Juice WRLD lived life fast, and he wasn't afraid to go off course. The Chicago rap star captured the hearts of fans who endured the same romantic and emotional storms, and was hopeful a more promising forecast would emerge from the clouded skies.
Born Jarad Higgins, Juice WRLD broke out from the SoundCloud underground alongside Lil Peep, Trippie Redd and XXXTentacion, and soon became the face of emo rap. Lauded for his ability to crank out punk-infused trap hits like "All Girls Are The Same" and "Lucid Dreams," Juice WRLD ascended to rap stardom upon his 2018 breakthrough.
He bellowed in heart-soaked rhymes, unafraid to address his depressed thoughts, spells of heartache, and dependence on the very substances that fueled his music. But the latter would eventually stop him in his tracks.
On Dec. 8, 2019, Juice WRLD died of a drug overdose at age 21. His unexpected loss sent a shockwave throughout the music community, as he was on his way to changing the soundscape of rap for the foreseeable future. But in the five years since his passing, his legacy — including the reflective emo rap hits that defined his artistry — continues to swell with admiration.
Juice WRLD's first posthumous album, Legends Never Die, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in July 2020, selling nearly 500,000 equivalent units its first week. The project also notched five Top 10 Billboard entries, making it the most successful posthumous release since 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G.'s respective 1997 albums, according to USA Today.
Months before the rapper's second posthumous album, Fighting Demons, was released in December 2021 — alongside an HBOMax documentary, Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss — Juice WRLD's manager Peter Jideonwo revealed that a project called The Party Never Ends was in the works. Three years later, that project finally arrived on Nov. 29, marking Juice WRLD's third and final posthumous release.
In commemoration of the "Big" rapper's last album, revisit 10 of Juice WRLD's most impactful and soul-stirring songs — both in life and in passing.
"Forever," 'What Is Love?' (2015)
Years before lighting the world on fire with hits like "All Girls Are The Same" and the Billboard-topper "Lucid Dreams," a then-17-year-old Juice WRLD was uploading rough-cut freestyles and brooding love songs to SoundCloud. Then known as JuicetheKidd, he recorded and uploaded them from his cell phone as a sophomore in high school. His first release was 2015's "Forever," a subdued, lo-fi track that divulges into a newfound love.
The song signaled the greatness Juice WRLD would later develop under Interscope Records and Lil Bibby's Grade A Productions. It was equipped with the same moody production and emotional lyrics that oozed with vulnerability: "Put that on God, I can't do no more merchin/ Don't turn your back, I can't take no more hurtin'," he raps.
His raw talent was evident on other early releases like "Lost My Mind (Freestyle)" and "Mmmmm," showcasing his prowess as a songwriter and versatility as an artist. And within three years, JuicetheKidd would adopt a new name and sound — and soar to the world stage.
After refining his emo rap sound with a string of Soundcloud releases, Juice WRLD was primed for stardom — and "Lucid Dreams" set that in stone. Underpinned by the gloomy guitar samples from Sting's "Shape of My Heart," the swirling heartbreak track thrusted Juice WRLD into the mainstream at hyper-speed.
The monstrous hit reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was eventually certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 2022. The song's success opened pathways for the rising artist, who was recruited to collaborate by the likes of Future, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Brent Faiyaz, and other big-name acts, even after his passing.
Accolades aside, "Lucid Dreams" epitomized the dampened trap sound that Juice WRLD would later master. While the bulk of his catalog showcased his open-ended confessions and unwavering honesty, "Lucid Dreams" is what made him a star to be reckoned with.
Introspection was second nature to Juice WRLD, who freely explored the emotional whirlwinds he faced. And 2018's "All Girls Are The Same" is the most compelling snapshot of his romantic failures and emotional mood swings, which often ended in drug or alcohol consumption to ease his sorrow.
While "Lucid Dreams" would become the more popular song from his debut album, "All Girls Are The Same" was his first official single. It introduced listeners unfamiliar with Juice WRLD's independently released projects to his sound, and opened doors for a new subgenre to emerge in mainstream rap. And with its success came a new slew of artists who followed Juice WRLD's lead, including well-established acts looking for new ways to garner young hip-hop fans.
Along with melding elements of pop, punk and trap in his music, Juice WRLD's superpower was his ability to delve into the deepest, most vulnerable parts of himself — and then divulge them through a catchy record. "Rich and Blind" is one of his most underrated examples of this, as he peels back the layers of a new and once-unfathomable lifestyle.
While the song didn't reach the same chart success as his other releases, it showcased Juice WRLD's lucidity as an artist. He addressed how the money, notoriety and growing expectations turned his reality into a daunting one. He struggled with upkeep, and turned to drugs to suppress the added stress — like so many in his position blindly do, as he alludes in the track.
The first verse is especially heartbreaking in the wake of his own tragic passing. While he acknowledged the impact his music would serve, he prophesied an early and sudden death from percocets: "I know I have a purpose, but I don't see the purpose/ They tell me the death of me gon' be the Perkys/ I know they laced pills, I bought them on purpose/ Life's unreal and death's uncertain/ It's funny how the blessed ones had the most curses."
With Juice WRLD as the new face of emo rap, expectations were high for his second release; his next album had to be bolder and bigger than the first. And with singles "Hear Me Calling" and the Top 30 hit "Robbery" proceeding a second outing, he was ready to shake things up for another go-round.
