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| Juice WRLD | |
|---|---|
| Name | Juice WRLD |
| Birth name | Jarad Anthony Higgins |
| Birth date | December 2, 1998 |
| Birth place | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Death date | December 8, 2019 |
| Death place | Oakland County, Michigan |
| Occupation | Rapper, singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2015–2019 |
| Labels | Grade A Productions, Interscope Records |
| Associated acts | Eminem, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert, Future, Lil Yachty |
Juice WRLD was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for blending emotive lyricism with melodic hip hop and emo influences. He achieved mainstream success with the single "Lucid Dreams" and the albums Goodbye & Good Riddance and Death Race for Love. His music and public persona intersected with scenes around Chicago and the wider American hip hop industry, influencing a generation of artists before his death in 2019.
Jarad Anthony Higgins was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in the Oak Lawn and Homewood areas, later attending Homewood-Flossmoor High School. He grew up influenced by regional scenes including Chicago drill alongside national movements tied to artists such as Kanye West, Chief Keef, and Chance the Rapper. Higgins learned piano at a young age and cited exposure to catalogues from Eminem, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar as formative. Early online presence included posting music on platforms connected to the SoundCloud community and collaborating with local producers linked to labels like Grade A Productions.
Higgins released early mixtapes and EPs that circulated on streaming platforms and attracted attention from industry figures including executives at Interscope Records. His breakthrough single "Lucid Dreams" interpolated a motif from Sting's catalog and propelled him onto mainstream charts, earning certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America. The 2018 album Goodbye & Good Riddance established commercial momentum, followed by 2019's Death Race for Love, which debuted atop the Billboard 200. He performed at venues and festivals associated with acts such as Travis Scott, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert, and collaborated with artists including Eminem, Nicki Minaj, and Blackbear on subsequent releases. Posthumous projects were handled by labels and collaborators tied to the American music industry infrastructure, involving producers known from scenes around Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York City.
Higgins's style fused melodic rap, emo-influenced vocal delivery, and trap production from scenes in Atlanta and Chicago. He cited influences including Eminem, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Future, and Juvenile while also referencing rock and pop figures such as My Chemical Romance and Panic! at the Disco. Critics compared aspects of his approach to artists like Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, and Mac Miller for emotional candor. Production collaborators often came from networks involving producers linked to Roc Nation-adjacent studios and independent collectives that shaped late-2010s hip hop sonics.
Higgins maintained public relationships and friendships with contemporaries in the hip hop community, associating with artists from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. He discussed struggles with mental health and substance use in interviews and through his lyrics, referencing influences from his upbringing in Illinois and interactions with touring mates such as Travis Scott and Future. He was private about family matters but was known to have close ties with local communities in Chicago and suburban Illinois.
Throughout his career Higgins faced incidents typical of touring hip hop artists, including encounters with law enforcement at airports and disputes related to touring and performance obligations involving promoters and venues across cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Media coverage sometimes highlighted his admitted substance use and the safety concerns raised by peers and institutions, drawing commentary from public figures and advocacy groups within the music industry. His music and public statements also intersected with broader conversations involving artists like Lil Peep and XXXTentacion about drug culture and artist welfare.
Higgins died on December 8, 2019, following a medical emergency at Chicago Rockford International Airport-adjacent locations in Oakland County, Michigan. His death prompted investigations involving federal and state agencies and led to public statements from figures including Eminem, Travis Scott, and Kanye West. Posthumous releases included the album Legends Never Die, which featured collaborations with artists such as Halsey, Young Thug, and Travis Scott, and continued collaborations coordinated by Interscope Records and Grade A executives. Estates and labels oversaw archival releases and philanthropic initiatives tied to artist welfare, with involvement from peers across the industry including Future and Nicki Minaj.
Higgins's blend of melodic rap and emotive lyricism influenced contemporaries and newer artists in scenes spanning Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City. His commercial success on charts such as the Billboard 200 and streaming milestones on platforms tied to Spotify and Apple Music demonstrated changing patterns in music consumption. Posthumous discourse involved debates among artists, executives, and policy advocates—referencing figures like Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake—about artist health, prescription drug use, and touring safety. Tributes and memorial performances included appearances by peers from labels and collectives connected to Grade A and Interscope, while academic and cultural commentators compared his influence to that of artists such as Mac Miller and Lil Peep.
Category:1998 births Category:2019 deaths Category:American rappers Category:People from Chicago