Juice WRLD and XXXTENTACION are two tragic but resonant stories in hip-hop, and fans continue to celebrate their lives despite their loss. Their teams and labels did so by offering a new posthumous collaboration, "The Way." It appears on the five-year anniversary edition of Legends Never Die, Juice's first posthumous record.
This follows Juice WRLD and XXXTENTACION's "whoa (mind in awe)" remix, which is their only other official collaboration. The conversation around posthumous releases is always a controversial one, and it continues with this new track.
Regardless, this is an acoustic guitar-dominated ballad with some light key embellishments here and there to provide a little more atmosphere in this stark and intimate setting. Both rappers and singers go over their feelings of isolation, lack of direction, and personal struggles. It's not new subject matter for either artist, but the sonic background fits these themes more closely than other efforts with similar topics.
In the case of the Chicago star, Juice WRLD's posthumous material already emerged for fans last year. While The Party Never Ends was a disappointment to many die-hards, it's hard to tell whether this will slow down efforts from his team to release more recordings.
As for XXXTENTACION, recent posthumous activity is different. His old personal notebook surfaced seven years after his tragic murder, and his team even confirmed it was true.
Sadly, "The Way" doesn't do anything to change the posthumous release conversation. But for hardcore listeners, it can resonate as a cathartic, emotional, and tender collaboration.
Read More: Mello Buckzz’s Father Hit With Federal Gun Charges Days After Album Release Party Shooting
Juice WRLD & XXXTENTACION – "The Way"
Quotable Lyrics
Still a cool dude, too smooth, just like olive oil,
Known to pop pills, pop n***as, and pop ollies, boy,
And, b***h, I speak for myself, but my health ain't my wealth,
'Cause I'm rich in my bank, but I'm bad with myself
