Though Future has developed a reputation of being detached from emotion, a conclusion largely gleaned by way of his lyricism and general demeanor on wax, the self-proclaimed WIZRD is not without a heart. In fact, Future has made a point of continuously paying homage to his fallen friend and protege of sorts, Juice WRLD, who died of an accidental overdose a little over one year ago to this day.
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In 2018, Future and Juice WRLD actually connected to craft a full-length album, the hazy WRLD On Drugs, on which they began to develop promising chemistry on wax. With Future being in his mid-thirties and Juice in his early twenties, there was somewhat of a mentor-pupil dynamic between the two artists. In fact, Future appeared deeply alarmed by the notion that his drug-fueled lyrics inspired Juice to experiment with lean.
"When he told me that, I was like ‘Oh shit. What the fuck have I done?‘” said Future, speaking with Rolling Stone in a 2019 profile about The WIZRD. “It really bothered me. It bothered me a lot. More than that I thought it would bother me when he told me that. I didn’t think I’d care about that stuff. Four years ago, I probably wouldn’t have cared if he told me: ‘Oh, that was good you was drinking.’ Now it’s like, ‘Oh shit.’ How many other sixth-graders did I influence to drink lean?”
Today, Future took a moment to mourn the loss of his young collaborator, celebrating the release of Juice's new posthumous collaboration with The Kid Laroi "Reminds Me Of You." "#LLJW LEGENDARY ON ALL LEVELS...celebrate u everyday kid," writes Future, doing his part to keep the late rapper's memory alive. "Juice still dropping classics til this day. Legends Never Die."
Check out Future's message below, and be sure to revisit their collaboration album WRLD On Drugs right here.
