If you spend any time in the corner of the internet where unreleased leaks are traded like currency, you've heard the rumors. You've seen the grainy snippets. The Juice WRLD collab album with Playboi Carti—often referred to by fans as Narcos or Evil Twins—is the stuff of modern hip-hop legend. It's a project that exists in the weird, liminal space between "almost finished" and "gone forever."
Fans are still obsessed. Why? Because the chemistry was weirdly perfect. You had Juice WRLD, the melodic powerhouse who could freestyle for an hour without breaking a sweat, and Playboi Carti, the king of "vamp" aesthetics and minimal, infectious energy.
It was a clash of titans. It was supposed to change everything.
Why the Juice WRLD and Playboi Carti Collab Mattered
Music moves fast. In 2019, these two were at the absolute peak of their experimental phases. Juice was moving away from the pure "sad boy" emo-rap of Goodbye & Good Riddance and leaning into the gritty, aggressive trap sounds found on Death Race for Love. Meanwhile, Carti was transitioning from the Die Lit era into the high-pitched "baby voice" experimentation that eventually defined Whole Lotta Red.
They were friends. Honestly, they were more than just collaborators; they were peers who actually respected each other's process. Juice WRLD famously mentioned in an interview with Montreality that he and Carti had "like 40 songs" together.
Think about that number for a second.
Forty songs is three full albums. It’s not just a handful of features. It was a dedicated body of work. When Juice WRLD talked about the Juice WRLD collab album with Playboi Carti, he wasn't just chasing clout. He was describing a creative partnership that felt effortless. He’d lay down a hook in ten minutes, and Carti would add the atmosphere.
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The Reality of the Narcos Leaks
Let’s be real: most of what we know about this project comes from the "leak" community. If you go on SoundCloud or certain Discord servers, you'll find tracks like "Want To" and "That's A Guy." These aren't just rough sketches. They are polished, high-energy tracks that prove the duo had a specific "vibe" they were chasing.
"Want To" is probably the most famous example. It features a heavy, distorted beat where Juice adopts a flow that mimics Carti’s rhythmic staccato. It’s infectious. It’s loud. It’s exactly what the mosh pits at Rolling Loud were built for.
But here is the catch.
Label politics are a nightmare. You have Grade A and Interscope on one side, and AWGE and Interscope (but a different wing) on the other. Clearing samples is hard enough, but clearing two of the biggest superstars in the world for a full-length LP? That’s a logistical Everest.
What went wrong?
Timing killed it.
Juice WRLD’s tragic passing in December 2019 changed the trajectory of his estate's release schedule. The focus shifted. Suddenly, the priority wasn't a collaborative trap tape with Carti; it was preserving Juice’s legacy through solo albums like Legends Never Die and Fighting Demons. These albums were curated to show his range, his struggle with addiction, and his softer side. A high-octane collab album with Carti didn’t fit the "posthumous tribute" narrative the labels were building at the time.
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And then there’s Carti himself.
Playboi Carti is notoriously picky. He scraps projects more often than he releases them. Remember 1629* with Lil Uzi Vert? That’s another "lost" collab album that sits in the same vault as the Juice WRLD collab album with Playboi Carti. Carti is an artist who cares about the "era." If the music doesn't fit his current aesthetic—whether that’s the "Opium" look or the "Baby Voice"—he’s likely to sit on it forever.
The Tracks We Actually Have
If you’re looking to piece together what Narcos might have sounded like, you have to look at the confirmed leaks and snippets. It’s a jigsaw puzzle of distorted bass and freestyle genius.
- Want To: The gold standard. It’s the closest we have to a finished lead single.
- That's A Guy: A shorter, punchier track that shows Juice adapting to Carti’s world.
- Say Goodbye: A more melodic effort that leans into the emo-rap roots of both artists.
- Untitled Snippets: There are dozens of 15-second clips floating around Instagram Live archives where Juice is seen vibing to Carti verses that have never seen the light of day.
It's frustrating.
We know the music is there. The engineers have it. The hard drives exist. But as the years pass, the likelihood of a formal release dwindles. In the music industry, "stale" sound is a real fear. What sounded groundbreaking in 2019 might sound dated in 2026.
Will It Ever See a Formal Release?
The short answer: Maybe, but don't hold your breath.
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Lil Bibby, the head of Grade A Productions, has been vocal about the difficulties of managing Juice’s unreleased catalog. He’s dealt with constant leaks, fan backlash, and the immense pressure of living up to Juice’s talent. While Bibby has teased collaborations in the past, a full Juice WRLD collab album with Playboi Carti seems less likely than a few "event" singles.
The most realistic scenario is that these songs will be sprinkled across future posthumous Juice albums or perhaps a "Deluxe" version of a Carti project. But a standalone album titled Narcos? That ship has likely sailed.
However, there is a silver lining.
The fans. The community has done an incredible job of archiving this era. They’ve remastered the leaks, created custom cover art, and even sequenced the leaked tracks into "fan-made" versions of the album. In a way, the Narcos album exists because the fans refuse to let it die.
How to Follow the Project Now
If you want to stay updated on the status of these tracks, you have to know where to look. Official channels won't tell you much until a week before a drop.
- Monitor the Leaked.cx forums: This is where the most hardcore collectors discuss new snippets.
- Follow Juice WRLD news aggregators: Accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram often catch "re-recorded" snippets or label teases.
- Check Playboi Carti’s "Opium" affiliates: Sometimes, people in Carti’s inner circle drop hints about old vault tracks during Twitch streams or random IG stories.
The saga of the Juice WRLD collab album with Playboi Carti is a reminder of a specific moment in rap history. It was a time of pure energy, before the industry got too complicated, and before we lost one of the most prolific freestylers to ever pick up a mic.
While we might never get the official 40-track masterpiece, the songs we do have are a testament to two geniuses who just wanted to make something cool.
Actionable Next Steps:
To hear the best version of what could have been, search for high-quality "Want To" and "That's A Guy" remasters on SoundCloud. Avoid the low-bitrate YouTube rips that are often "bass boosted" to hide poor quality. If you are interested in the legal side of these releases, follow the updates from the Juice WRLD estate regarding the final "The Party Never Ends" album, which is rumored to be the last major posthumous project and the most likely home for any remaining Carti collaborations.