Juice WRLD is a singer/rapper who came out of nowhere. Up until like three weeks ago, I haven't heard of this guy. And yet, he's got two songs currently charting on the Billboard Hot 100 and just released a project. Juice WRLD is the latest of the current wave of "sadboy rap" on SoundCloud. I have listened to "All Girls Are the Same" and "Lucid Dreams" before, and I said multiple times that I loved the latter and hated the former. In my opinion, it was a great idea to capitalize on the hype immediately, even if it was at the same time as Pusha T and A$AP Rocky. Putting those thoughts aside, I wanted to see what Juice WRLD could provide on his full-length debut.
Positives
Even though Juice WRLD sounds like a mixture of other new wave crooners like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, and Post Malone, the amount of emotion he puts into his songs is what makes him unique. The most enjoyable aspect of this project would have to be the production from Nick Mira. He supplied a lush mixture of soft guitar strings, aggressive bass, and rattling hi-hats on multiple songs and clearly knows Juice WRLD's sound best. Juice WRLD also knows how to make a catchy hook, as the hooks are the highlights of songs like "Lucid Dreams," "Hurt Me," and the project's closer "I'll Be Fine."
Negatives
[Sung to the tune of "All Girls Are the Same"]
These songs are the same
These songs are the same
I might go insane, 'cause
These songs are the same
Seriously, not once does this man deviate from the same topics over and over again. Is he gonna sing about how he got his heart broken? Is he gonna sing about how he uses alcohol and pills to numb the pain? I would be fine with an album focusing on a single topic if the songs at least sounded different. Instead, we get the same melancholic tone for 40 minutes. We also didn't need three skits that add absolutely nothing to the album and just rehash what the other songs already tell us. While I do like his singing voice, Juice WRLD does not sound good when he sings longer, drawn-out notes. It makes his autotune sound grating and just hurts my ears. And while he uses lots of emotion in his music, he lacks just as much lyrical substance. If he wanted to make a 15-song project about heartbreak and use the same tone, he could have used some features. And for the love of God, will someone please help Juice WRLD? The man is going through some rough shit and really needs some guidance. He's only 19 years old and is already abusing drugs and alcohol to cope. That's just not healthy.
So how were the singles?
Juice WRLD released 3 singles ahead of Goodbye & Good Riddance, two of which are currently charting.
1) All Girls Are the Same - I wasn't a fan of this song when I first listened to it. I thought it was boring, generic, and very annoying. I will admit that this song grew on me and is one of the better songs on here, but I'm still not too crazy about this one.
Verdict: Ehhhh
2) Lucid Dreams - I love this song. I think that this is the best cut on the entire project. Nick Mira's production sounds amazing and that hook is a total earworm. I'm glad this song ended up being more successful than "All Girls Are the Same."
Verdict: Liked
3) Lean Wit Me - This single was released a few days before the project's release. I thought this was one of the better tracks on this project overall and is probably the closest thing to a "banger" on here.
Verdict: Liked
Favorite Tracks
1) I'm Still - I love this song mainly for Nick Mira's production and the hook. There isn't too much else to this song but I still find it enjoyable.
2) Hurt Me - Although Nick Mira didn't produce this song, I love the bass. The hook is great too. Once again, there's not much else to this song but it's still enjoyable.
3) I'll Be Fine - Basically the same thoughts as "I'm Still." This is also another song that sounds close to a banger.
Least Favorite Track
Used To was the most groan-worthy track on here. It's so mind-numbingly repetitive and boring. This song could have made a decent interlude if he didn't sing the same exact verse twice. It doesn't help that the verse he sings twice is probably the worst verse he's ever written as the majority of the lines end in the word "goddamn." I get that this is supposed to be a freestyle (it's addressed in the intro), but all this song proves is that Juice WRLD can't freestyle if his life depended on it.
Conclusion
There were many things wrong with this project, but I believe that Juice WRLD has room to grow and could possibly blow up even more than he already has. I think he has talent, but he needs to put more effort into his content.
Score: 4/10
I decided to be generous with this score because I found some songs to be enjoyable, but it's obvious that Juice WRLD has lots of room for improvement. It's a good thing that it's only the beginning of his career.
This concludes my sixth review. I still have three more of these to write and an end of the month writeup. These will all be posted by the end of the weekend.
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