Juice Wrld

Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced “juice world”; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. His song “Lucid Dreams” has been played on the music streaming platform Spotify over one billion times and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. “Lucid Dreams”, along with his earlier hit single “All Girls Are the Same”, helped him secure a recording contract with Lil Bibby’s Grade A Productions and Interscope Records. He derived his stage name from late rapper Tupac Shakur and his part in the film Juice and that it represents taking over the world.

All Girls Are the Same and “Lucid Dreams” were two of five singles included on Higgins’ debut studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance (2018), which went on to become certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album enjoyed positive critical reception, and contained three other singles: “Lean wit Me”, “Wasted”, and “Armed and Dangerous”, all of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. After collaborating with Future on the mixtape Wrld on Drugs (2018), Higgins released his second studio album Death Race for Love (2019), which reached number one on the Billboard 200. It contains the singles “Robbery” and “Hear Me Calling”.

Higgins died eight months later following a drug-related seizure at Chicago’s Midway International Airport. His death prompted an outpouring of grief across social media and from the music industry. His first posthumous album, Legends Never Die (2020), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was the most successful posthumous chart debut in over 20 years and matched a record for the most top-ten song entries on the Hot 100 at one time. The album’s fourth of six singles, “Come & Go” with Marshmello, became Higgins’ second song to reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100 after “Lucid Dreams”.

Early life

Jarad Anthony Higgins was born on December 2, 1998, in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in the South Suburbs spending his childhood in Calumet Park and later moved to Homewood, where he attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School and graduated in 2017. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and his father left, leaving his mother to raise him as a single mother along with one older brother. Higgins’ mother was very religious and conservative, and did not let him listen to hip hop. He was allowed to listen to rock and pop music, however, and he found this on video games such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Guitar Hero, which introduced him to artists like Billy Idol, Blink-182, Black Sabbath, Fall Out Boy, Megadeth and Panic! at the Disco.

Higgins was a heavy drug user during his childhood and teens. He began drinking lean in sixth grade and using percocets and xanax in 2013. Higgins also smoked cigarettes briefly before quitting in his last year of high school because of health issues.

He learned to play the piano at four years old, having been inspired by his mother, Carmella Wallace, who later began paying for lessons. He then took up the guitar and drums. Higgins also played trumpet for band class. In his sophomore year of high school, he began posting songs to his SoundCloud which he recorded on his smartphone. Around this time, Higgins began to take rapping more seriously.

Career

2015-2017: Beginnings, and record deal

Higgins began his musical career in 2015 while under the stage name “JuicetheKidd” on SoundCloud. On February 5, he released his debut EP What Is Love?.

In 2016, Higgins released 2 EPs Juiced Up, and Twilight Zone. That year, he changed his stage name to “Juice WRLD”. In an interview, he chose the name Juice WRLD after Tupac, and Soulja Boy who had mixtapes with the name Juice in it while the “Wrld” is a shortened version of world and it represents him taking over the world.

In 2017, Higgins became a frequent collaborator with record producer Nick Mira and briefly joined Taz Taylor’s Internet Money collective. While in Internet Money, Juice released his debut EP 9 9 9 on June 15. The EP was suppoeted by his breakthrough single “Lucid Dreams”. “Lucid Dreams” would then gain the attention of Chicago based rapper Lil Bibby who would sign Higgins to his record label Grade A in a joint deal with Interscope Records.

2018-2019: Goodbye & Good Riddance, WRLD ON DRUGS, Death Race For Love, and death

Higgins’ debut studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance was released on May 12, 2018. The album contains a guest appearance from Lil Uzi Vert with production mainly handled by Mira. The album was supported by 3 lead singles “Lucid Dreams”, “All Girls Are the Same”, and “Lean wit Me”. Goodbye & Good Riddance charted at number four on the US Billboard Hot 200, making it Higgin’s first charted project.  On June 19, Higgins released a tribute track to late rappers XXXTentacion, and Lil Peep titled “Legends”.

