Melodic, emo-driven rap sensation Juice WRLD returns with an enjoyable, if overindulgent sophomore album with Death Race for Love.

Juice WRLD has seen his star ascend rapidly, period.  His 2018 gargantuan hit single “Lucid Dreams” elevated the young rapper’s profile immensely – understatement. Yup, “Lucid Dreams” was totally inescapable – ubiquitous to the nth bleeping degree.  Now, with a huge following behind him, Juice continues to give us the ‘juice’ on his highly-anticipated sophomore album, Death Race for Love.  There’s plenty to like on Death Race for Love, though this album ends up being far too long.

“Empty” 

“Empty, I feel so goddamn empty / I may go rogue / Don’t tempt me, big bullet holes / Tote semi-autos.” Wow! Juice WRLD commences Death Race for Love marvelously melodically with the energetic, emotionally-driven ✓ “Empty.” Emo in the most hip-hop way to the core, the melodic young rapper copes with “Styrofoam” (lean) and “Swallowing all these pills,” but isn’t so depressed he’s suicidal – “Only thing suicide is suicide doors.” Ultimately, it’s a killer way to kick the album off.

Juice maintains ‘the juice’ and emotions on “Maze,” which has a similar sound to a previous hit, “Lucid Dreams” (the rhythmic synth pattern).  Like “Empty, “Maze” is well produced, anchored by a hard-hitting beat, while the brand of melodic, EMO rap where Juice is totally ‘in his feelings’ is alluring.  The chorus remains a big selling point, much like the opener.

Speaking of emotions, Juice WRLD has plenty of them as he is “back on [his] bullshit, devil emoji” on “HeMotions.” The script is familiar, even three tracks into Death Race for Love.  Juice leans on drugs and love on this Hit-Boy-produced joint.  To quote 2Chainz, “It’s a Vibe”.  The brief interlude, “Demonz” brings one of the few collaborators on the LP, singer Brent Faiyaz, who sounds soulful and nuanced here.  Juice doesn’t appear on the track, returning for ✓ “Fast” where he asserts, “I been living fast, fast, fast / Feeling really bad, bad, bad, bad” – you get the idea. Again, he’s totally in his feelings, self-critical (“I took many pills”), and self-conscious (“I don’t want nobody to think that I’m an asshole”). Once more, he’s quite effective, all in all.

“Hear Me Calling” 

“Treat your heart just like a blunt, of OG / Roll it up, I kissed it and I smoke you / Gots to be joking.” The premise of ✓ “Hear Me Calling” is a familiar for Juice WRLD – love, sex, etc. “Hear Me Calling” settles in with a tropically-tinged pop groove and the most memorable moment of the song, the chorus.

“Do you hear me calling?
Do you hear me calling?
Me no want no drama
Not a fighter, a lover…
I just want you, my darling.”

As always, he employs a pop-rap sensibility, keeping things melodic to the nth degree. Even though he’s melodic, he still incorporates plenty of rhythm. There are some nice musical moments within the production (Purps on the Beat), including the beat, piano, and warm sounding synths.  All in all, this is a pretty smooth, slick record. Hit-Boy handles the production once more on the respectable “Big.” As for Juice, he references drugs (Percocet), basketball (Metta World Peace), rock star (Jimi Hendrix), and art (Pablo Picasso) among other things.

“Robbery”

The ‘big moment’ of Death Race for Love arrives with the infectious, irresistible hit single, ✓ “Robbery”. “Robbery” features major-key production, fueled by some sweet piano lines.  Even so, Juice WRLD has clearly been ‘robbed’ of love (“She told me put my heart in the bag (in the bag) / And nobody gets hurt (nobody)”).  His vocals are highly expressive, exaggerated to an extent, and definitely imperfect in pitch.  Even so, this grit and pain he showcases on the chorus in particular is quite appealing and charming.

In addition to the superb chorus, Juice WRLD is also ‘on’ during the verses.  One of his best moments occurs on the first verse in which he brilliant combines a slurred vocal approach with drunken lyrics (“And now I’m drinkin’ too much, so I’ma talk with a slur”). In the same verse, he questions the legitimacy of her love.  On the second verse, he kicks the emo ‘up a notch,’ by “getting high when you don’t decide to answer” as well as “Throwing rocks at your window…” There’s also the bridge, which incorporates paranoia and butterflies.

