MUSIC

R.I.P. Juice WRLD: His Best Songs to Listen to Today

"Lucid Dreams" is iconic, but let's pay homage to a few of his other hits.

Photo by: Alphacolor / Unsplash

"I always had my own lane regardless of who I was around."

Following the deaths of XXXTENTACION and Lil Peep, Juice Wrld was very much seen as Emo-Rap's vibrant successor. His lyrics were soaked in teenage melancholy but were never ostentatious, with his voice always distinct from those of his Soundcloud peers. He could at one moment croon with the angst of Dashboard Confessional, yet go bar-for-bar in freestyles against any of his hip-hop peers. Everyone from Future to Sting praised his music as a teen, with the latter calling Juice Wrld's 5x platinum hit "Lucid Dreams" an "impressive" take on his song "Shape of the Heart."

Juice Wrld was destined to be iconic in life and will undoubtedly achieve that distinction in death, but it still hurts to know that, once again, we find ourselves mourning the loss of a monumental talent whose story wasn't supposed to end yet. Here are a few of Juice Wrld's best, if severely underrated, offerings that now carry a larger-than-life meaning.

"I'm Still"

One of the fan favorites from Juice WRLD's debut album, I'm Still, is an infectious amalgamation of pop punk and Hip-Hop. His distressed "oh's" are heartbreaking and ring as cathartic air horns for the emotionally perturbed. The Goodbye & Good Riddance deep-cut equally demonstrates Juice WRLD's talent for song-writing. "I'm holding my breath and watching my step, I'm listing regrets, and you made that list," he sings to an old flame. "You're my depression, your first impression wasn't deception."

"Wasted (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)"

Juice WRLD and Uzi go together like caffeine and nicotine. "Wasted" allows its host to croon with raw emotional efficacy, while being malleable enough to allow "rockstar" Uzi to come in and thrash around. In hindsight, the duo was destined to make an incomparable supergroup.

"Rich and Blind"

Released as part of a two-track bundle dissecting the death of his peers Lil Peep and X, "Rich and Blind" is Juice WRLD at his most raw, and now seems particularly haunting. "They tell me the death of me gon' be the Perky's" he sings. "I know they lace pills I bought them on purpose." Laced Percocet pills are now suspected to have triggered Juice WRLD's fatal seizure.

"Jet Lag"

As part of his unexpected and grandiose collaborative project with Future, "Jet Lag" shows that despite his pop-punk sensibilities, Juice WRLD can fit right in with today's biggest rap icons and make some bangers if given the chance. "Got a bad bitch like Megan Good, choppa long like a golf club, hold that bitch like Tiger Woods." Future was also sighted as one of Juice WRLD's most major influences as a kid, making the album particularly special.

"Lean Wit Me"

Another eerily morbid song in hindsight, "Lean Wit Me" finds Juice WRLD frankly discussing his drug abuse and exploring his fruitless journey to sobriety. The song is one of Juice WRLD's most raw and honest tracks, and it's an impressive tribute to Dem Franchize Boyz's 2006 hit "Lean wit It, Rock wit it." His voice wavers as he calls out, "If I overdose, bae, are you gon' drop with me?," as if he is on the brink of tears. The track's video paints a more vivid picture of Juice WRLD's journey, portraying him at a D.A.A. meeting and unveiling that his ex-girlfriend overdosed.

"Candles"

In another song that captures Juice WRLD's talent for frank and open story telling, he discusses his hesitancy to pursue a new relationship, but admits he can't pinpoint the reason for his reluctance. Instead of searching for answers, Juice WRLD self-medicates to avoid these difficult questions.

"Bandit (feat. NBA Youngboy) 

Juice's final single is also one of his best; it teased at a refreshed Juice WRLD ready for war. The upbeat swaggering track finds Juice WRLD and NBA melting together like bread and butter, and both parties have never sounded more in their zone. Additionally, the record debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Hide"

Curated for Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse, the pop-leaning single is a perfect addition to the soundtrack's stacked roster. Not to mention it was featured in the film during the apex of Mile's origin story. The film's emotional climax is anchored by Juice WRLD's uncanny ability to convey raw heartbreak in his voice.

"Fast"

Apparently made in about 15 minutes (along with most of his songs), "Fast" is an absolute ear-worm and standout from his expansive sophomore album Death Race For Love. The track finds Juice WRLD, while still a heartless Lothario, embracing the role of full-fledged pop star. It's songs like "Fast" that demonstrate the expansive versatility of an artist like Juice WRLD and reminds us that he's always in on his own jokes. "It's okay 'cause I'm rich," he sings. "Psych, I'm still sad as a b*tch." It hurts to know he won't continue making songs this delightfully infectious.

"All Girls Are the Same"

There is no other song that more perfectly captures the ethos of Juice WRLD. The hook is melodically contagious, while Juice WRLD offers some of the most candid songwriting of his career: "All this jealousy and agony that I sit in
I'm a jealous boy, really feel like John Lennon." It's an anthem for hormonal middle schoolers everywhere and has no doubt been the remedy for a plethora of teen heartbreaks.

MUSIC

Is Future Problematic? A Look at One of Rap's Most Successful Misogynists

As the rapper’s latest baby mama drama unfolds, it’s time to hold Future accountable

Future - Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn Festival d'ete de Quebec - Jul 2018

Photo by Rmv/Shutterstock

Let's face it: It might be time to cancel Future.

Nayvadius Wilburn, otherwise known as the Atlanta trap icon Future, has historically had trouble taking personal responsibility for his actions.

