On Music…
I’m struggling with the guilt of having two posthumous albums in my top five this year. No one is shocked to know Mac Miller’s Circles is my AOTY—what else would take the crown? As much as I enjoyed 2018’s Goodbye & Good Riddance, and my general affinity for the sound Juice WRLD was cultivating, I wasn’t prepared to feel so strong towards his first posthumous effort, Legends Never Die. Listening, I felt the same care put into Circles was poured into Legends, and as a result, Legends album is in the pantheon of Juice’s best work.
That said, when it comes to posthumous work, for myself, there’s an incredible looming feeling of dread. I worry I am unable to appreciate artists and their work, and their growth, while they are still with us. I fear I sadly did not love as hard as I could have while these artists were alive. I’ll never know if this worry is totally founded, but I’ve seen people in the Twitterverse carry the same fear as they listened to both Circles and Legends Never Die. We worry we don’t have it in us to know a good thing ‘til it’s gone, and we worry—well, okay, I worry—we’re mere opportunists.
Of course, this cannot be true. I have adored Mac Miller for over half my life. I championed Juice WRLD early, and though I didn’t love 2019’s Death Race For Love, it was simply because I saw more for Juice than what the album offered. Legends Never Die is a more concise and forward effort. You’d never guess Juice WRLD wasn’t here to make executive decisions because of how well put together and true to Juice’s vision the album feels. I’ve loved it from the first listen.
In my DJBooth piece, I described the Juice WRLD album as “precious,” and rightfully so. The album places a special emphasis on communing with fans and bringing them closer to Juice’s heart. Too, Legends Never Die makes it a point to establish the depth of the relationship fans had with Juice WRLD. It’s symbiotic and beautiful. An audio love letter in both directions. Something any die-hard fan would cry their eyes out experiencing.
Across the 55 minute run-time, Legends makes the case for several new tracks to be Juice WRLD’s best, and I make the case for “Wishing Well.” The most self-effacing moment on Legends Never Die, “Wishing Well” is heartbreaking and all grit and gut. It hits the heart in a few wrenching lines:
“Let’s be for real / If it wasn’t for the pills, I wouldn’t be here / But if I keep taking these pills, I won’t be here, yeah / I just told y’all my secret, yeah / It’s tearing me to pieces”—Juice WRLD, “Wishing Well”
I highlighted these words in my DJBooth piece, but I wanted to focus on them once more. To see Juice believing he would be nothing without his vices is heartbreaking and so far from the truth. Any fan—casual or career-long—would step in here and echo my sentiments: Juice WRLD always had it. He was a natural talent and regardless of your feelings for his genre of music, you could not deny his impact and ability. While tracks like “Armed & Dangerous,” “Lean Wit Me,” and the hits “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls Are The Same” explain the Juice WRLD ethos, “Wishing Well” breaks down Juice’s psyche in a fresh way.
The battle Juice WRLD was going through on “Wishing Well” likely reflect his everyday struggles. It breaks my heart knowing Juice was wrestling with his place in hip-hop and his health at once. “Wishing Well” makes you pause and wonder what pressures our current favorite artists are facing. Do my favorite artists feel like they’re nothing without the vices they rap about? Does that make me complicit in their struggles? I would hope not. If I had to choose between more music and healthier living, I would pick a human being’s health over their next album.
There are a lot of emotional questions arising from the fires of Legends Never Die and “Wishing Well,” but I’ve learned over the course of my short time with this album to step back and simply appreciate the music. It’s a blessing to have this incredibly made record. For Juice WRLD’s estate to put this much love and thought into this release is nothing short of wonderful. This album is one for the books—dead or alive, Juice would’ve stolen my heart with this record. The only real pity is Juice WRLD isn’t here to see the adoration.