It’s heavy stuff, and even heavier considering the artist died at such a young age.

Juice Wrld didn’t stick around with us mortals long, but once he departed this sh*tstorm we call Earth, we learned a lot more about him as several of his tracks hit the charts, including the emotional emo rap jaunt “Come & Go,” released in July of 2020 and featuring EDM dancefloor fave and collaboration go-to Marshmello.

I hadn’t completely stopped djing by the time Chicago-born Juice Wrld (real name Jarad Higgins) passed away in December of 2019 at the age of 21, but I’d certainly taken a break, only spinning on special occasions throughout that year. Just a few months later, the coronavirus pandemic and other life misfortunes would further limit my opportunities on the decks, and in doing so I missed out on deep-diving some of the era’s new popular music, including what hit the charts from Juice Wrld. Since I’m a fan of electronic artist Marshmello, I thought “Come & Go” would be a good place to jump in.

Expecting a rap/hip hop track, I was pleased with the slow build-up to the guitar loop, adding a pop rock feel to the song, followed by Marshmello’s full-flavored banger-EDM climax. The natural build-up and addition of surprising instrumentation keeps it interesting, along with Juice Wrld’s heartfelt lyrics.

Ad how about those lyrics!? “I try to be everything that I can / But sometimes I come out as bein’ nothin’,” and “I pray to God that he make me a better man / Maybe one day I’ma stand for somethin‘” – heavy stuff that, with hindsight into the artist’s plight, adds more depth and shadow to the proceedings.

He’s singing about relationships, and specifically, not screwing up again. “I don’t wanna ruin this one / This type of love don’t always come and go.” It’s the stuff we think about often, especially if we’ve been through it and don’t want to wind up back in the same dark space the last one left us in. For someone as young as Higgins, it’s especially emotional.

Jerad Higgins’ influences included two of my own, Billy Idol and The Cranberries – artists all of us middle-aged ’80s kids grew up with…and I feel those influences in this track. The collaboration between Juice Wrld and Marshmello on “Come & Go” is as good an example as any on how music and emotion are one and the same.

RIP Juice.