After passing at the young age of 21 from an overdose of oxycodone and codeine, Juice WRLD is shining his light from above with this new album.
It's a sad trend in the music industry. Young and larger than life artists are left facing their demons alone. Without thinking too hard you could easily name three in your head. The Chicago based rapper born Jarad Higgins was a new and fresh sound in the Hip Hop world and ideally the poster boy for Soundcloud success. His vocals took up the entire room and are filled with sadness and pain that Gen Z found easily relatable. Listeners of all ages (specifically Millennials) were able to pick up the notes of pop-punk and Emo from a completely different era (think Blink-182 & My Chemical Romance) and were still able to vibe with the fact that they were being reimagined with Juice WRLD.
"Legends Never Die" the rapper's first posthumous album released today is a collection of tracks that were ordered in a way which tells a story. Its the history of Juice being told from heaven. Starting off the album with "Anxiety" you hear his voice speaking words of positivity despite having to deal with destructive mental health issues. His counterpart Trippie Red hops on "Tell Me You Luv Me" while Halsey belts out alongside Juice on "Life's A Mess." Marshmello twists the beats to a more rock & roll sound on "Come & Go" and "Man Of The Year" is a beautiful ode to the pop-punk fused Juice flavor we have come to love.
"Juice WRLD Speaks From Hevan - Outro" is a quick goodbye to his millions of fans. While its extremely sad and unnecessary that we are reflecting on the life of a young artist gone too soon once again, it's always amazing seeing the work they had coming from their posthumous albums. Mental Health and substance abuse are plagues to the music industry and beyond and should not be something that is continuously normalized.
Thank god for his mother Carmela Wallace, who recently set up the Live Free 999 Fund aimed at supporting:
Supporting programs that compassionately and successfully address addiction, anxiety, and depression.
Normalizing the conversation around these issues, especially in underserved communities.
Supporting programs that help people find positive avenues to process their mental health challenges just like Jarad did with his music.
"I was aware of his struggles with addiction, anxiety, and depression; we had many conversations about his challenges with these issues. I know he truly wanted to be free from the demons that tormented him. I made the decision upon his death that I was going to share his struggles with the world with the objective of helping others. It is my desire to help those who are hurting by providing access to education, prevention and treatment for opioid and other forms of drug addiction. It is my hope that Live Free 999 will help people just as Jarad’s music has and will continue to touch lives for years to come.” - Carmela Wallace
The fund will receive additional support from Grade A and Interscope Records.
Click here to learn more about supporting this fund.
