On the heels of the late Pop Smoke’s debut album, Juice WRLD’s first posthumous effort was released on Friday (July 10). Legends Never Die arrives seven months following the Chicago native’s tragic death, which was ruled an accidental drug overdose, at just 21-years-old.
LND boasts a robust 21 tracks in total including the recently released Halsey-assisted “Life’s A Mess” and additional features from a select group of Juice’s closest collaborators like Marshmello, Trippie Redd, The Kid Laroi, and Polo G.
“We feel that this collection of 15 songs best represents the music Juice was in the process of creating,” Juice WRLD’s estate wrote when announcing his third solo album. “The album shines a light on the collaborators that meant so much to Juice and deeply impacted his musical process. Juice dedicated his music to his fans and, now more than ever, we hope this album brings some reprieve to everyone during these unsettling times. Please join us in celebrating Juice’s life by enjoying this album. Juice’s legacy will live forever; Legends Never Die.”
As another chapter is added to keep Juice’s legacy alive, check out our rankings of every song from Legends Never Die below.
17. “Screw Juice”
Juice brushes off the haters and those that turned their backs on him. No matter what, he’s always going to be himself in the truest sense. Juice’s vulnerabilities make him one of the more relatable rappers in recent times, as he looks to inspire fans by saying if he can make it, they definitely can be a success too. With that said, “Screw Juice” will have a tough time standing out amongst its peers on the album.
16. “Conversations”
Following a chilling intro, the album wastes no time in going from zero to 60 in a matter of seconds. Juice chugs the Ronny J beat like a Red Bull and gets right to naming all of the vices that have given him trouble along with his favorite fashion brands that became a staple in his wardrobe. “I can have my cake and eat it too,” he boasts with his patience for naysayers wearing thin.
15. “Titanic”
A demonic vibe immediately switches the early feel of the project. The Chicago start has never been one afraid to open up and be vulnerable about his demons and addiction issues. Juice smiles through the pain over the DY Krazy 808s, as a feeling of hopelessness rises to the surface.
14. “Man of the Year”
“Man of the Year” is a fitting final song to end Legends Never Die on a high note. Juice taps into his rockstar persona and celebrates the night away without a worry in the world. “I know my lyrics saved you, I know I helped you breakthrough,” he says to give fans a sense of closure.
13. “Tell Me U Luv Me” Featuring Trippie Redd
Trippie and Juice link up for another one. With the Ohio native handling chorus duties over the Nick Mira production, Juice hopes that his love interest will eventually serve as the calming remedy to his turbulent life rather than turning to drugs time and time again to fill that void.
12. “Hate the Other Side” Featuring Marshmello, The Kid Laroi & Polo G
Marshmello handles the guitar-driven production, which opens up like a four-lane highway for Juice, his protege The Kid Laroi, and fellow Chi-towner Polo G to drift into the abyss. Built around Juice’s heartbreaking chorus, he gets candid about the pain from trying to balance the love for those closest to him and securing the bag.
11.”I Want It”
With Juice’s baby coo, it sounds as if he’s literally talking to us from the clouds. The Chicago rapper’s soothing rhymes run through some of the crazy experiences of his celebrity lifestyle and how his girlfriend keeps him grounded and ignoring the outside noise.
10. “Blood On My Jeans”
Juice experiments with a different flow and Playboi Carti-esque ad-libs for a refreshing look on the album. The sobering rhymes eventually shift to a love letter of sorts penned for his girlfriend, where he asks for her acceptance through his flaws and all.
9. “Life’s a Mess” (feat. Halsey)
After hopping on the remix to her Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Without Me,” Juice and Halsey continue their undeniable chemistry with another collab. Halsey even went as far as memorializing Juice by tattooing the title of to “Life’s a Mess” and his “999” life motto on her hand. The duo softly croons on the chorus together, as Juice passes the baton to Halsey after reflecting on the many stresses of life.
8. “Fighting Demons”
Between the straight-forward title and tearful piano keys at the onset, listeners know where this track is going as a fixture on the LP. Even through all of his early success, Juice never felt safe enough to ever properly exhale and let his guard down. Fighting demons is a day-to-day thing, and it’s a shame they ended up taking him from us when he still had so much to give.
7. “Righteous”
Juice floats over the somber Nick Mira-produced instrumental. “Righteous” was the first posthumous single released by the Interscope signee’s estate back in April. On the spacey track, Juice details battling his crippling anxiety and overcoming addiction issues on his way to success.
6. “Up Up and Away”
Juice’s echoing flow sounds as if he’s leading listeners on a journey through a cave to paradise. The soothing track balances out the spiking anxiety felt with songs like “Screw Juice,” which fittingly precedes the tune on the album’s sequencing. He gets major kudos for a Beethoven “Moonlight Sonata” reference, which likely goes over 90 percent of his young fans’ heads.
5. “Bad Energy”
Tracks like “Bad Energy” are a small peek into what made Juice WRLD special inside rap’s crowded soundscape. Here, he takes a simple message and turns it into an earworm of a hook, which your brain soaks in and won’t be able to shake for weeks. “Drain out bad energy/ Forget the bad memories,” he chants.
4. “Can’t Die”
With its eerie title and heartbreaking lyrics, “Can’t Die” is a gut-wrenching listen to get through. Juice touches on some of the loved ones he’s lost in life and how people are always nagging him about his drug use and how it will eventually lead to his demise. “Cross my heart, hope to survive” is also a genius flip on the usual “cross my heart, hope to die” coming from the unforgiving streets of the Chi.
3. “Stay High”
Another shrewd double-entendre from Juice, as he explains how he needs to stay high on drugs, but also means that he needs to keep his spirit up in order to remain productive. To him, both probably went hand-in-hand at times. With non-stop punchlines coming in like Floyd Mayweather jabs, Juice’s acclaimed freestyle abilities is definitely on display with these two verses.
2. “Come & Go” (feat. Marshmello)
Marshmello has previously stated that he’s sitting on an entire album’s worth of Juice WRLD material, as their first officially released collaboration definitely doesn’t disappoint. Juice revels in his insecurities about living up to his superstar status, while the tune takes a left turn and finds him leaning on his rockstar roots to give the anthem a much grimier texture.
1. “Wishing Well”
A fan-favorite leak under the title “Lauryn Hill,” who he namedrops on the track, finds its way onto his posthumous as a bonafide stand-out cut with Juice putting his gifts on display. The late rhymer warbles through the uplifting track, letting listeners know he’s going to be OK — even when that may not be the case, because he doesn’t want his fans and family to worry about him.
