Something that I’ve always found quite interesting about the rap game is the speed at which some artists blow up and how they get huge so quickly. A recent, and probably one of the best, examples of this phenomena is Chicago rapper Juice WRLD. His rise to nearly the top of the rap game has been astounding, especially because it has taken place over roughly one year.

Rise in popularity  

As with many new school hip hop artists, Juice WRLD started taking music seriously during his high school years. Before changing his name to Juice WRLD, he went by JuicetheKidd. That name was derived from the movie Juice, which starred the great Tupac Shakur. He eventually changed it to Juice WRLD to represent “taking over the world”, according to his Wikipedia page.

2017 is the year that it all started to pay off for Juice WRLD. He released numerous projects and songs that would eventually get him into the ears of famed artists including Waka Flocka, Southside, Lil Bibby, and more.

He capitalized on this early success, signing a $3 million dollar deal with Interscope Records. His songs “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls Are The Same” were released as official singles and rose up the Billboard Hot 100 quickly, launching him headfirst into the spotlight.        

Why you should give him a chance

While I wouldn’t consider myself one of the earlier listeners of Juice WRLD, I will say that once I checked out his music once it stuck with me. He brings so much to hip hop with his subject matter and different deliveries and it just keeps bringing me back in for more.

In my opinion, Juice WRLD is one of the best new artists out right now. This is true because the music that he makes is very relatable to many of the young people that are just like him. He talks about things that everyone deals with and isn’t afraid of getting judged for it. His songs expose who he really is and convey a level of raw emotion that isn’t as present with some of the other newer artists.  

Notable songs

Even though Juice WRLD has really only been on the scene for about a year, he has some very good tracks that are essential listens if you are trying to get into his music. He has several different styles of music and I will be sure to include tracks from each kind to give you a better idea of the versatility that he brings to the game. Here are some of the standout tracks from Juice WRLD’s young career thus far.

“Lucid Dreams” – Juice WRLD

You didn’t think I would just mention this track and then not include it here, did you? That’s just silly. “Lucid Dreams” is the track that sent Juice straight into the spotlight. On the track, Juice details how it feels to go through a breakup and how to deal with one. The track is a surefire earworm and was one of the biggest songs of 2018, and for good reason. While this is Juice WRLD’s most famous song yet, it isn’t necessarily indicative of all that he brings to hip hop.

“Legends” – Juice WRLD

This track is another great example of Juice conveying a lot of emotion with a unique vocal delivery. The track is dedicated to the late rappers Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION and was made in less than a day. Juice discusses the tragic passings of both artists and how he doesn’t want to end up in the same situation as them and be referred to as a young legend that passed away.

“Nuketown” – Ski Mask The Slump God ft. Juice WRLD

While this isn’t Juice’s track, his feature on it is great. It showcases his rapping ability rather than the melodic flows that we hear in many of his other songs. The song consists of a lot of the shouting-style rap that Ski Mask is known for. Both artists utilize this flow a lot on the song and it is a great indicator of what we can expect from more rap Juice WRLD tracks in the future.

“Yacht Club” – Lil Yachty ft. Juice WRLD

This is another song that Juice WRLD is featured on that showcases his natural rapping ability. On the track we hear Lil Boat and Juice trade bars and brag out getting kicked out of a yacht club for being rowdy. The reason I love this track is simply because both artists flow so well off each other and make it an enjoyable listen.  

What’s next?

Seeing as his latest album A Death Race for Love released recently (March 8th), we’ll be seeing Juice WRLD’s name pop up for quite a while longer. The album is full of even more hits and I’d definitely recommend checking it out. It is more of what you heard in the above section along with some new sounds here and there.

I’m not sure what direction he goes in for the future, but whatever it is I think he’ll have plenty more success and become even bigger than he is right now.

Hit me up in the comments or on Instagram @youngthuggamanekyle and let me know if you’re feeling Juice WRLD’s music or not.

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