On December 8, 2019, rapper Juice WRLD had a seizure at Chicago’s Midway Airport. He died six days after his 21st birthday, which he had recently celebrated.
Juice WRLD was born Jarad Anthony Higgins in Chicago, Illinois, and rose to prominence in 2018 after collaborating with rapper Future on his album. Nonetheless, it was his heartfelt lyrical record, Goodbye & Good Riddance, that catapulted him to fame. Throughout his music, he has been upfront about his battles with drugs and mental health issues.
He had a bright future ahead of him, which makes his death all the more terrible. Many fellow rappers, artists, and fans have expressed their sorrow for the Chicago native, but who influenced him musically?
When He Was Three Years Old, His Parents Divorced
The juice was born in Chicago on December 2, 1998. His parents split when he was three years old, therefore he and his brother were raised by his mother.
“My parents split when I was three, and I was raised by my mother,” he said in an interview on their tumultuous relationship.
His Mother Listened to Gospel Music and Forbade Rap in His Home as a Child
Despite Juice’s potential hip-hop career, his mother forbade rap music in their home, fearing that it would have a negative influence on young Higgins. “My mum was a real conservative, on some old hardcore Christian,” he told Complex.
Briggins became interested in hip-hop thanks to his relatives, who exposed him to artists like Chief Keef, Gucci Mane, and Young Jeezy. After that, the rest is history.
Tupac Was the Inspiration for His Rap Name
Briggins was a longtime follower of Tupac Shakur, a West Coast rap legend, before breaking into the music industry. Juice, Tupac’s 1992 drama/crime film, was the inspiration for his name. “Four Harlem adolescents decide to loot a nearby bodega to win reputation,” according to Juice.
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When one of them becomes agitated and shoots the store owner during the heist, things go from bad to worse.”
One of His Main Musical Influences Was Eminem
Eminem is without a doubt one of the most talented lyricists of all time. According to legend, Eminem is your favorite rapper. “Shout out 2Pac without him, believe it or not,” Juice said in his one-hour freestyle, referring to the Detroit rapper. “Shout out to Eminem, we’re in the same boat.”
For an Hour, He Freestyled Over Radio Rhythms!
In 2018, Juice stepped on Tim Westwood’s Capital Xtra studio and freestyled for an HOUR to legendary Eminem beats like The Way I Am, The Real Slim Shady, Lose Yourself, One Shot 2 Shot starring 50 Cent and D12, and Mobb Depp’s Shook Ones, which was also utilized on 8 Mile.
Many of Juice’s songs follow in the footsteps of Slim Shady’s early efforts. Similar to Eminem’s early work, he poked fun at popular culture and was candid about his fight with addiction and violence against women.
Lucid Dreams, His Biggest Hit, Was Recorded in About 15 Minutes
Lucid Dreams, Juice’s biggest super hit, was released in May 2018. Juice delves into the psychological turmoil that follows a breakup.
He told Vulture that the song took him 15 minutes to make, using a sample from Sting’s 1993 song “Shape of My Heart.” “That music is so much more expensive than money and what money can buy,” he told NME. It’s far more touching than anything money could buy.”
Musical Preference
Hip-hop wasn’t his sole musical preference. He also liked Billy Idol, Blink-182, and other artists! Juice possessed a vast and astounding range of musical inclinations. Because his mother forbade him from rapping, he experimented with other genres such as rock and pop. He used to listen to Billy Idol, Blink-182, Black Sabbath, Fall Out Boy, Megadeth, and even Panic! at the Disco when he was younger.
On Soundcloud, He Uploaded His First Single, Forever
His debut album, Forever, was released under his previous alias, JuicetheKidd. On his 2015 mixtape, What Is Love?, Forever was the only song featured.
Juice explored the depths of falling in love with someone on Forever. “We went through our nonsense, but girl, it was worth it / I found Mrs. Right, I can’t do no more lookin’,” he rapped.
He Was a Video Game Fanatic
Juice, like the majority of us, was a video game enthusiast. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, a skating video game released in 2001, was his first introduction to emo and punk music.
“In true Gen Z manner, he was first exposed to varied sounds by the computer game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and learned keyboard chords through YouTube lessons,” according to a 2019 NY Times interview.
Successful Career
He’s released two studio albums, three mixtapes, and eight EPs. In May 2018, he released his debut album, Goodbye & Good Riddance, under the Interscope banner, which debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
Death Race for Love, his sophomore album, was released in March 2019. Rolling Stone ranked it as the #40 Best Albums of 2019 after 72 minutes and 4 seconds of pop and rock music.
Multi-instrumentalist
He was a multi-instrumentalist at the age of ten. The juice was not just a multi-genre performer, but also a multi-instrumentalist, meaning he could play a variety of instruments.
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According to the New York Times, Juice became acquainted with the piano through YouTube tutorial videos and taught himself how to play it. Furthermore, according to All Music, Juice also played drums and guitar.
First Live Performance
“The crowd, which was made up of classmates and friends, was receptive to the music and foretold even future paid engagements, as the rapper cashed out for the performance,” according to Revolt TV.
Awards
He was nominated for Best New Hip Hop Artist by BET and won Billboard’s Top New Artist award. Juice’s career may have started young, but he has won and been nominated for a few accolades and nominations.
Billboard named him the Top New Artist at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in May, defeating Dua Lipa, Bazzi, Lil Baby, and Ella Mai. He also won a BET nomination for Best New Hip Hop Artist, which he celebrated with an exclusive private dinner.
Due to Sampling,’ He Lost 85 Percent of His Money From Lucid Dreams to Sting
Gordon Sting is the stage name of Matthew Sumner CBE, a British singer. The shape of My Heart, one of his tracks, was sampled by Juice. Nick Mira, one of the Lucid Dreams’ producers, said before his death that Sting sued Juice for the sample, causing Juice to lose about 85% of the profit.
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After his death, Sting cleared the air once and for all, approving the usage of the sample.
His Relationship With Ally Lott, His Long-term Girlfriend, Was Totally Lovely
Juice’s music may be a metaphor for domestic violence and abuse, but that didn’t stop him from loving his longtime girlfriend, Ally Lott. On November 4, 2018, Lott, a self-described Instagram influencer, became ‘official’ with Juice. On the photo-sharing social media, she has almost 749k followers, and she and Juice frequently upload a variety of photographs of their togetherness.
In a 2017 Tweet, He Controversially ‘predicted’ His Death
“My goal is to get extremely famous, shine for a couple of years..then fake my death,” Juice tweeted in 2017. Fans may not notice at first, but this tweet sparked creepy conspiracy theories after his tragic death. Many people thought he was faking his death.