In June 2018, Ski Mask the Slump God announced a collaborative mixtape Evil Twins would released in 2019. However, as of 2020, no further announcements have been made on the project.

On October 19, Higgins released a collaborative album with American rapper Future titled Wrld on Drugs. The album was supported by it’s lead single “Fine China”. The album contains guest appearances from Young Thug, Lil Wayne, Yung Bans, Gunna, and Nicki Minaj with production mainly handled by Wheezy.  Wrld on Drugs charted number 2 on the Billboard Hot 200.

On February 7, 2019, Higgins announced his second studio album Death Race for Love. The album was released on March 8. It was followed by 2 singles “Robbery”, and “Hear Me Calling”. The album contains guest appearances from Brent Faiyaz, record producer Rvssian, Clever, and Young Thug. Death Race For Love charted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 and Billboard Rap Albums.

On October 4, Juice released the single “Bandit” with American rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again. On December 8, Higgins suddenly passed away from an overdose at an airport, with “Bandit” being his last song to release while alive.

Posthumous releases

On January 22, 2020, an announcement was posted on Higgins’ Instagram account by members of his family and the team at Grade A Productions which thanked fans for their adoration for Higgins and confirmed their intention to release music that he was working on at the time of his death:

“From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank each and every one of you for your undivided adoration and love for Juice. You guys meant the entire world to Juice and by listening to his music, watching his videos and sharing your stories about him, you are keeping his memory alive forever. We plan to honour Juice’s talents, his spirit, and the love he felt for his fans by sharing unreleased music and other projects that he was passionately in the process of developing. There will be a public tribute in Chicago, details will be shared soon. Love Juice’s Family and the team at Grade A.”

It was also reported that at least two thousand songs were pre-recorded before his passing. 26 of these songs were leaked onto SoundCloud by the user of “999 WRLD”.

Juice’s first posthumous feature was on Eminem’s eleventh studio album Music To Be Murdered By, which was released on January 17, on the song “Godzilla”. On February 28, he was featured on G Herbo’s fourth studio album PTSD on the album’s title song also featuring Lil Uzi Vert, and Chance the Rapper. On March 13, he was featured on a remix of YNW Melly’s song “Suicidal”. On April 17, he was featured on “No Me Ame” by Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA and Jamacian record producer Rvssian. On May 15, he was featured on Polo G’s second studio album “The Goat” on the song “Flex”.

On December 2, 2020, Juice released his first posthumous single “Real Shit” with record producer Benny Blanco, since his posthumous album. On December 8, he released “Reminds Me Of You” with Australian rapper The Kid LAROI; the song samples Kim Petras’ “Reminds Me”. On January 15, 2021, he released “Bad Boy” with Young Thug which was accompanied by a music video that Higgins directed with Cole Bennett before his passing; it is also the last music video when he was alive.

Legends Never Die

On May 4, 2020, Higgins’ girlfriend Ally Lotti referenced an album under the name of The Outsiders, which Higgins intended on making his next album with “Bandit” being it’s lead single. However, Higgins’ family and label decided to delay The Outsiders and instead create a 15-track tribute album to the late rapper. On April 24, the label released “Righteous” as the album’s lead single. On May 23, they released “Tell Me U Luv Me”. In July, 3 singles “Life’s a Mess”, “Come & Go”, and “Wishing Well” were released. On July 7, it was revealed that the album would be Legends Never Die, which was eventually released 3 days after it’s announcement. The album contains guest appearances from Trippie Redd, Marshmello, The Kid LAROI, Polo G, and Halsey with production mainly handled by Mira, and Ronny J. Legends Never Die debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 and Top Rap Albums. Higgins’ manager Lil Bibby had previously hinted on a deluxe edition of the album. The album was later re-issued in August to add the song “Smile” featuring The Weeknd.

The Outsiders

Despite The Outsiders being delayed, Lotti stated that the album will be one of many posthumous projects to come.

