “S.T.F” is .idk.’s tribute to the spirit of a long-time creative co-conspirator — DMX had previously appeared on .idk.’s breakthrough projects Is He Real and USee4Yourself.

“It means a lot to have artists like .idk. and Kaytranada tap into Earl’s energy and create something that is fresh and authentic to who he was,” say Lindstrom and Simmons. “He set this collaboration in motion before he passed, so it was important for us to see his vision become a reality.” 

.idk. shares more context: “Back in 2020, I recorded a song for DMX called ‘Dream.’ After he passed, I always wondered what happened to it. Years later, while going through a folder of beats Kaytranada had sent me, one I originally passed on stood out — and my first thought was how X’s verse might sound on it. I reached out to Pat Gallo, and when he sent me the vocals, they locked in perfectly. Somewhere out there, the full DMX verse from the original record still exists, but what you hear now is the piece that became ‘START 2 FiNISH – S.T.F’.”

.idk.’s expansive work fuses sharp lyricism with high-concept vision. Born in London and raised in Maryland, he has built a reputation for pairing uncompromising storytelling with expansive creative direction — bridging street reality, philosophy, and art. With over one billion global streams and press notices from the likes of GQ, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Billboard, i-D, and Complex, .idk.’s built a formidable catalogue while maintaining a fierce sense of independence.

.idk. has consistently expanded the boundaries of what hip-hop can hold. He recently held a gallery premiere at MOCA in LA (where he debuted this video); created and produced a lecture series at Harvard in collaboration with the nonprofit No Label Academy, inviting figures like the late Virgil Abloh and Issa Rae to participate; and has collaborated with the likes Tyler, The Creator, Pusha T, Pharrell, MF Doom, Young Thug, JID, Rico Nasty, and Chief Keef. He is often tapped for bespoke product design and creative partnerships with brands like Nike, Dior, Mercedes Benz F-1, and McLaren.

Earlier this month, .idk. unveiled a special collaboration with Land Rover on the all new Defender 110.3 by .idk. and thr33dot — a culmination of a lifelong love affair with car customization. Says .idk.: “It’s full circle, from a kid spray-painting cars in his mom’s garage to designing something that can live in a museum and on the road.” More info on .idk.’s work with Land Rover here.

“S.T.F” is the first preview of a new project inspired by mixtape culture and informed by .idk.’s own journey through the criminal justice system. More info to come soon.