“Flaws and Sins” 

Juice WRLD focuses on love, particularly sex on follow-up “Flaws and Sins.” One thing that stands out about this record is his intentionally-imperfect diction at times, particularly on the words ‘gorgeous’ and ‘compliments.’ As if he needed any more “Feelings,” he provides it to the listeners on exuberant, major-key “Feeling” where “Percs help me feel it…” and “I don’t need no Ritalin, I’m focused on the millions.”  Things go much harder on the brief but potent “Syphilis,” which sounds SoundCloud rap to the nth degree.  It’s outlandish, and lyrics are shameful, but give him credit for being ear-catching halfway throughout Death Race for Love.  Also, give him credit for his energy, particularly on the chorus (“I got lean in my piss, I got beams on my blick / On that gun is a dick, I’m gon’ fuck your face with it”).

After taking a break from the melody on “Syphilis,” Juice WRLD returns melodically on “Who Shot Cupid?” which is more characteristic of the album overall.  The script is unchanged mind you, but it’s not as if anyone is going into Death Race of Love expecting depth or incredibly transcendent lyrics.

His next surefire gem arrives with ✓ “Ring Ring,” which features only the second guest appearance of this 72-minute affair, Clever, who is superb on the second verse. The sound of the record is a brilliant blend between hip-hop, emo, and pop/rock, perfectly suited for this young rapper who continues to be entirely too invested in his emotions.  “Ring, ring-ring / I don’t feel like comin’ to the phone today / Everybody should just leave me alone,” he sings on the chorus, continuing, “I don’t feel like comin’ to the phone today / But I don’t feel like bein’ alone… / I can’t tell what’s real or where I belong.”

“Desire”

The lengthy affair continues on with “Desire,” which features a non-standard form – only one verse and several pre-chorus and chorus sections.  Like the aforementioned “Syphilis,” brief banger “Out My Way” injects Death Race for Love with an edgier, ear-catching ‘change of pace.’ Once more, the melody falls by the wayside, showcasing straight bars by Juice WRLD over a minor-key, mean-sounding backdrop.  Hit-Boy is joined by NO ID on the boards on one of the more ambitious, lengthiest records of the LP, ✓ “The Bees Knees.” One of the reasons why “The Bees Knees” stands out is the beat switch, which helps to keep things interesting.  Even prior to the switch, “The Bees Knees” is strong, thanks to agile, confident bars from Juice. Of course, the production is marvelous – that goes without saying.

“ON GOD” brings the ever-colorful, idiosyncratic Young Thug along for the ride.  Unsurprisingly, the popular slang phrase “on God” is reiterate over and over.  The pre-chorus, performed by Juice WRLD, and the chorus, performed by Thugga, represent highlights. The one-versed ✓ “10 Feet” is fueled by an awesome, current Daniel Caesar sample (“Who Hurt You?”).  Juice rides the soulful beat well, opting against melody in favor of non-pitched, straightforward bars.

“Won’t Let Go” 

“Won’t Let Go” arrives as the 19^th track… damn, this is a long album (just keeping it 100).  At this point, it feels as if Juice WRLD has shown the majority of his cards – the script is predictable.  Compared to “10 Feet,” he returns to his brand of melodic rap, which isn’t much different from early-on on Death Race for Love.  Follow-up “She’s the One” is smooth and beautifully-produced but fails to change the trajectory of the album this late into the affair obviously. Penultimate joint “Rider” embraces more pop/rock influence, not unlike the more memorable, aforementioned gem, “Ring Ring.” Again, Juice has his moments, such as “She gets me high as supplier and I’m on fire / Will she be my firefighter?”

“So, I took her out and dumped her in the garbage / The stupid bitch done turned herself into a target / Click, clack.” ✓ “Make Believe” concludes Death Race for Love dramatically – shocker.  Even so, it’s arguably the most potent record of the closing quartet, thanks to the distinct, contrasting co-production by Boi-1da.  The chorus doesn’t hurt Juice’s cause either, not to mention amplifying his emotions again.

Final Thoughts

Ah, an extensive review for a long album.  The good news for Juice WRLD is that Death Race for Love has its fair share of hits.  The gems are pretty sweet, with the likes of “Empty,” “Robbery” and “Ring Ring” leading the charge.  That said, at 22 tracks and 72 minutes, Death Race for Love drags on way too long.  It could’ve been trimmed and been equally effective if not more so.  Still, Juice WRLD has a lot to offer throughout the course of the album, even if he could stand to expand his script.

✓ Gems: “Empty,” “Fast”, “Hear Me Calling”, “Robbery,” “Ring Ring,” “The Bees Knees,” “10 Feet” & “Make Believe” 

Juice WRLD • Death Race for Love • Grade A Productions, LLC / Interscope • Release: 3.8.19

Photo Credits: Grade A Productions, LLC / Interscope