When Lil Bibby divulged to fans that Juice WRLD’s The Party Never Ends would be his last full-length LP, there was a swarm of mixed emotions.
Some questioned what would happen to the countless unreleased tracks the late rapper stacked in his vault. Others were happy Juice’s likeness would be put to rest. However you feel, it’s undisputed that Juice WRLD was one of the most talented emcees of our generation, as Grade A Productions kicks off his “final album” with its lead single “The Light.”
The upbeat single, which dropped on Thursday (March 23), is Juice’s latest posthumous cut following “Face 2 Face” in December 2022. Prior to that, other afterlife cuts in “Cigarettes,” “BYE BYE” and “In My Head” also led in TPNE’s eventual re-announcement.
A popular leak amongst the Juice WRLD community — first previewed in 2020 — “The Light” is perhaps the most fitting tribute to Juice in this era of TPNE’s rollout. “When it’s dark outside, you’re always the light,” he croons on the opening lines, ghostly skating over contemplative electric guitars and a simple yet infectious pop bounce. Love-torn anthems are Juice WRLD’s forte, as bars like “wouldn’t be real love without rough nights” hit harder knowing the “demons that are deep inside” have always plagued his thoughts. He treks on with love as his vessel for serenity with “God on my side.”
I owe fines, the devil say I owe him for life
Juice WRLD — “The Light”
But I could feel it, I got God on my side
Remember when He sent you to me that night
Had to cuff you up, like a cop on a heist
Cupid is the judge, so I must testify
I won’t move or budge, I’ll stand by you for life
Plans to release The Party Never Ends were originally unveiled in the summer of 2021. It will be the late Chicago rapper’s third and final posthumous project, as its release date has yet to be announced. “The last Juice WRLD album is in the works,” Bibby wrote on Instagram in February. “We want this album to feel like a celebration… We miss you, we love you. 999 til the world ends.”
Amid the aniticipation of TPNE, Juice’s catalog was sold to Opus Music Group in early 2022 in a whopping nine-figure deal, per a report from Billboard. The deal included “hundreds” of unreleased Juice WRLD tracks as well as the entirety of his released catalog. While Grade A Productions retained ownership of Juice’s master recordings, Opus now holds 90% of his interest in master recording income and his 90% share of publishing ownership.
Juice WRLD still commands one of the most dedicated fan bases in the industry, totaling over 31 million Spotify Monthly listeners and asserting his status as a Top 10 hitmaker in his life. His debut album Goodbye & Good Riddance put him on the map with tracks like “Lean Wit Me,” “All Girls Are The Same” and of course “Lucid Dreams.” His last record while alive was 2019’s Death Race For Love — which has arguably become Juice’s magnum opus amongst die-hard fans.
Posthumous work in Legends Never Die, Fighting Demons as well as an exclusive HBO documentary, “Into The Abyss,” shined a light on Juice WRLD’s ceaseless battle with addiciton, which ultimately took his life on Dec. 8 2020 — nearly a week after his 21st birthday.
Find “The Light” when you’re covered in darkness. Long Live Juice WRLD.
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