Juice WRLD, Righteous | Track Review 🎵

“Righteous” is reflective of both the musical talents of rapper Juice WRLD, as well as the demons leading to his untimely death.

Juice WRLD – another tragic, untimely passing in hip-hop.  He passed away December 8, 2019, only days after his 21^st birthday. While alive, Jarad Anthony Higgins had his fair share of demons.  His music reflected a troubling, unsettling relationship with drugs. Even so, both his potential and talent were undeniable. The first posthumous single from the rapper’s estate, “Righteous,” represents him in top-notch form musically, even if the drug references are still troubling.

Musically, “Righteous” represents Juice WRLD’s sweet spot musically.  He embraces a melodic approach, while also exhibiting both chill and swagger.  He has a fitting backdrop (Nick Mira and Charlie Handsome), comprised of smooth guitars and anchored by a sleek urban beat. Following the intro, Juice gives us ‘the juice’ with a sweet chorus:

“All white Gucci suit, I’m feeling righteous, yeah
I know that the truth is hard to digest, yeah
Five or six pills in my right hand, yeah
Codeine runneth over on my nightstand…”

Sure, it’s hard to call something druggy sweet, but the chorus is one of the selling points, even representing Juice’s demons.  Those demons spill over into the verses, as the drugs are potent: “We may die this evening / Coughing, wheezing bleeding / … Blood moons are my eyes, stay low / Red and black, they glow.” Unsettling to say the least…  It doesn’t stop there, as on the second verse, Juice WRLD goes on to say, “Too busy drinking codeine doin’ high speeds / Crash, pour a four, sip it slow, make the time pass.”

Final Thoughts 

Again, I reiterate, Juice WRLD is another tragedy for hip-hop.  His talent shines bright, evidenced here on “Righteous” without question.  Unfortunately, even listening to “Righteous,” it seems tragedy and an unfortunate end was inevitable.  Though his career was a brief, Juice certainly made an impact, and it should be interesting to see what additional music arrives posthumously.

Juice WRLD • “Righteous” • Grade A Productions, LLC / Interscope • Release: 4.24.20

Photo Credits: Grade A Productions, LLC / Interscope