Ever since the shocking death of up and coming rap star Juice WRLD, millions have been speculating as to what exactly caused his tragic death. On Wed., his autopsy report finally revealed what actually happened. The sudden death of Jarad A. Higgins, his real name, was revealed to be due to an overdose of codeine and oxycodone, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed. The results of the autopsy also confirmed law enforcement accounts that he went into convulsions while officers raided his private jet for drugs and guns, according to The New York Times. The raid turned up 70 pounds of marijuana in 41 bags and six bottles of liquid prescription codeine cough syrup, authorities revealed. In addition, they also discovered three firearms as well as ammunition.
In the past two years, there have been a series of deaths plaguing the rap industry, from Mac Miller, Lil Peep, Nipsey Hussle and now most recently, emerging rap superstar Juice WRLD. His tragic death on Dec. 8. shocked millions, making him the latest rapper to pass on once they reached legal age. Like the deaths of Peep, Mac Miller and so many others, Juice WRLDs death was a product of a specific drug culture, something many young people exposed to the high-paced lifestyle of stardom fall victim to.
Courtesy: Rap Current
Higgins just turned 21 the week prior, on Dec. 2 and was one of the most up and coming artists of the year, undeniably on the road to becoming an international rap sensation. Ever since the initial release of his hit break-out single “Lucid Dreams” in 2018, he has only increased in popularity and artistic capacity, being named “Best New Artist” at the 2019 Billboard Awards and signing a $3 million contract with Interscope Records at just the age of 19. His debut album, Goodbye & Good Riddance, reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart but it was his second album, Death Race for Love, which earned him his first No 1. on the chart. He also collaborated with multiple well-known hip-hop sensations, such as Travis Scott and Future. He had achieved rampant amounts of success at such a young age and had a promising future.
“Lucid Dreams” was one of the most streamed songs of the year, hitting close to a billion streams on Spotify, according to CNN. His ability to powerfully exude his struggles with mental health and drug addictions in direct, high-stroke songs in a sullen, emotionally provocative manner spurred him mass public attention and praise, gaining him a massive fan base that was clearly on the rise. He was able to relate to his young audience on vulnerable topics such as heartbreak, notably on his hit “All Girls Are The Same”.
Courtesy: Flickr
Despite his outward success, his battle with drugs ultimately took a toll on his life. Drugs were a common theme in many of his songs, such as “Lean Wit Me” and “Hurt Me”, where he vividly describes his use of drugs as escapist pleasures, the chorus of “Hurt Me” being “Sticks and stones may break my bones, But the drugs won’t hurt me, the drugs won’t hurt me.” Although difficult to talk about, the deaths of Juice and other artists spark the conversation as to why all these young, successful artists fall victim to drug abuse, in particular, opioid abuse which is becoming an epidemic in this country.
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