Juice Wrld
Juice Wrld | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Jarad Anthony Higgins |
Also known as | Juice WRLD |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | December 2, 1998
Died | December 8, 2019 Oak Lawn, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 21)
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2015–2019 |
Website | juicewrld999 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Labels |
Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice WRLD (pronounced "Juice World"), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he 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.[4]
"All Girls Are the Same" and "Lucid Dreams" acted as singles for Juice WRLD's debut studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance (2018) which became certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album enjoyed positive critical reception, and contained three other singles: "Armed and Dangerous", "Lean wit Me" and "Wasted", all of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. After collaborating with Future on the mixtape Wrld on Drugs (2018), Juice Wrld released his second album, Death Race for Love, in 2019 which became his first number-one album on the Billboard 200.
Early life
Jarad Higgins was born on December 2, 1998, in Chicago, Illinois.[5] In 1999, he moved to Homewood, Illinois, and attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School.[6] Higgins' parents divorced when he was three years old[7] and his father left, leaving his mother to raise him as a single mother alongside one older brother.[8] Higgins' mother was very religious and conservative, not letting Higgins listen to hip hop, though allowing Higgins to listen to rock and pop music he found on video games such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Guitar Hero, introducing Higgins to artists such as Billy Idol, Blink-182, Black Sabbath, Fall Out Boy, Megadeth, and Panic! at the Disco.[9][10]
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, quitting in his last year of high school due to health issues.[11]
He first learned to play the piano at four years old, having been inspired by his mother who later began paying for lessons, followed by guitar and drums. Higgins also played trumpet for band class.[11] In his sophomore year of high school, he started posting songs to his SoundCloud which he recorded on his cell phone.[12] Around this time, Higgins began to take rapping more seriously.[13][14]
Career
Higgins began to develop himself as an artist in his first year of high school. His first track, "Forever", was released on SoundCloud in 2015 under the name JuicetheKidd. Higgins recorded a majority of his first tracks on a cellphone, uploading them to SoundCloud in his sophomore year.[12] His name changed from JuicetheKidd, a name inspired by his affection for rapper Tupac Shakur and his part in the film Juice, to Juice Wrld because it "represents taking over the world."[10]
His first track produced by his last producer Nick Mira, "Too Much Cash", was released in 2017.[15] While releasing projects and songs on SoundCloud, Higgins worked in a factory, but was fired within two weeks after finding himself dissatisfied with the job.[16] After joining the internet collective Internet Money, Higgins released his debut full-length EP, 9 9 9, on June 15, 2017, with the song "Lucid Dreams" breaking out and growing his following.[17][14]
In mid-2017, the artist began to receive attention from artists such as Waka Flocka Flame and Southside, as well as fellow Chicago artists G Herbo and Lil Bibby. He subsequently signed with the latter's co-owned record label, Grade A Productions.[18]
In December 2017, Higgins released the three-song EP Nothings Different. It was featured on numerous hip-hop blogs, such as Lyrical Lemonade,[19] which helped Higgins's track "All Girls Are the Same" gain popularity. In February 2018, a music video directed by Cole Bennett was released.[17] Following the video's release, Higgins was signed to Interscope Records for $3,000,000[20] and a remix featuring Lil Uzi Vert was previewed.[21] "All Girls Are the Same" was critically praised, receiving a "Best New Music" designation from Pitchfork.[22] This song and "Lucid Dreams" were Higgins's first entries on a Billboard chart, debuting at number 92 and 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively.[23]
In May 2018, "Lucid Dreams" was officially released as a single and given a video.[24] It then went on to peak at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100[25] and quickly became one of the biggest streaming songs of 2018.[12] Higgins released his first studio album, Goodbye & Good Riddance, on May 23, 2018.[26] On June 19, 2018, he released a two-song EP, Too Soon.., in remembrance of and dedicated to deceased rappers Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, the latter of whom was killed in a homicide case relating to robbery a day earlier. The song "Legends" from the EP charted under its debut at number 65.
