“Was it 27 club? We ain’t making it past 21” ( Legends)
This morning, December 8, 2019, 21-year-old Jarad Anthony Higgins, known by most as Juice WRLD, died after collapsing at Chicago’s Midway Airport. Passing only 6 days after his birthday December 2, 1998; Many fans are devastated. The Chicago native has a strong fan base from all around the world and over 10.7 M followers on Instagram. Juice WRLD was best known for his hit singles “All Girls Are the Same” and “Lucid Dreams” which helped him gain a recording contract with Lil Bibby’s Grade A Productions and Interscope Records. His music targeted teens and young adults going through issues such as anxiety, drug abuse, depression, and complicated relationships. Higgins was one of the most popular emo rappers out today and his unexpected death impacted many.
To remember the young lost soul, we countdown the most memorable songs he created while on earth.
(10) – ALL GIRLS ARE THE SAME
“I just want real love, guess it’s been a minute”. “All Girls Are the Same” examines the rap stereotype of having a plethora of women through a different lense, This song about sorrow is delivered with a side of repeated heartbreak and was Juice WRLD’s breakout hit. Obviously all girls aren’t the same, but when you’re going through a repetitive heartbreak it can surely feel like that. “Now I am insane, demons in my brain, love Peace I can’t attain, ’cause all these girls the same, love”. One of the first tracks to show his vulnerability.
(9) – FINE CHINA
“Shorty like a thousand dollar plate, fine china”. “Fine China”, featuring the Atlanta native, Future, is a reference to porcelain – a particularly beautiful Chinese ceramic material. In this song, Juice WRLD compares his girl to fine china and talks about how he loves his girl and lusts for her. “Tell her that she beautiful every day, I remind her”. This sweet side of Juice was why his fans were so loyal to him.
(8) – LEAN WIT ME
Lookin’ at the devil and the angel on my shoulder Will I die tonight? I don’t know, is it over?”. The song itself revolves around Juice WRLD’s self-admitted struggle with his abuse of drugs and the consequences they’re having on his life. Although he knows the substances really harm him, he cannot seem to quit and give up on getting high. We typically see this kind of behavior in many emo rappers.
(7) – HIDE
“Really think I found my home, shorty made me feel at home, She made me leave the thrills at home and I’m fine with it”. This track definitely impacted his younger age group, as it was a part of the “Spiderman into the Spiderverse” soundtrack. Juice is singing a ballad about being settled down with a girl he loves and how two lost souls can really intertwine.
(6) – 6 KISS
“Do whatever I want, don’t give a f***, live my life, uh-huh, uh-huh”. Trippie Redd enlists the help of YNW Melly and Juice WRLD to croon about their savage lifestyles and relationship with women on “6 Kiss,” a hardcore freestyle that features the three artists trading bars.This track marks the first collaboration between Trippie Redd and YNW Melly, however, Juice WRLD and Trippie are close friends and previously teased a joint project during a September 2018
(5) – ARMED AND DANGEROUS
“I’m in town, Party’s goin‘ down ”. “Armed & Dangerous” is about Juice’s lifestyle of wealth, drugs and guns and him reflecting upon his superiority to others after becoming famous. This marks the first collaboration between Juice and Dre Moon. A classic party anthem.
(4) – ROBBERY
“She told me put my heart in the bag, And nobody gets hurt (No hurt)”.“Robbery” is a somber “let go” song, which is told through themes of love and heartbreak. Juice WRLD displays his emotions and how he feels when he was robbed of his ability to love after the breakup with his girlfriend.
Throughout the song, he tries to entice his girlfriend into loving him through expensive watches, and designer clothing, turning the relationship into a toxic, alcoholic mess. He stresses that his ex-lover put him into a state of insanity and he doesn’t want her to leave once he has run from her love.
(3) – BANDIT
“Stole her, I’m the definition of a bandit, uh, ayy”. Bandit” is the first collaboration between Juice WRLD and Louisiana rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Juice describes his experiences with MDMA and boasts about his relationship with a “bad girl” who is a notorious heartbreaker. Meanwhile, YoungBoy discusses his hood origins and marksmanship with weapons.
(2) – LUCID DREAMS
“I still see your shadows in my room, Can’t take back the love that I gave you, It’s to the point where I love and I hate you, And I cannot change you, so I must replace you, oh”On “Lucid Dreams,” Juice WRLD explores the mental anguish someone feels after experiencing a break-up Juice uses the idea of controlling a lucid dream as an analogy for his mental state; to avoid the pain of seeing his ex-lover in his dreams, Juice seeks to replace them—for good.(1) – LEGENDS
According to genius: “Legends” is a tribute song to late rappers XXXTENTACION and Lil Peep. The song was made in response to the passing of XXXTENTACION on June 18, 2018.Juice WRLD previewed this song on his Instagram live the same day he dropped it. As shown by the timeline of events, Juice created this entire song in just under a day. In the song, Juice analyzes the current state of the world through what he perceives as confusing and dark. He also talks about how unexpected X’s death was and resurfaced the event of Lil Peep’s death on November 15, 2017.
Additionally, he struggles with the idea of becoming a legend himself and questions how fame will impact his well-being. Having scored his first big hit with “Lucid Dreams” shortly before the release of this song, Juice is adjusting to a new way of life. This song now sounds eerie as Juice WRLD himself passed away on December 8, 2019, six days after his 21st birthday. The song appeared to predict his own death as well, with lyrics claiming he won’t make it past this age:
What’s the 27 Club? We ain’t making it past 21
On April 19, 2019, he would further discuss his viewpoint on death in an interview with the New York Times:
It’s not as scary as I thought it was going to be, as far as graveyards…Damn near too much to take in, you almost gotta close your eyes, It’s so dead, it’s alive… It’s an interesting subject. It’s an enigma…I talk about stuff like that because those are subjects that people are a) too scared to touch on, or b) don’t do it the right way where people can learn from your mistakes. I cherish every mini-second of this life. What is this? The gates of Hell? If it’s meant for me to go out like this.