Upon its 2019 release, Juice WRLD's Death Race for Love further established his musical presence. He upped the production quality, and dove deeper into his past romantic dealings, mental unravelings, and drug-induced episodes on the project's singles. And all of it proved his initial success was no fluke, as the album became his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The album's third single, a collaboration with NBA YoungBoy called "Bandit," is one of its most electrifying songs. Unlike the other songs on the 22-track LP — and Juice WRLD's vast discography — "Bandit" was a record that could be played in the club. It was one of the few songs that embodied his favored musical themes of sex, drugs, and sorrow while capturing the same elements as a dance floor banger.
The song, backed by Nick Mira's hard-hitting production, reached No. 10 on the Hot 100. And as the last song he released before his passing, "Bandit" drew added attention following Juice WRLD's untimely death.
The entire music world mourned Juice WRLD's loss. And after seeing the anguish shared among his fans and close collaborations — and the millions his music impacted — his family decided the world needed to hear the magic he left behind.
Nearly six months after his death, Juice WRLD's estate released the song "Righteous" with a public message to the music world. "Juice was a prolific artist who dedicated his life to making music," the family said in a statement. "Choosing how to share his upcoming music with the world was no easy feat. Honoring the love Juice felt for his fans while shining a light on his talents and his spirit are the most important parts of this process for us."
True to Juice WRLD's signature sound, the song's guitar strings and heavy bass support the artists' gut-wrenching lyrics. He raps about his "planet-sized" anxiety and attachment to harmful substances over a tranquilizing beat. The song rose to No. 11 on the Hot 100 and became the lead single to the posthumous album, Legends Never Die — yet another remarkable display of his undeniable talent.
As many of Juice WRLD's loyal fans know, "Man Of The Year" has two iterations that feature a different chorus and second verse. But the sentiment of the song remains the same, and it's a rather heartbreaking one.
Initially teased in 2019 before his passing, the rock-influenced track saw Juice WRLD acknowledge both the woes of his stardom and the impact he was making. On the verses, he cheers to the lifestyle that fame gifted him (including his "bad b—" girlfriend, Ally Lotti). On the chorus, he embraces the transcendent power of his vulnerable music: "I know I'm here to save you, I know I'm here to save you/ Let's raise our hands and sing and dance/ I know my lyrics saved you, I know I helped your breakthrough."
While the song's thudding drums and guitar riffs provided an upbeat soundtrack, the message of "Man Of The Year" was poignant; he was just as aware of his positive influence as he was of his pitfalls. He expressed a similar sentiment in 2021's "Already Dead," which featured grim production and a heartbreaking confession ("I know that I didn't stand a chance/ I don't think I'll ever live again/ I'm only here by popular demand/ I'm stayin' alive for the fans"). No matter how he presented his highs or lows, Juice WRLD's unguarded expression is exactly what made, and continues to make, his music so powerful.
Juice WRLD's "Legends" is a song dedicated to music's most influential voices, who often unexpectedly or tragically died before 21 as a result of senseless violence or drug abuse. The song was originally released in 2018 as a tribute to late rappers Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, who also rose from SoundCloud fame alongside Juice WRLD; Lil Peep died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Xanax at age 21 in 2017, and XXXTentacion was fatally shot a year later outside a South Florida motorcycle shop at age 20.
Their deaths prompted Juice WRLD to make "Legends," which acknowledges the negative path that can come with such stature. "They tell me Imma be a legend. I don't want that title now/ 'Cause all the legends seem to die out," Juice WRLD rapped.
Though its initial release was in 2018, the song's inclusion on Juice WRLD's second posthumous album made it even more devastating. Even so, "Legends" is another moving display of the rapper's uncompromising vulnerability, one of the predominant traits that cemented him a star.
Among several artists who grieved over Juice WRLD's loss, Young Thug was one of the more vocal in singing the late rapper's praises. Their friendship bloomed after collaborating on songs such as "On God," "Mannequin Challenge" and "Red Bentley"; the two stars were even slated to put a joint album together in 2019, but Juice WRLD's unexpected passing upended their planned venture.
In the years since, a series of unheard songs with the two artists surfaced on SoundCloud and YouTube. The only official posthumous releases between Juice WRLD and Thug were 2021's "Bad Boy" and 2023's "Money," until another collaboration called "Lightyears" was featured on 2024's The Pre-Party (Extended).
The Thug-assisted track showcased their musical chemistry, and enlivened Juice WRLD fans seeking another posthumous project from the genre-bending artist. The Pre-Party (Extended) EP, which features three more previously unreleased tracks, served as a preview to Juice WRLD's final posthumous album, The Party Never Ends.
The song is also one of many records that display Juice WRLD's prowess as a collaborator. And while the newest posthumous album will be his last, Lil Bibby and Jideonwo recently told Variety that his legacy will continue to live on through more collaborations in the future.
Released just days before the five-year anniversary of Juice WRLD's death, The Party Never Ends is laden with repurposed clips from his live performances. And while album cut "Condone It" is a braggadocious party anthem that leans more into the trap side of Juice WRLD's sound, it also offers the LP's most poignant live moment in its final moments.
During a 20-second-long outro, Juice WRLD pays homage to fallen artists like Mac Miller, A$AP Yams, Nipsey Hussle, Kurt Cobain, Pimp C, and others as the song slowly descends. That clip transitions into "Goodbye," a sorrow-filled song of loss, regret, and remembrance sung by The Kid LAROI.
"At the time, time with you was well spent/ When you're done, I think 'bout the time we shared," LAROI sings. It's a subsequent nod to Juice WRLD, who's become as revered by his fans as the late stars he listed at the end of "Condone It." And with The Party Never Ends being his official swan song, the emotionally rich record makes the artist's commemorative and legacy that much more momentous.