On what would have been Juice WRLD’s 22nd birthday (Dec. 2), Benny Blanco released their new collaborative single “Real Sh–.”
The hitmaker took to Twitter to recall how he came across one of Juice’s songs a couple of years back, which he described at the time as “one of the best songs i had ever heard,” before reaching out to him on Instagram when the late rapper only had about 9,000 followers (compared to his current 12 million). By the time Blanco booked them a studio, Juice didn’t even have a record deal.
“…the first song we ever recorded tho was ‘real sh–,’” he wrote in a lengthy Twitter thread about their friendship on Tuesday. “it was the first time i saw his magic… the whole room dropped their jaws and watched him in awe… we knew we were in the room with a man who was going to change music forever…. he was an absolute genius to say the least but above all he was one of the kindest and most considerate people i have ever met… he was my friend… happy birthday juice… we miss u…”
“Real Sh–” comes not only months after Juice’s “Smile” collaboration with The Weeknd, which debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and almost one year exactly after the hip-hop phenomenon’s death on Dec. 8, 2019. Juice WRLD (real name Jarad Anthony Higgins) died from an accidental overdose at age 21. His mother, Carmela Wallace, posted a short and sweet letter on his social media Wednesday to commemorate “the light of her life.”
“He will forever be the light of my life. Today, we celebrate him, his immense talent and creativity and his contributions to the world,” she penned. “Through his art, he spoke his truth.”
His posthumous album Legends Never Die debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent two weeks at the top.
Listen to “Real Sh–” below.