Higgins's first single as Juice WRLD featuring a collaboration was released on July 10, 2018, titled "Wasted" featuring Lil Uzi Vert. The song was added to Goodbye & Good Riddance and debuted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100.[27] The next day, Higgins announced he was working on his next album.[28] Following a series of leaks, Higgins' producer Danny Wolf released "Motions" on SoundCloud, giving the song an official release.[29] On July 20, 2018, Higgins announced his first tour, "WRLD Domination" with additional acts YBN Cordae and Lil Mosey.[30]
Higgins was featured on Travis Scott's Astroworld featuring on the song "No Bystanders" which peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.[31][32][33] He also made his late night television debut performing the song "Lucid Dreams" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on August 8, 2018.[34] On October 15, 2018, the music video for the song "Armed and Dangerous" was released[35] and the lead single for the collaboration album Wrld on Drugs with Future was also released, called "Fine China".[36] Wrld on Drugs, Higgins' second mixtape and a collaborative project with Future was released on October 19, 2018, via Epic Records.[37] He also contributed to the soundtrack for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[38]
In December, Ski Mask the Slump God confirmed that he and Juice WRLD would release a joint mixtape called Evil Twins in 2019.[39] The pair also announced a 2019 tour featuring 30 concerts across North America,[40] before Juice Wrld announced in February that his second studio album, Death Race for Love, would be released on March 8, 2019.[41] He then embarked on The Nicki Wrld Tour, alongside Nicki Minaj.[42] On April 9, 2019, the music video for the song "Fast" was released.[43] Later that year, he released other singles: "All Night", with RM and Suga of BTS;[44] "Hate Me", with Ellie Goulding;[45] "Run";[46] "Graduation", with Benny Blanco;[47] and "Bandit" with NBA YoungBoy.[48][49]
Artistry
Musical style
Higgins stated his musical influences as being genre-wide going from rock music to rap music. Higgins stated that his biggest influences were rappers Travis Scott,[50] Chief Keef,[7] Kanye West[51][52] and British rock singer Billy Idol.[53][54] Juice Wlrd was among the ranks of openly vulnerable artists born from the emo rap scene inspired by West's influential fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008).[55] 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."[55] During an interview with All Def Music, Juice Wrld imparted, "I was singing 'Street Lights' like I had shit to be sad about. Kanye is a time traveler. That n---a went to damn near 2015 and came back with some sauce."[55] His other influences included Wu-Tang Clan, Fall Out Boy, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, 2Pac, Eminem, Kid Cudi and Escape the Fate.[56][57][58]
Higgins' music has been branded as "emo" and "rock" leaning, "genre-bending"[52][7] with music focusing on "every broken heart, every wounded feeling."[63] With a penchant for short, hook-heavy songs, Juice Wrld seemed a leading figure for the current era of hip-hop. In 2018, the streaming platform Spotify named "emo rap" its fastest growing genre. Juice Wrld 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.[64] Juice Wrld 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.[65]
Juice said that “Lucid Dreams” was the only track from Goodbye & Good Riddance that he actually wrote, while the rest was done impromptu. Rather than write down his rhymes, Juice Wrld crafted whole songs in a few minutes by way of off-the-cuff rhyming.[64] His songwriting process most of the time invloved freestyling lyrics in lieu of writing them down. When he did write songs, it usually began with hearing a beat and instantaneously conceiving an idea.[65] Wrld sometimes found himself alone with an idea for a song and afraid that he wasn't going to remember it hours later when arriving at the studio. For this reason, he sometimes took a voice memo or simply just ended up writing the whole song if it was something he desired to dive deeper into.[65]
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.[64] Rather than eschewing it, his freestyles emphasize wordplay and feel indebted to the art form's tradition.[64] He was asked for his opinion on why freestyles no longer are 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.”[64] Though his songs do not always feature very technical lyricism, intricate flows or tongue-twisting wordplay, Higgins managed to deliver inventive flows and memorable bars during his freestyles.[64]
Higgins' most successful singles express melodic, emo-inspired compositions that exhibit his songwriting skill.[64] His songs harbor melodic flows to compliment their melancholic subject matter.[64] Higgins claimed he talked about things others are thinking about but afraid to speak on, such as being vulnerable and hurt.[65] Having built a following through emo rap, Higgins offered lyrics that touch on heartbreak and fragmented feelings.[65] Though not entirely groundbreaking, his musical approach provided a sense of familiarity that heartbroken adolescents of the current generation could gravitate towards.[65] Higgins maintained that he only wrote from personal experience, and found strength in his pain and vulnerability.[65] While the lyrical content of songs often center around heartache and bitterness, there are occasionally more boastful lines and creative references.[64]
Personal life and death
Higgins had a history of drug abuse and spoke openly about his experiences.[12][5] In 2019, he was living in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Alexia.[7][12] The two had met around the time Higgins's music career was starting to launch.[12]