For one, while he's always been frank about his battles with addiction, he's claimed to be (somehow) unaware of his music's influence on young kids.

Yet up-and-coming rapper Juice WRLD, who recorded a collaborative project with Future last year, admitted that the Atlanta rapper inspired him to start sipping cough syrup when he was in middle school. "When he told me that, I was like, 'Oh sh*t. What the f*ck have I done?" Future recently told Rolling Stone. "I didn't think I'd care about that stuff. Four years ago, I probably wouldn't have cared if he told me." Juice WRLD claimed Future "kind of apologized."

In a separate interview with Genius, Future admitted that he had actually stopped drinking cough syrup but remained mute on his sobriety out of fear that his fans would stop "loving him" if they knew he was sober. He mentioned that certain people in his inner circle pressured him to continue to use drugs and party. "The people around you are chasing the high so they want you to continue to chase that same high," he said.

Both the interviews came prior to the January release of his latest studio album, Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD, and they seemed to represent a dramatic shift in tone for the rapper. However, listening to the album, that growth and sense of responsibility were suddenly absent. "I'm too rich to be sober," he sings on "Overdose," "got the whole world taking Xan's"; he turns a hint of regret into a braggadocio statement. He describes on "Unicorn Purp" how he's "on that purp like a unicorn."

But both fans and critics were rather forgiving of these discrepancies, suggesting that this album was the end of the old Future. "I think this is the ending of Future that we once knew," said Rory on The Joe Budden Podcast. "It did feel that way. I think the content is changing now."

But Budden wasn't as forgiving, reminding listeners of his other discrepancies.

After acknowledging the rapper's hypocritical attitude toward drug use, Budden went on to address other hypocrisies that Future's faced and failed to address. In an interview with Beats 1, Future claimed that his ex-wife, Ciara, introduced their kid to her new husband, Russel Wilson, before "she allowed Wilson and Future to meet." "He do exactly what she tell him to do," Future said, mentioning that Wilson should be a "man" and forbid Ciara from even mentioning his name in public. "If that was me, she couldn't even bring his name up. She know that. She couldn't even bring her exes' names up...don't give that sh*t no energy."

"Why does he keep telling us how everybody else should be behaving?" Budden said of the interview. "And all of it is to benefit him," his co-host Rory added. Budden went on to say that he doesn't respect Future as a man: "In real life, we ain't see no maturation from Future!" When asked for a response, Future said candidly, "I don't f*ck with Joe Budden." He added, "He got a badass bitch though."

The latter comment falls in line with how the rapper has historically objectified women.

He has historically denied culpability when it comes to mistreating his sexual partners. Future and Ciara have been at each other's throats since 2015 in what has been a very public post-breakup feud. The soon-to-be newlyweds called it quits after Ciara discovered that the rapper had been sleeping with his wardrobe consultant. Future denied the allegations, claiming he was the one to call it quits and that he just stuck it out because he felt embarrassed for her.

Since then, the two have had a tumultuous back and forth. Future has bad-mouthed his ex on social media multiple times, allegedly costing Ciara an endorsement deal in the process. Future's public airing out of his frustrations has also inspired fans to be equally vicious, continuously coming to the rapper's defense to attack Ciara and her new husband.

While Ciara and Future share custody of their kid together, the rapper has five additional baby mamas, with a sixth stepping forward this week. Eliza Reign, the latest to have a child by the rapper, alleged that she initially received death threats after deciding to keep the baby; and since the little girl's birth, she's been unable to get in contact with Future.

He's body-shamed and degraded his female fans.

Future's toxic behavior has hardly tainted his legacy as an artist, but there have been enough instances to warrant severe criticism. Back in March, rumors started to fly that Future wouldn't allow "fattie" women to enter a club he was performing at in Miami. He denied the allegations, saying, "I love all women." He additionally came under scrutiny in 2017 when he said on Twitter that his "kids gotta make a sacrifice" for having a superstar dad. The statement came a year after one of his baby mamas sued him for "emotional neglect" of their son, citing that the child has "emotional and behavioral issues" as a result of Future's bad parenting.

A few months after the release of WIZRD, Future announced the release of a surprise EP called SAVE ME. The EP, which critics have derided as his most thematically stifling, attempted to paint a more sympathetic narrative of the artist. "I only call you when I'm faded / Your arms around me, come and save me," he sings on "Xanax Damage," referring to his continued Xanax abuse. "I've been possessed, they wanna take my soul," he sings on "Love Thy Enemies." "Save my flesh, I'm in need of your love."

Future clearly sees himself as a creative martyr, as someone who's sacrificed his health and happiness in order to create great art and keep his fans. But even in his darkest and most vulnerable moments, obnoxious lyrics like, "I'm gettin' cocky, treat a good girl like she ran down / Catch an attitude I'ma go and f*ck your friend now," squash any empathy one could have for the 35-year-old. While he attempts to paint himself as a lost soul in need of guidance, the #MeToo movement has proven that misogynistic men will do anything to frame themselves as victims in order to ultimately direct attention away from those who have suffered as a result of their ignorance.

Future hasn't matured; he's just changed his narrative. In January, when asked for his opinion on the downfall of R. Kelly, Future said: "When you give things too much attention, they blow up...stop talking about it, it'll go away." That bit of advice seems to be Future's calling card, and while ignorance is clearly bliss in the Hip-Hop community, at what point are we going to start holding our favorite artists to a higher standard?