It was May 2018. If you were scrolling through SoundCloud or hitting the "New Music Friday" playlists on Spotify, you couldn't escape it. A nineteen-year-old kid from Chicago with a melodic, raspy voice was everywhere. That kid was Jarad Higgins. Most people knew him as Juice WRLD. When Goodbye and Good Riddance dropped, it didn't just climb the charts; it basically redefined what it meant to be a "sad boy" in the streaming era.
Honestly, the album felt like reading someone's leaked text messages. It was raw. It was messy. It was, at times, incredibly uncomfortable to listen to because of how blunt the lyrics were about heartbreak and substance abuse.
Why the World Obsessed Over Goodbye and Good Riddance
Music critics often try to categorize everything. They called this "emo rap." But that label feels a bit too small for what this record actually achieved. Goodbye and Good Riddance was a concept album, though it didn't wear that badge loudly. It followed the linear progression of a toxic breakup. From the opening skit—where a girl is essentially berating him—to the final tracks, you are trapped in the headspace of someone who is spiraling.
The production was a huge factor. Nick Mira and the Internet Money collective handled most of it. They leaned heavily into minor-key guitar loops. It sounded like the mid-2000s pop-punk era had a baby with 808-heavy trap. It was the perfect backdrop for Juice's freestyle-heavy writing style. Did you know he freestyled almost the entire album? That’s not an exaggeration. Most of the songs were tracked in one or two takes. That’s why the flows feel so liquid and unpredictable.
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The Lucid Dreams Effect
You can’t talk about this album without mentioning "Lucid Dreams." It’s the behemoth. Built on a sample of Sting’s "Shape of My Heart," the song became a global phenomenon. But there was drama. Sting (or rather, his publishers) famously ended up taking a massive cut of the royalties—some reports say up to 85%. Juice WRLD took it in stride, though. He joked about it on Twitter, saying the song helped millions of people, and that was worth more than the money.
The song worked because it captured a very specific feeling: sleep paralysis as a metaphor for being unable to move on from an ex. It was relatable. It was catchy. It was everywhere.
The Darker Side of the Narrative
While "Lucid Dreams" and "All Girls Are the Same" were the radio hits, the deep cuts on Goodbye and Good Riddance were where the real storytelling happened. Take "Lean Wit Me." That track is haunting. It’s a literal cry for help disguised as a melodic anthem. He wasn't glorifying the lifestyle; he was documenting his struggle with it.
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The album's title itself is a double-edged sword. On the surface, it sounds like he's over the girl. "Good riddance," right? But the music tells a different story. He wasn't over anything. He was hurting. This contradiction is exactly why the album resonated so deeply with Gen Z. It wasn't about "getting over it" in a healthy way. It was about the ugly, resentful, and painful reality of being young and dumped.
A Legacy Cut Short
Juice WRLD’s passing in December 2019 changed how we hear this album. Suddenly, lines that felt like artistic exaggerations felt like premonitions. When he sang about not making it past 21 on the "Too Soon" EP (which was stylistically a sibling to this album), the world stopped.
The influence of Goodbye and Good Riddance is still visible in every melodic rapper that has emerged since 2018. You can hear it in The Kid LAROI. You can hear it in the way mainstream pop artists started using trap drums. He bridged the gap between the angst of Fall Out Boy and the rhythm of Future.
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Actionable Insights for Music Fans and Creators
If you are looking back at this project today, there are a few things to take away, whether you're a listener or an aspiring artist.
- Study the Melodic Structure: If you’re a producer or songwriter, look at how Nick Mira uses space. The beats aren't cluttered. They leave room for the vocals to be the lead instrument.
- The Power of Vulnerability: The reason this album stayed on the Billboard 200 for years isn't just because of the beats. It’s because Juice was willing to look "weak" or "pathetic" in his lyrics. That authenticity builds a cult-like following.
- Context Matters: To truly appreciate the record, listen to it from start to finish, including the skits. It’s meant to be a movie for your ears.
- Check the Anniversary Editions: Since the original release, Interscope has released anniversary versions with extra tracks like "734" and the "Lucid Dreams" remix featuring Lil Uzi Vert. These offer a broader look at that specific era of Juice’s creativity.
Goodbye and Good Riddance remains a definitive time capsule of 2018. It’s a reminder of a talent that burned incredibly bright and far too fast. Whether you're revisiting it for the nostalgia or discovering it for the first time, its raw emotional honesty is undeniable.