Juice WRLD’s new album marks biggest posthumous debut since Notorious BIG and Tupac

The late rapper’s album ‘Legends Never Die’ has made history as the biggest posthumous debut since albums by the Notorious BIG and Tupac in 1997

Juice WRLD’s posthumous album Legends Never Die, released on 10 July, has opened with the largest first week of sales in 2020.

According to Juice WRLD's representatives, the album marks the highest-charting posthumous album to debut on the Billboard 200 since Notorious BIG's Life After Death and Tupac’s R U Still Down, both released in 1997.

Juice WRLD, real name Jarad Anthony Higgins, died aged 21 in December 2019 after suffering a seizure.

As well as the highest-selling debut of the year, the late rapper's new album is also the fourth biggest streaming debut ever, with a reported 497,000 album equivalent units sold. Legends Never Die follows behind Drake’s Scorpion, Post Malone’s Beerbongs & Bentleys and Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V.

In a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter, Juice WRLD's mother Carmela Wallace said: “The overwhelming love that millions of music fans clearly have for Jarad [Juice WRLD] reminds us how much his poetic words, creativity, and bright light continues to shine throughout the world."

She continued, “This first collection of songs is a poignant reminder of his great artistic talent and emotional honesty. Music was his passion and recording gave him the outlet to share everything he was going through.”

The new album features songs with Halsey (“Life’s a Mess”), Marshmello (“Come & Go”), and more.

Legends Never Die is Juice WRLD’s second No 1 album. It follows his 2019 release, Death Race for Love, which was the last studio album released before his death that year.