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, where law enforcement officers were waiting for the jet to arrive as somebody had notified them while the flight was en route that the jet was carrying guns and drugs.[66] While police were on board the plane searching the luggage, Higgins allegedly swallowed multiple Percocet pills to hide them.[67] According to law enforcement, several members of Higgins' management team aboard the flight attested that Higgins had taken "several unknown pills".[68] Higgins began convulsing and going into seizures, after which two doses of the emergency medication Narcan were administered as an opioid overdose was suspected.[69] Higgins was transported to nearby Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at age 21. The cause of the seizure and his death are yet to be determined.[70][71] Police found three handguns and 70 lb (32 kg) of marijuana on the aircraft.[68]
Discography
- Goodbye & Good Riddance (2018)
- Death Race for Love (2019)
Concert tours
Awards and nominations
MTV Video Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | "Lucid Dreams" | Song of Summer | Nominated | [72] |
BET Hip-Hop Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Juice Wrld | Best New Hip Hop Artist | Nominated | [73] |
Billboard Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Juice Wrld | Top New Artist | Won | [74][75] |
References
- ^ "Could Future & Juice WRLD Be Trap's Trojan-Horse Advocates For Drug Policy Reform?". NPR.org. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Juice WRLD: the emo rapper on his surprise hit 'Lucid Dreams' - NME". www.nme.com. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Juice WRLD on SoundCloud Rapper Title: "It's Just Not What People Think It Is" - DJBooth". djbooth.net. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "HITS Daily Double : Rumor Mill - JUICE WRLD GOES VIRAL AT SPOTIFY". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Coscarelli, Joe; Garcia, Sandra E. (December 8, 2019). "Juice WRLD, Rising Rap Artist, Dies at 21". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Friends, Fans Mourn 'Accomplished' Chicago-Area Rapper Juice WRLD". NBC Chicago. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Juice Wrld's music is confusing but popular". Gulf-Times. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ No Jumper (March 7, 2018), Juice Wrld Exposed!, retrieved May 20, 2018
- ^ "Juice WRLD and the evolution of 'emo-rap'". 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Durtty Daily (July 18, 2018), Juice Wrld Shares Some of His Biggest Influences in Music & His Name Before He Was Juice Wrld., retrieved August 20, 2018
- ^ a b HOTSPOTATL (July 19, 2018), Juice Wrld Shares What His Favorite Class in Grade School Is, retrieved August 20, 2018
- ^ a b c d e f Caramanica, Jon (July 25, 2018). "The Chart-Topping Deep Feelings of Juice WRLD". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "How 19-Year-Old Juice WRLD Scored a $3 Million Record Deal Without a Plan". Complex. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ a b Ware, Tajah (September 20, 2017). "An Interview with Juice Wrld". Elevator. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ "Too Much Cash (Prod. Nick Mira)". SoundCloud. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ Ison, Eric. "It's All Authentic: An Interview With Juice WRLD". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Galil, Leor (March 19, 2018). "Tracking the astronomical rise of Chicagoland rapper Juice Wrld". Chicago Reader. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ Chesman, Donna-Claire. "Juice WRLD on SoundCloud Rapper Title: "It's Just Not What People Think It Is"". DJBooth. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Martinez, Elliot (February 5, 2018). "Nothings Different – [Juice WRLD]". Lyrical Lemonade. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ Stutz, Colin (March 13, 2018). "Juice WRLD Signs With Interscope". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ Margaritoff, Marco (May 17, 2018). "Juice WRLD Previews a Remix of "Lucid Dreams" With Lil Uzi Vert". Complex. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ Pearce, Sheldon (March 5, 2018). ""All Girls Are the Same" by Juice WRLD Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ Parizot, Matthew (May 22, 2018). "Juice WRLD Debuts Two Songs on Billboard Hot 100 Chart". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ P., Milca (May 11, 2018). "Juice WRLD Returns With Clip For "Lucid Dreams"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ "Cardi B Becomes First Female Rapper With Two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, as 'I Like It', With Bad Bunny & J Balvin, Follows 'Bodak Yellow' to the Top".
- ^ "Juice WRLD's 'Goodbye & Good Riddance' Project Has Arrived". PigeonsandPlanes. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ "Juice WRLD - "Wasted" ft. Lil Uzi Vert: Listen". Spin. July 10, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Juice WRLD Hints at Releasing More Projects in 2018". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ http://hiphopdx.com, HipHopDX -. "Juice WRLD's "Motions" Gets SoundCloud Release After Leak". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: External link in
(help)|last=
- ^ "Juice WRLD Announces "WRLD Domination" Tour Dates". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Travis Scott releases ASTROWORLD: From Frank Ocean to The Weeknd, who features on his new album?". The Independent. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Everyone who features on Travis Scott's new album Astroworld". Metro. August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Travis Scott Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Juice WRLD Makes Late Night Television Debut With Starry 'Lucid Dreams' Performance On 'Kimmel': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Juice WRLD's "Armed & Dangerous": Listen to It Here". Highsnobiety. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Future and Juice WRLD Link Up for "Fine China"". Complex. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Future & Juice WRLD Share Album Cover & Release Date For "WRLD on Drugs"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ Stavropoulos, Laura (December 10, 2018). "Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne And Others Appear On Spider-Man Soundtrack". uDiscover Music. Universal Music Group. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ XXL Mag. "SKI MASK THE SLUMP GOD AND JUICE WRLD'S 'EVIL TWINS' PROJECT TO ARRIVE IN 2019".
