THE LEGACY OF
JUICE WRLD
If you were one of the lucky ones who had the privilege of discovering Juice WRLD on SoundCloud, odds are you remember the moment hearing “All Girls Are the Same” for the first time. Even during peak SoundCloud era, this song, this artist, stood out. The direct, nonchalant delivery and melodic flow from the then-19-year-old Jarad Higgins epitomized the next obvious progression of SoundCloud hip-hop: pop.
Juice turned the early success of that single into a splashy record deal with Interscope. At the time, the signing of Soundcloud talent was common practice. But the size of his deal cast him alongside fellow breakout rappers XXXtentacion, Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Peep. Although Juice shares certain aesthetics with those three stars, his emo/punk taste, influence and sound aligned more closely with Post Malone.
Just as important as the earworms Juice was creating early in his career were the lyrics and intent behind the songs. He rapped and sang about heartbreak, depression and death, but the melancholic themes, combined with his knack for melodic verses and choruses, struck a chord with the genre’s fanbase and exploded into the mainstream with “Lucid Dreams.” The breakthrough smash went on to earn over 2 billion streams and would become the most successful commercial hit from the SoundCloud era.
As Juice’s popularity rose, so did the respect for his creative prowess and the demand to collaborate. As more and more artists, producers and creatives worked with Juice, they came to understand the depth and breadth of his natural ability. He ended up working with top rappers Future and Eminem (among many others), sang a hook on Travis Scott’s ASTROWORLD and collaborated with elite pop artists like BTS, Halsey, Ellie Goulding and benny blanco.
The hip-hop community embraced Juice as a prodigious creator. In “The Man, the Myth, the Legend” on Legends Never Die, his peers Young Thug and J. Cole describe his raw, instinctual talent. Eminem raved about Juice's rarefied talent, his viral freestyle on Tim Westwood’s show and the fact that he'd mastered the craft so quickly. Lil Dicky brought up blanco’s stories of working with Juice. Everyone has a story to contribute to his legend.
"Through his lyricism, he painted a vivid and relatable picture of his generation's issues, all while evoking a sense of hope and acceptance." —Interscope's Nicole Wyskoarko
One of the most important pieces to Juice’s legacy, beyond his talent and popularity, is his punk/emo roots. With influences like Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy, it should come as no surprise that throughout his career he connected emo figures Brendan Urie, Skrillex and blanco. The sadness he captured in his songs resonated with a new generation of music fans.
In the final track of his posthumous album, “Man of the Year,” Juice creates a pop-punk anthem that would incite a moshpit in any decade. After half-hearted, half-joking verses, Juice finishes with this chorus, a nod to his fans: “Let's raise our hands, let's sing and dance/I know I'm here to save you/I know my lyrics saved you/I know I helped your breakthrough.”
As a partner in Juice’s journey and development, Interscope EVP of Urban Operations Nicole Wyskoarko describes his effect on the world: “Juice WRLD's honesty and earnest vulnerability made him the voice of a generation. Through his lyricism, he painted a vivid and relatable picture of his generation's issues, all while evoking a sense of hope and acceptance. It was unprecedented to see a rapper with unrivaled freestyles juxtapose hip-hop with early 2000s alt-rock and pop-punk influences, but fans consume music more fluidly today; Juice was at the forefront of defining this unique sound. I'm forever grateful and honored to have worked with such an extraordinary human being and visionary.”
Along with millions of fans worldwide, and team Grade A and Interscope, carrying the torch for Juice’s legacy is his mother, Carmela Wallace, founder of the Live Free 999 fund. With the help of Grade A and Interscope, she established the fund to support programs that compassionately and successfully address addiction, anxiety and depression. “Young people around the world were truly touched by Jarad’s music, because he spoke to issues and situations in his music that resonated with them so deeply,” said Ms. Wallace. “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.”
