Why is #LLJW trending on Twitter?

By Alma Fabiani

Updated Jul 13, 2020 at 02:39 PM

Reading time: 1 minute

Why is #LLJW trending on Twitter?

The hashtag #LLJW, which stands for Long Live Juice WRLD, shows respect to the American rapper who died in December 2019 from a painkillers overdose. Juice WRLD, who was 21 at the time, died after having a seizure during a police search of his private jet when it landed at Chicago airport.

Who was Juice WRLD?

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1998, Juice WRLD was raised by his single mother who has previously been described as a religious and conservative woman who didn’t allow him to listen to hip hop.

Juice WRLD, also known as Jarad Anthony Higgins, started rapping in school and rose to fame in 2018, when single ‘Lucid Dreams’ peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 10 on the official UK chart.

One of his songs, ‘Legends’, was dedicated to 20-year-old XXXTentacion and 21-year-old Lil Peep, who died respectively in 2018 and 2017, and contained the lyrics “all the legends seem to die out.”

In 2018, Juice WRLD said in an interview with The New York Times that he used cannabis and Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication. In other interviews, he also spoke about his use of lean, a liquid mix containing prescription-strength cough syrup and soft drinks.

The US and its opioids problem

Juice WRLD often talked about mental health, dying and drugs in his music, while a lot of rappers have talked about popping pills like Xanax in their songs. In 2017, Lil Peep suffered an accidental overdose of fentanyl and anti-anxiety drug Xanax. Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller that tends to be cheaper and more potent than heroin.

The pop singer Prince had also taken fentanyl before his death in 2016. Similarly, it was later ruled that Mac Miller died as a result of an accidental overdose involving cocaine, fentanyl and alcohol in 2018.

In the US, deaths of other music artists, especially rappers, have also been linked to opioids.

Why is #LLJW trending now on Twitter?

Juice WLRD’s posthumous third album dropped a few hours ago, seven months after the rapper’s death. His album, title Legends Never Die, caused fans to crash his Spotify and Apple Music pages earlier this morning.

Announcing the posthumous album on his Instagram page, a statement read: ‘This Friday we will be honouring the life and art of Juice WRLD by releasing his album, Legends Never Die. We feel that this collection of 15 songs best represents the music Juice was in the process of creating.”

Keep On Reading

By Abby Amoakuh

Shoplifting addiction is at an all-time high. And white middle-class women are to blame

By Abby Amoakuh

UK cracks down on boycott protests with controversial new bill, but is the BDS movement to blame?

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

How LinkedIn has managed to appeal to four generations at once, gen Z included

By Alma Fabiani

What is BFFR?

By Abby Amoakuh

Sydney Sweeney claps back at TikTok scammer who pretended to be her dietitian

By Louis Shankar

Who is going to win The Traitors? Everything you need to know about the season 2 finale

By Abby Amoakuh

TikTok momfluencer Jacquelyn faces new safety concern allegations for toddler Wren Eleanor

By Alma Fabiani

Congratulations Wonka, you’ve officially snapped me out of my Timothée Chalamet obsession

By Abby Amoakuh

21-year-old mistakes terminal cancer for normal back pain and dies within days

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Oat milk vs almond milk: the ultimate showdown

By Abby Amoakuh

Comedian Arj Barker responds after throwing breastfeeding mother and baby out of his show

By Abby Amoakuh

Nella Rose faces backlash following explosive fight with Fred Sirieix on I’m a Celebrity

By Charlie Sawyer

Kim Kardashian becomes Balenciaga brand ambassador one year after child abuse controversy

By Abby Amoakuh

Barron Trump is being groomed to take over the Trump empire and the graduation fuss proves it

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

After becoming Elvis Presley, Austin Butler reveals why he couldn’t do method acting for Dune: Part 2

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Where is P Diddy? His private jet’s tracking suggests he’s fled the US

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

It’s time we finally address the racist and problematic nature of Lululemon and its founder

By Abby Amoakuh

The Tortured Poets Department might have some flops, but it’s Taylor Swift at her most vulnerable

By Charlie Sawyer

Celebrity interviewer Liv Marks reveals how Renée Zellweger and Sandra Bullock took her by surprise

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Influencer Chiara Ferragni issues apology amid €1M fine for misleading charity Christmas cake sale