Get To Know Juice WRLD Prior To Festival X Rising

Juice WRLD had a break-out year in 2018 with his track ‘Lucid Dreams.’ After performing at Rhythm & Vine’s over new years, the rapper has announced his return to New Zealand to perform at Festival X Rising at Auckland’s Western Springs Stadium in November.

Get to know Juice WRLD before his performance with 5 interesting facts below.

1. He's A Multi-Instrumentalist

‘Lucid Dreams’ producer Nick Mira is responsible for moulding Juice WRLD's sound, but the star is musically inclined in his own right. As a youth, the rapper learned to play the piano, guitar, trumpet and drums.

2. He's An Avid Fan of Rock Music

Chief Keef and 2Pac are often cited when Juice WRLD lists his favourite rappers, but his musical tastes are wide-ranging with the rapper crediting Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Guitar Hero for helping expose him to rock acts. Mentioning Billy Idol, Blink 182, Black Sabbath, Fall Out Boy, Megadeth, and Panic at the Disco as some of his biggest musical influences as a youth, Juice WRLD admits that his willingness to experiment with his songwriting and production comes from him being exposed to various genres.

3. His First Rap Name Was Inspired By 2Pac

Prior to hitting the radar in the music industry, Juice WRLD's first performed and released music under the name JuiceTheKidd, which was inspired in part by his admiration for Tupac Shakur and his performance in the movie Juice. He eventually settled on the name Juice WRLD around 2017.

4. He Was Unfamiliar With Sting Prior To Recording ‘Lucid Dreams’

‘Lucid Dreams’ fueled his rise up the charts and was one of the most popular songs of 2018. But, according to the artist, himself, he was initially unaware of the origin of the sample used in the song. Juice WRLD told Vulture: "My mum told me that [the song] sampled Sting, so I went back and listened to his version. I haven't heard from Sting, but he said publicly that 'Lucid Dreams' was a beautiful interpretation of 'Shape of My Heart.'" The song, which was reportedly completed within fifteen minutes, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since been certified 5x platinum.

5. Rap Was Banned From His Childhood Home

While most rap artists detail being exposed to rap music at a young age, Juice WRLD was a late-bloomer, as the genre was banned in his house as a youth. "My mum was real conservative, on some old hardcore Christian-ass shit," he revealed to Complex. "She didn't want me to grow up like the other motherfuckers around me. She listened to old school gospel music." However, despite his mother's efforts, the star would be introduced to music by Chief Keef, Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy through his cousins, which was enough to excite his interest for the genre.