Juice WRLD was on the path to becoming one of the biggest stars in rap.
Then tragedy struck.
Less than a week after celebrating his 21st birthday, he suffered an accidental overdose while on a private jet. He died on December 8, 2019. The cause was later determined to be an excessive amount of oxycodone and codeine in his system.
Juice WRLD was widely respected and loved across the industry, earning co-signs from Benny Blanco, Young Thug, Halsey, and more. Not only was he an excellent rapper—able to freestyle off the dome for extended periods of time—but he was also a talented musician who could play seven instruments, including guitar and trumpet
He drew inspiration not only from the MCs who came before him, like Eminem, Drake, and Future, but also from Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and other bands that shaped his emo-trap sound.
This blend of styles led to music that was extremely vulnerable, often centered on themes of self-harm and addiction, which in turn created an unusually deep bond with his fans.
To honor one of the all-time great rap talents, here are 12 things didn’t know about Juice WRLD.
Juice’s mom did not approve of his music early on
Apparently, Juice WRLD’s mom was not a fan of her son’s career path.
In 2016, Juice went to X and posted a screengrab of his mother responding to some of his lyrics. “I will not support that type of music with disturbing lyrics,” she wrote in the text exchange.
Juice revealed a similar story to Complex in 2018, saying, “I remember my cousins let me listen to old Gucci [Mane], old [Lil] Wayne, old Birdman, and I could not. My mom was real conservative, on some old hardcore Christian-ass shit.”
Young Dolph and Juice were actually blood-related cousins
In 2019, Young Dolph, who tragically passed away in 2021, revealed that he was related to Juice.
Dolph said he found out in 2017, only after Juice’s uncle told him. The Memphis rapper would reveal the detail on Instagram after Juice died. “The world did not know that u was my blood lil cuzin. Sht, I did not even know it my own self until 2017 when your uncle told me at Thanksgiving dinner. I did not get a chance to fuk witchu how I had intentions to do and it is killin me…,” he wrote.
Juice Wrld did got a pretty good ACT score
In 2022, Juice WRLD fans unearthed a college essay he wrote while applying to Columbia College of Missourii.
In the essay he discussed his mental health, knowing how to play seven instruments, and his exceptionally high ACT reading score (31).
Near the end of the essay he outlined his academic goals, writing: “I look forward to taking my career to greater heights while pursuing a major in Audio Recording and a minor in Fashion Design. I plan to make the best out of my experience at Columbia and be the best that I can be.”
Juice wanted to film an all encompassing documentary of his life
In 2022—after the release of the Netflix documentary Jeen-Yuhs—Chris Long, Juice’s go-to cameraman, posted on X that the rapper wanted to do something similar in scope:
“This Kanye doc, this is what Juice and I talked about and had planned. Filming over the next 20 years and seeing the real progression of his life and career.”
Juice Wrld was able to get unlimited McDonald’s meals for life
When Juice partnered with McDonald’s in 2019, just months before his passing, he was gifted a custom McDonald’s Gold Card with his name engraved on it.
The holder receives free McDonald’s for life. Only a few people are known to have one, including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Juice’s card is still active, and close affiliate George Dickinson was seen still using it a few years ago.
Juice Wrld and Takashi Murakami discussed creating an anime project together
Murakami designed the polarizing cover for Juice’s latest posthumous release, The Party Never Ends. But Murakami and Juice had a long creative partnership. Juice traveled to Japan in 2019 to visit him, and Murakami later revealed that Juice wanted to create an animation project involving a “demon and angel battle,” though it never materialized.
Juice had collaboration projects with Young Thug, Marshmello, Lil Yachty, and Ski Mask the Slump God, respectively, in the works
Juice was a highly collaborative artist. But he only has one official collabo on the books, Wrld on Drugs with Future. However, there were many more in the works.
The next collaborative album he wanted to drop was Slime Wrld in 2020 with Young Thug, who acted as a mentor. During an Adin Ross stream in October, with Thug, Juice’s former manager, Pete texted to ask about the project. Thug said he was still open to releasing it, and Pete later tweeted “SlimeWrld.”
Before his death, Juice and Marshmello were working together, producing “Come & Go,” which was supposed to be lead single from their planned album Mellowrld. Juice also had Evil Twins, a collabo with Ski Mask the Slump God, and Blessed Boys, one with Lil Yachty, in the works.
Juice’s first job was working in a car factory
Similar to Eminem’s character in 8 Mile, Juice’s first and only job was at a car factory.
He discussed this in a 2019 Montreality interview, explaining that his job was assembling the safety handles that went above the doors. He only worked there for three weeks before being fired. “My first job, my first and only job, was at a car factory… I made those little handles that be inside, the ones you put your clothes on or hold onto when you think you are about to die.”
Juice Wrld was initially turned down by labels who thought he sounded like a “Lil Uzi clone”
Internet Money CEO Taz Taylor revealed on X that he sent A&Rs a folder of Juice’s early songs—including “All Girls Are the Same”— all the way back in 2017. But they all rejected, with the sentiment being that Juice was too similar to Lil Uzi Vert.
Billy Idol is one of Juice’s biggest inspirations
During his Nardwuar interview in 2018, Juice was gifted a signed Billy Idol record. After receiving the gift, Juice revealed that Billy was one of his “biggest influences,” an artist his mother introduced him to when he was younger.
Juice initially wanted to sign to Lil Yachty's label
Lil Yachty posted in 2017 that he was in “need of new youth talent,” and Juice begged his fanbase to email Yachty their favorite Juice song, writing on X, “This is my chance.”
Yachty would then also speak on Juice’s persistence, on a stream with Plaqueboymax, talking about how much Juice tried to reach out to him by emailing “a hundred times” and through social media. Though it never led to a deal, Juice and Yachty later became friends and recorded an EP-worth of music.
Future apologized to Juice Wrld for influencing him to try lean
Juice often talked about how influential Future’s music was to him as a kid. In an interview with Hot 107.9 in Atlanta he explained that Future’s lyrics contributed to his experimentation with drugs, including lean. Later, in 2018, he told Vulture that he discussed lean with Future, adding that he “kind of apologized.”