"Righteous" is a song by American rapper and singer
Juice Wrld
Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a leading figure in the emo rap and S ...
. It is the first
posthumous
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ''Posthumous'' (E ...
single released with him as the lead artist. It was released on April 24, 2020, via Grade A Productions through exclusive licensing to
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mu ...
, as the lead single for his posthumous album, ''
Legends Never Die''.
Background and composition
Juice Wrld's family announced "Righteous" would be releasing hours before it was released at midnight on April 24, 2020.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' described the song as "pensive" and that it "addresses anxiety and trying to quell it by self-medicating while also acknowledging the cyclical addiction that ensues."
Lyrically, Juice Wrld dances around the theme of death in the song with the lyrics "Over ice, I'm freezing/Beautiful eyes, deceiving/We may die this evening/Coughing, wheezing, bleeding," and "High, I'm an anxious soul/Blood moons are my eyes, stay low/Red and black, they glow/Under attack, in my soul/When it's my time, I'll know."
Stylistically, ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awa ...
'' describes the track as a "melancholy swoon built from arpeggiated guitar riffs and moonbeam melodies; it's all smooth edges, moody textures, breathy vocals."
"Righteous" was produced by
Nick Mira
Nicholas Warren Mira (born August 25, 2000) is an American record producer from Richmond, Virginia, who is part of the producer collective Internet Money, a record label he co-founded with fellow producer Taz Taylor. He gained notoriety for de ...
and
Charlie Handsome. Mira has worked with Juice Wrld in the past on multiple songs, including Juice Wrld's multi-platinum-certified single, "
Lucid Dreams
A lucid dream is a type of dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while dreaming. During a lucid dream, the dreamer may gain some amount of control over the dream characters, narrative, or environment; however, this is n ...
". The song was recorded at Juice Wrld's home studio in Los Angeles.
Music video
The official music video for the song was published on the same day the song was released on Juice Wrld's YouTube channel. The video was directed, shot and edited by Steve Cannon.
The first half of the video shows footage of Juice Wrld in his daily life including touring, traveling and recording at various studios.
The second half of the video is an animation depicting Juice Wrld fighting his inner demons before changing forms and leaving Earth. The video concludes with him disappearing into space.
Cannon first started working with Juice Wrld in March 2018 as a photographer and videographer.
Personnel
Credits adapted from
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
.
*
Jarad Higgins – vocals, composition
*
Nick Mira
Nicholas Warren Mira (born August 25, 2000) is an American record producer from Richmond, Virginia, who is part of the producer collective Internet Money, a record label he co-founded with fellow producer Taz Taylor. He gained notoriety for de ...
– writer, producer
*Ryan "Charlie Handsome" Vojtesak – writer, producer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
*
{{Juice Wrld
2020 singles
2020 songs
Animated music videos
Juice Wrld songs
Interscope Records singles
Songs released posthumously
Songs written by Charlie Handsome
Songs written by Nick Mira
Songs written by Juice Wrld
American alternative rock songs