With the release of his third studio album, the late Juice Wrld accomplished something every aspiring rapper dreams of: being as big as Tupac and Biggie.
“Legends Never Die,” released July 10, scored the biggest first-week sales of any posthumous album since Tupac Shakur’s “R U Still Down” and Notorious B.I.G.’s “Born Again.” Juice Wrld, born Jarad Higgins, died in December of an accidental drug overdose at age 21.
While it’s premature to compare the legacy of someone so young to Tupac or Biggie, widely regarded as two of the finest emcees, Juice Wrld leaves a body of work that has similarities to Tupac in particular.
“R U Still Down” was the start of a vibrant posthumous career for Tupac, who was shot dead in 1996. Spotify lists 13 albums and four compilations issued after his death. Like Shakur, Juice Wrld has recorded hundreds of unreleased songs—so many that his record label isn’t sure what it has. But you can bet they’re trying to find out.
Despite new releases from Taylor Swift, the Chicks and Logic, Juice Wrld was the biggest pop star in the world this past month, according to Bloomberg’s latest rankings. All three of his albums sit in the top 50 on the Billboard charts, giving him more album sales in the month than Swift. Juice Wrld was also the top act on Spotify worldwide.
Much as Tupac and Biggie now symbolize the rise of gangsta rap, Juice Wrld is already one of the lasting symbols of SoundCloud rap. SoundCloud has served as a playground for aspiring DJs and rappers over the last decade, and music fans first discovered Juice Wrld when he released the song “Lucid Dreams” on the streaming service.
His early success drew the interest of Interscope Records, one of the defining labels of hip-hop. Founded by Jimmy Iovine, Interscope gained notoriety by distributing Death Row Records, home to Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac, and has released music from Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.
But while much of the rap on SoundCloud required a record label to sand off the messy, mumbling edges to be commercial, Juice Wrld’s “Lucid Dreams” was an immediate hit, almost too perfect a pop song for a teenager without access to a major record label or top producer.
Juice Wrld drew inspiration from the rock bands Paramore and Fall Out Boy, as much as any rapper, and has collaborated with Eminem, DJs such as Marshmello and pop stars like Halsey.
“He blended all these genres, from emo to pop punk to hip hop, that he created this unique, addictive sound,” said Ned Monahan, a Spotify executive who previously helped market Juice Wrld at Interscope.
That gave him an advantage in the streaming world, where playlists loom so large. Spotify put “Lucid Dreams” on Today’s Top Hits, making the service “the key platform for Juice breaking on those early singles,” said Monahan.
Juice Wrld’s rise was meteoric. “Lucid Dreams” reached No. 2 on the charts just weeks after he was signed by Interscope in 2018. Within a year, he had a No. 1 album and was touring Europe with Nicki Minaj.
As Juice Wrld crisscrossed Europe in early 2019 to promote his second album, the Chicago native asked his record label to find him a studio in every city. While the average 20-year-old might spend a five-week trip through Western Europe checking out the sites or going to the pub, Juice Wrld just wanted to make more music.
His rapid rise made his death all the more shocking to the music industry. “He was just at the biggest moment in his career,” said Carrie Battan, a staff writer for the New Yorker who writes often about music. “He could have very easily been as popular as Post Malone or Drake.”
His commitment to his craft is reflected in the trove of unreleased songs he’s left behind. Interscope, owned by Vivendi SA’s Universal Music, has yet to announce plans for subsequent records, but the company has already proved it knows how to sell one.
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August 11, 2020 at 04:00PM
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Juice Wrld 'Legends Never Die' Shoots to Top of Music Charts - Bloomberg
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