Legends Never Die / Juice WRLD / July 10, 2020
- Joshua Yoo
- Jul 17, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2020
Already at such a young age, Juice WRLD (Jared Higgins) had such a large influence and following. Listeners often find solace in the difficult yet relatable themes he covered in his lyricism and musical style; thus, it’s disheartening, and yet comforting, to see that “Legends Never Die” is true to the artist that it honors.
It’s gratifying to see that the team of producers, collaborators, family and friends behind Juice WRLD not only ensured that this posthumous album was a complete and polished effort, but that it was crafted with a style that most likely resembled his wishes and desires. The topics covered throughout the album are all too familiar in his music, from the battle with drugs and overdosing (“Righteous”), to his struggles with episodes of depression (“Titanic”), yet the timing of his writing has a much more significant and almost transcendent quality to it. Juice WRLD still delivers much of the familiar emo trap/rap genre throughout the whole project, with his heavily emotive vocal performances and more somber production tone, and combined with some sharp songwriting, the album produces some of his style’s best tracks (“Wishing Well”).
However it’s hard not to wonder whether Juice WRLD’s own creative direction could have altered certain elements of the album that distract from it’s full impact. The 21-track length asks a lot, too much from the listener, especially when a fair amount of the instrumentals and melodies tend to be rather similar in form. And while some of the collaborations elevate Juice WRLD’s performances quite nicely (“Life’s a Mess”), others seem to clog his sound (“Tell Me U Luv Me”) or sonically conflict (“Come & Go”).
Regardless, “Legends Never Die” concludes in being a suitable and compelling tribute to the extremely creative and gifted rapper that the music world has lost too early; It mournfully shows what the future had in store for him.
R.I.P.
Best Track(s): Wishing Well, Life’s a Mess, Righteous, Man of the Year, Bad Energy
Lowlight(s): Come & Go, Tell Me U Luv Me, Conversations
SCORE: 6/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3zpwgQK8Yg
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