Goodbye & Good Riddance Album Review

No new artist in 2018 has shined brighter than Juice WRLD. He busted onto the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, a few months ago with the release of 'Goodbye & Good Riddance' and he's been riding the wave since. The meteoric rise to stardom Juice WRLD is experiencing is one we haven't seen since the likes of Lil Uzi, XXX, and Playboi Carti years back, but more in-depth look at Juice WRLD explains it. He has it all; the look, the sound, and most importantly, a debut album that everybody cannot stop listening to.

'Goodbye & Good Riddance' begins with a voicemail intro that sets the table for the rest of the album. Juice WRLD receives a voicemail from a woman pretty much ending whatever they had. The perfect song follows the intro, ' All Girls Are The Same.'

"I admit it, another hoe got me finished/Broke my heart, oh no she didn't," Juice begins as he raps and contemplates his reasons for believing all girls are the same. The song is the perfect introduction to Juice WRLD, as it highlights his abilities to seamlessly switch between rapping and singing while packaging the song in a fantastic Cole Bennett directed video.

The biggest song of the album and the biggest hit of Juice WRLD's career follows in 'Lucid Dream.' 'Lucid Dreams' finds Juice WRLD in his lowest moment, as he wallows in the pain of his breakup. They say heartbreak produces the best music and this song is the best example of that. Everything about the song screams hit, from the catchy chorus, "I still see your shadows in my room, can't take back the love that I gave you," to the hypnotic beat produced by Nick Mira. Juice WRLD even manages to drop some noteworthy bars, "I was tangled up in your drastic waist/Who knew evil girls had the prettiest face?"

The next two songs, 'Lean Wit Me' and 'Wasted,' explain to us how Juice WRLD chose to deal with his breakup, and it included a lot of drugs. On 'Lean Wit Me' Juice runs through a myriad of drugs showing us just how bad his addiction got. From lean to pills to weed, Juice WRLD isn't worried about how they might affect him, he just wants you to get high with him.

'Wasted' has the only feature on the entire album and it is a perfect fit. If Juice WRLD is reminiscent of anybody in the rap game today, it would be Lil Uzi, so it makes sense he tapped Uzi for the album's lone feature. Uzi and Juice share chorus duties before each drop smooth verses of their own. Juice WRLD's verse finds him getting wasted with a girl that's kinda evil, " Damn why she so demonic/ She Medusa with a little Pocahontas." Lil Uzi follows up with a high energy verse of his own, showcasing their excellent chemistry.

Other standout tracks? 'I'm Still,' 'Candles,' 'Used To,' 'Hurt Me,' ' Black & White,' and 'I'll Be Fine.'

On 'I'm Still' you see the beginning stages of Juice starting to get over this girl as he sings and raps about him still flexing.

'Candles' is one of the better songs of tape and finds Juice wondering why he can't move on. "I'm not sure/ I don't know if it's cus my heart hurts or if I'm insecure," Juice sings on the chorus before finally realizing the only solution, "I've come to the conclusion you can't kill me if I kill you first."

When the album gets to 'Used To,' you start to see a different Juice WRLD. "It don't hurt as bad as it used to," Juice harmonizes on the chorus, finally showing the first real signs of Juice getting over the girl.

On 'Hurt Me,' Juice WRLD's energy is completely different. He's not sad or hurting anymore, to him nothing can hurt him anymore, especially not the drugs. As for his ex? "Ex-girlfriend keeps calling my phone/ but the bitch can't hurt me, so I'm not worried."

My favorite song on the album comes next in 'Black & White.' This song is one of those songs you'll skip over until you hear it randomly on shuffle one day and regret taking so long to listen. Juice WRLD keeps the upbeat energy for this track as he sings about doing drugs with friends of all shades. Whether he's doing coke with his niggas or codeine with his white friends, Juice WRLD is going to be high as hell.

To boom in today's music industry, you need the entire package. You need a distinct look and a unique sound, but above all, you need fire music. Juice WRLD's 'Goodbye & Good Riddance' gives the listener everything a debut album needs in the concept of a heartbreak album. The album begins with Juice WRLD completely heartbroken, but by the end of it, he's moved on, and the album shows that process. He gives us the raw emotion of heartbreak in the form of hit singles with 'All Girls Are The Same' & 'Lucid Dreams.' He demonstrates the ability to make turnt music with tracks like 'Black & White' & 'Hurt Me.' We start to see the progression from heartbreak on 'Used To' & 'Candles' and even get a monster Uzi verse on 'Wasted.' Whatever 'IT' is, Juice WRLD has.