With certain outlets beginning to report unverified accounts that Juice WRLD’s death was caused by overdose, the narrative on Juice’s legacy has already begun to shift. While some are still mourning the 21-year-old Chicago rapper, others like Joyner Lucas, are using the opportunity to address their gripes with modern hip-hop. Lucas, best known for his viral “I’m Not Racist” and his appearance on Eminem’s Kamikaze single “Lucky You,” vented his frustration with a Twitter rant.
“Juice wrld was 21,” Lucas reminded his followers before pointing fingers, laying the blame squarely on rap. “He was a product of our generation of rappers who glorified drugs and made it cool. Im blaming Yal n***** for this shit. 🤦🏽♂️ all that lean and pills n***** glorify and talk about. You teaching the kids to do it. Smh you happy now?Rip @JuiceWorlddd. Gone too soon.” Joyner’s sentiments echo those of Russ, caught flak in 2017 with a similar message, albeit one printed on a T-shirt rather than his Twitter timeline.
Of course, the faults in their respective arguments have been covered pretty extensively and Russ even adjusted his perspective a little in the wake of Lil Peep’s overdose death. It’s still a little frustrating to see stereotypical misinformation about rap still being promoted instead of comprehensive and empathetic approaches to dealing with the reasons behind some rappers’ drug use, but everyone grieves in their own way. And while in Juice WRLD’s case, Joyner may have more of a point considering Juice’s admission that Future inspired him to try lean as teenager and Future’s own reveal that he kicked the habit himself, there are still much better ways to get the point across. Juice said in July of this year that he was quitting lean, so that also may undercut Lucas’ point when the full facts come out. Joyner would likely have more success addressing those who truly need help rather than trying to find someone to blame.