Artistry

Musical style

Higgins said his musical influences were genre-wide from rock to rap music, and that his biggest influences were rappers Travis Scott, Chief Keef, Kanye West and British rock singer Billy Idol. Higgins was among the ranks of openly vulnerable artists born from the emo rap scene inspired by West’s influential fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). Billboard writer Michael Saponara claimed, “If West and his sparse 808s were a tree, it would have grown another branch with the blossoming art displayed by fellow Chicago native Juice WRLD in 2018.” During an interview with All Def Music, Higgins said, “I was singing ‘Street Lights’ like I had shit to be sad about. Kanye is a time traveler. That nigga went to damn near 2015 and came back with some sauce.” His other influences included: Wu-Tang Clan, Quietdrive, Fall Out Boy, Black Sabbath, The Starting Line, The Cranberries, The City Drive, 2Pac, Eminem, Kid Cudi and Escape the Fate.

“Lucid Dreams” MENU 0:00 “Lucid Dreams” is a piercing melodic rap song. It features emotionally vulnerable lyrics imbued with teenage angst. The song contains a sample of “Shape of My Heart” by Sting. “Lean Wit Me” MENU 0:00 “Lean Wit Me” harbors dark lyrical themes. It bears a strong fixation on addiction as well as contemplations of mortality. The song’s lyrics are laced with references to narcotics and binging. They serve to impart on the consequences of substance abuse and overindulgence. Juice Wrld’s melodic vocal style veers on melancholic crooning.

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Higgins’ music has been branded as “emo” and “rock” leaning, “genre-bending” with music focusing on “every broken heart, every wounded feeling”. More specifically, he has been labeled as a hip hop, trap, emo rap, and SoundCloud rap artist. With a penchant for short, hook-heavy songs, Higgins seemed a leading figure for the current era of hip-hop. In 2018, the streaming platform Spotify named “emo rap” its fastest growing genre. Higgins achieved arguably the most mainstream success of any artist in the sub-genre. This was boosted by his collaboration with Panic! At the Disco frontman Brendon Urie. Higgins himself considered the emo label to be both negative and positive. He felt that music sometimes has to be a bit dark to reflect his belief that the world is not really a light or a happy place.

Higgins said that “Lucid Dreams” was the only track from Goodbye & Good Riddance that he wrote, while the rest was done impromptu. Rather than write down his rhymes, Higgins crafted whole songs in a few minutes by way of off-the-cuff rhyming. Most of the time, his songwriting process involved freestyling lyrics instead of writing them down. When he did write a song, it usually began with hearing a beat and instantaneously conceiving an idea. Higgins sometimes found himself alone with an idea for a song and afraid that he would be unable to remember it hours later after arriving at the studio. For this reason, he sometimes took a voice memo or simply wrote the whole song.

Lyrical themes

Higgins saw the value in his position as one of very few contemporary SoundCloud artists who could compose soul-bearing ballads and odes but remain comfortable freestyle rapping over classic hip hop beats. Rather than eschewing it, his freestyles emphasize wordplay and feel indebted to the art form’s tradition. When asked for his opinion on why freestyles are no longer considered the rite of passage in hip hop culture as they once were he replied, “Stuff is just changing, that’s all. We’re moving into a new era of music. I feel like it’s not necessarily a good thing to forget where shit started, but shit is changing.” Though his songs do not always feature very technical lyricism, intricate flows or tongue-twisting wordplay, Higgins delivered inventive flows and memorable bars during his freestyles.

His most successful singles express melodic, emo-inspired compositions that exhibit his songwriting skill. His songs harbor melodic flows to complement their melancholic subjects. Higgins claimed he talked about things others are thinking but are afraid to speak about, such as being vulnerable and hurt. Having built a following through emo rap, Higgins offered lyrics that touch on heartbreak and fragmented feelings. Though not entirely groundbreaking, his musical approach provided a sense of familiarity that heartbroken adolescents of the current generation could gravitate towards. Higgins maintained that he only wrote from personal experience, and found strength in his pain and vulnerability. While the lyrical content of his songs often centered on heartache and bitterness, there are occasionally more boastful lines and creative references.

