A young rising rapper, Juice Wrld, died suddenly at the age of 21, after returning to his hometown of Chicago, on December 8th, 2019. Juice Wrld, named Jarad Anthony Higgins, had just landed at the Chicago Airport after flying in from Los Angeles on a private jet with friends and co-musicians. Recent social media footage shot by others with him on the plane depicts him in good spirits and healthy.
The New York Times and Chicago NBC reported that at 3:00 a.m., an emergency was dispatched in the Chicago O’Hare airport about a young man having a seizure. At 3:14 a.m., the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Higgins had died. There have been multiple reports of Juice Wrld suffering a seizure which could have contributed to his death. Although the cause of death has not been determined at this time, many must wonder if drugs could have been a factor.
TMZ reports that police officers searched the airplane that Juice WRLD was traveling on and found 70 pounds of marijuana, codeine prescription cough syrup, and weapons in his luggage. His associates have told authorities that Juice had a heavy Percocet problem and possibly took pills right before his seizure and death. Percocet is a strong prescription opioid that contains Oxycodone. If mixed with alcohol, other drugs, or taken in large amounts, it can easily cause an overdose.
Were there drugs involved in Juice Wrld’s death?
Juice Wrld was a musical success because of his ability to capture the experiences of troubled young adult life, in his heartfelt lyrics. His songs allowed young fans to relate and easily sing along with the slower melodies. Juice’s lyrics portrayed an intimate understanding of sadness, drugs, and conflicts that younger generations face. Whether or not his sudden death was related to substance abuse has not been addressed by the press or by agencies that represent the young rapper.
His music was like many other rap artists and included lyrics that reference drugs and the lifestyle of drug users. Yet, for Juice Wrld, his talent rested on his endearing ability to tell it like it is with less emphasis on violence or power and more on sadness and struggle. To relate his lyrics to the possibility of substance abuse is not a far-fetched notion. In many of his songs, Juice Wrld describes drugs and drug lifestyles in detail. One of his most famous songs, ‘Legends’ references the recent drug-related deaths of other young rappers, (Lil Peep and XXXTentacion) and points out how legends, like them, die young because of drug use:
Last time, it was the drugs he was lacing
All legends fall in the making
Sorry truth, dying young, demon youth
What’s the 27 Club?
We ain’t making it past 21
I been going through paranoia
So, I always gotta keep a gun
Damn, that’s the world we live in now
Yeah, hold on, just hear me out
They tell me I’m a be a legend
I don’t want that title now
The reference to drugs and drug use does not end with that song. It has been a common and continued theme in many Juice Wrld records. Another one of his hit songs, ‘Lean Wit Me,’ is less subtle in its descriptions of drug abuse:
Drugs got me sweatin’, but the room gettin’ colder
Lookin’ at the devil and the angel on my shoulder
Will I die tonight? I don’t know, is it over?
Lookin’ for my next high, I’m lookin’ for closure
Lean with me, pop with me
Get high with me if you rock with me
Smoke with me, drink with me
F*cked up liver with some bad kidneys
Lean with me, pop with me
Get high with me if you rock with me
Smoke with me, drink with me
F*cked up liver with some bad kidneys
When we take a deeper look at his lyrics, there are many characteristics of what life is like for a drug user. Juice Wrld might have been describing his life, or he could have been describing others. Hip-hop and rap are a style of musing often described as street storytelling, so what he was rapping about could go either way.
Getting Help With Addiction
One thing we know for sure is that addiction is a disease that has a way out. The success of the drug addiction programs at Recreate Life Counseling gives each client individualized attention to heal their specific challenges so that they can recover from their addictions. Our programs utilize evidence-based forms of therapy that are proven to help men and women overcome their addictions and stay clean and sober for good.