- ^ "Juice WRLD Lines Up North American Tour". Rolling Stone. February 21, 2019.
- ^ Bloom, Madison (February 8, 2019). "Juice WRLD Announces New Album A Deathrace for Love". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Renshaw, David. "Nicki Minaj confirms Juice WRLD will replace Future on her European tour". The fader. Andy Cohn. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Juice WRLD Releases New Video for "Fast"". Complex. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ Herman, Tamar (June 21, 2019). "BTS' RM and Suga Team Up With Juice WRLD For 'All Night': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Stephanie Gao (June 27, 2019). "Ellie Goulding And Juice WRLD Get Angry On 'Hate Me'". Much. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Michael Saponara (July 8, 2019). "Juice Wrld Drops Melancholic New Track 'Run': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Mitch Findlay (August 29, 2019). "Juice WRLD & Benny Blanco Serenade High School Crushes On "Graduation"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ D'Souza, Shaad (October 3, 2019). "Listen to Juice WRLD and NBA YoungBoy's new track "Bandit"". The Fader. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Juice WRLD Reunites With Cole Bennett On Video For YoungBoy Never Broke Again-Assisted "Bandit"". Genius. October 5, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Juice WRLD Says Travis Scott Is His Biggest Inspiration, Wants To Collaborate". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "It's All Authentic: An Interview With Juice WRLD". Complex. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ a b "JUICE WRLD talks about his influences, being inspired by rock, and more on No Jumper "Exposed"". Modern Life Mag. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Why Does Juice WLRD Want To Collab With Billy Idol? | Exclusive Interview". iHeartRadio. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Nardwuar vs. Juice WRLD". NardwuarServiette. June 11, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c Saponara, Michael (November 24, 2018). "Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak Turns 10: Engineer Anthony Kilhoffer Revisits the Influential Album". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ "Juice WRLD Reveals The Origin of His Name & His Major Influences". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Juice WRLD Breaks Down Tupac & Eminem's Influence on His Music". TRL. MTV. July 23, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Juice WRLD lists his Top 5 favorite artist | Interview". Genius. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Williams, Aaron (August 2, 2018). "Juice Wrld Delivers A Harrowing Statement On Substance Abuse In His ‘Lean Wit Me’ Video". Uproxx. Uproxx Media Group, Inc. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (July 25, 2018). "The Chart-Topping Deep Feelings of Juice WRLD". Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ^ Burks, Tosten (August 2, 2018). "Juice Wrld Attends Group Therapy in New "Lean Wit Me" Video". XXL. Harris Publications Inc. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Lamarre, Carl (October 29, 2018). "Juice WRLD Shrugs Off Michael Jackson Comparison, Calls Working With Future 'A Blessing': Exclusive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
- ^ "Juice WRLD And SoundCloud Rap's Toxic Masculinity". Stereogum. June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Rindner, Grant (December 11, 2018). "Juice WRLD is Setting Himself Apart by Embracing Rap's Trends and Traditions". Complex. Complex Media, LLC.
- ^ a b c d e f g Maduakolam, Emmanuel (July 31, 2018). "Juice WRLD Talks "Lucid Dreams" and Emo Rap". Hypebeast. Hypebeast Limited. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ Crepeau, Rosemary Sobol, Megan. "Federal agents and Chicago police were confiscating drugs and guns from luggage when rapper Juice Wrld suffered seizure at Midway, officials say". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ FNR Tigg (December 9, 2019). "Juice WRLD Allegedly Swallowed Percocets to Hide From Feds When Jet Landed". Complex. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Juice WRLD Allegedly Popped Pills on Private Jet, 70 lbs. Marijuana Seized". TMZ. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Sobol, Rosemary (December 9, 2019). "Federal Agents and Chicago Police were Confiscating Drugs and Guns from Luggage when Rapper Juice Wrld Suffered Seizure at Midway, Officials Say". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon (December 8, 2019). "Juice Wrld Dead at 21 After Suffering Seizure". XXL. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ White, Adam (December 8, 2019). "Juice Wrld death: Chicago-born rapper dies aged 21". Independent. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ MTV. "Vote Now: MTV Video Music Awards 2018". www.mtv.com.
- ^ "Hip Hop Awards 18 Nominees". BET.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ Juice WRLD Wins Top New Artist - BBMAs 2019 (YouTube). May 1, 2019.
- ^ "Billboard Music Awards Winners 2019: The Complete List". Billboard. May 1, 2019.
External links
- Juice WRLD on SoundCloud
- Juice WRLD at IMDb
- Juice Wrld on Instagram