Personal life

Higgins had a history of drug abuse that began at an early age, and he spoke openly about his experiences. His mother, Carmella Wallace, claimed that he was also dealing with anxiety and depression on top of his battle with drug addiction.

He was living in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Ally Lotti, at the time of his death. The pair revealed that they were dating via Instagram in November 2018.

Death

On December 8, 2019, Higgins was aboard a private Gulfstream jet flying from Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles to Midway International Airport in Chicago. Law enforcement officers were waiting for the jet to arrive, having been notified by federal agents, while the flight was en route, that they suspected there were guns and drugs on the plane. Law enforcement officials later revealed they found three handguns and 70 lb (32 kg) of marijuana on the aircraft. They also said several members of Higgins’ management team aboard the flight told them that Higgins had taken “several unknown pills”, including allegedly swallowing multiple Percocet pills to hide them while police were on board the plane searching the luggage.

Higgins then began convulsing and seizing, after which two doses of the emergency medication Narcan were administered as an opioid overdose was suspected. Higgins was transported to the nearby Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

Higgins’ funeral was held on December 13, 2019, at the Holy Temple Cathedral Church of God in Christ in Harvey, Illinois. Friends and family were in attendance, including collaborators Ski Mask the Slump God and Young Thug.

On January 22, 2020, the Cook County Medical Examiner stated that Higgins died as a result of toxic levels of oxycodone and codeine present in his system.

Reaction

Fellow artist Boosie Badazz suggested that the pilot of the plane was ultimately responsible for Higgins’ death, referring to him as a snitch. The pilot contacted authorities when he saw people carrying guns on the plane that he had not been made aware of. Harry Dean, 27, of Chicago and Christopher Long, 36, of California were both arrested on gun charges, released immediately thereafter and given a court date for early the following year. The rapper had been under suspicion by the Federal authorities as a month earlier an incident occurred before he departed for Australia which prompted a search of his plane. Badazz gave an interview threatening violence upon the pilot, before later in the interview calming down and reflecting on the dangers of young artists suddenly being overwhelmed with money.

Rapper Ski Mask the Slump God, his close friend who had collaborated with Higgins on the hit song “Nuketown”, said on Twitter “They keep taking my brothers from me”, referring also to best friend and longtime collaborator XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed in June 2018. Lil Yachty, who remixed Higgins’ song “All Girls Are the Same” mourned his death along with Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, The Weeknd and others.

Higgins’ mother, Carmella Wallace, expressed her hope that her son’s legacy would help others in their battle with addictions saying, “Addiction knows no boundaries, and its impact goes beyond the person fighting it. We hope the conversations he started in his music and his legacy will help others win their battles, as that is what he wanted more than anything. We know that Jarad’s legacy of love, joy and emotional honesty will live on.” Wallace later established the Live Free 999 Fund in honor of Higgins and the battle he fought against addiction, anxiety and depression. The fund’s primary goal is to support programs that target young, underserved populations. With a focus on addiction, anxiety and depression, the organization hopes to normalize the conversation about the mental health challenges that Higgins faced, and provide an avenue for people to process those challenges in a healthy way. Higgins’ production team and record label have committed to supporting the organization.

In his song, “Legends”—which was dedicated to XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed in mid-2018 at age 20, and Lil Peep, who overdosed in late 2017 at age 21—Higgins raps “What’s the 27 Club? / We ain’t making it past 21.” Fans and media outlets commented that he had predicted his own death, as he had died only days after his 21st birthday. He also died exactly 39 years after Beatles singer John Lennon, whom Higgins often mentioned in songs.

Discography

• Goodbye & Good Riddance (2018)
• Wrld on Drugs with Future (2018)
• Death Race for Love (2019)
• Legends Never Die (2020)
• Untitled second posthumous album (TBA)

Concert tours

• The Nicki Wrld Tour with Nicki Minaj (2019)
• The Death Race for Love Tour with Ski Mask the Slump God and contribution from Lyrical Lemonade (2019)

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

BET Awards

BET Hip-Hop Awards

Billboard Music Awards

iHeartRadio Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards