Legends Never Die - Juice WRLD: Review
is the musical pseudonym of Jarad Higgins who died tragically last December at the age of just 21. With rumors swirling that he left behind a massive collection of songs Legends Never Die is the first of what may be multiple posthumous albums from Juice.
Review By Lavender:
Listening to this record and writing this review has been difficult for a couple reasons. Not only that Juice passed away but at the young age of 21, the age I am at the time of writing this. And also that people can be very sensitive about posthumous records particularly from artists that had an emotional impact on their fans during their lifetime. While I was never a die hard Juice fan I did love many of his singles and my main issue with his projects were bloated tracklists that covered similar territory. Legends Never Die suffers in the exact same way with a handful of songs that feel completely unnecessary, yet some of Juice's best tracks appear here.
The records opening segment makes up its first 6 tracks with no features, and most of them are pretty good. Conversation is a decent opener that follows the Juice formula with a catchy hook that reminds me of something XXXTENTACION may have done. Titanic is even better with a hook that is both catchy and a strong metaphor. The keys hanging in the back are a nice effect and I like the track quite a bit. Righteous is the records lead single and a song I have come around to a lot since I first heard it. Some of the most genuine and beautiful vocals on the record show up here with some emo and trap parallels that remind me of past Juice favorites.
The two tracks I didn't love as much from this segment are Bad Energy and Blood On My Jeans. The former of which has a cinematic beat that pairs awkwardly with Juice's blunt hook and has better tracks on either end of it. Blood on the other hand is a hokey trap cut with some of the rougher lyricism on the record and with how long the tracklist is I do have to ask if including this was necessary.
The middle portion of the album is where all the features show up and I think it is by far the weakest section. Tell Me U Love Me features Trippie Redd and I was excited for him and Juice to link up but the song is pretty average. Trippie's hook is fine and Juice delivers a fiery rap verse in the middle of the song but not much else grabs me. Hate The Other Side features a painfully generic Marshmellow beat that sounds like a YouTube mix, the only part of the song I really love is the solid Polo G feature that is a big step above everything else here. Life's A Mess is probably the best track in this section even though it takes a little bit of time before its really impactful. Honestly Halsey really does add to the track and its best parts feature her backing vocals. Come & Go is the worst song in this portion and maybe on the entire record. The Marshmellow beat doesn't have to worry about being generic this time because it is too busy being totally ridiculous. The song never really had a chance once the bouncy guitars paraded in but the EDM breakdown certainly found a way to make things worse.
The final section of the record is an improvement but also features some of the records most unnecessary songs. Fighting Demons, Up Up And Away and Can't Die aren't necessrily bad tracks but they are vastly inferior to other songs on the record that do the same thing better. I Want It is an incredibly sugary cut with breathy Juice vocals that don't do a whole lot for me. The whole thing is almost dreamy but never quite willing to slow down enough to do it effectively. Screw Juice is a bit less serious of a track at least at first although he still ends up questioning himself with a "What have I become" refrain. Not one of the most noteworthy songs of performances just a decent track.
Stay High is a brighter more upbeat track that I honestly just think is pretty good. Juice shows off some major versatility on the track and the beat is sweet and outgoing which you can't say for many of the other instrumentals here. Wishing Well has become my favorite song on the entire record with some of the best vocals Juice has to offer and while the beat is dominated by trap drums it has much more to offer as the song goes on through its catchy hook. It's effective from start to finish. Man Of The Year is the records last true song and it's a flat out pop punk tune that sounds like something you would have heard on the warped tour. I honestly didn't expect anything like this but I like it quite a bit and he does the genre justice.
Legends Never Die is bloated at 21 tracks but with interludes that celebrate the uniqueness of Juice and the admiration that so many have for him it is certainly not the worst posthumous record I've ever heard. When Juice is really firing on all cylinders penning a great track there aren't many people around who can do emo trap better than him and this entire record is a statement to that. Save for some interludes that directly mention the tragedy of his death I think you could have passed this off as a record Juice put out while still alive which is a major compliment to all those involved, and I think it may be my favorite project of his to date. 6/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
I think this is a great example of what a posthumous album cover is meant to look and feel like. (Pop Smoke better be mad in heaven). This cover is not only well illustrated but also gives full attention to the character and the star that Juice WRLD was. Making him the focus of the cover is the way it should be. The color palette is awesome and the composition works very well elevating the need for any text. I think this is very well made. 8/10
For more posthumous rap check out my review of Pop Smoke's Shoot For The Stars here
