Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss

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Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss
Into the Abyss film poster.jpg
Official release poster
Directed by Tommy Oliver
Produced by
  • Keith Gionet
  • Tommy Oliver
  • Carmela Wallace
Starring
CinematographyTommy Oliver
Edited by
  • Joe Kehoe
  • Tommy Oliver
Music byJuice Wrld
Production
companies
Distributed by HBO
Release dates
  • November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)(AFI Fest)
  • December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss [1] is a 2021 documentary film, directed by Tommy Oliver. Focusing on the life and death of American rapper and singer Juice Wrld, the documentary is the sixth and final part of the HBO Max documentary series Music Box. [2] It premiered at the AFI Fest on November 12th, 2021, where it won the AFI Fest Documentary Audience Award, and it officially debuted on December 16th, 2021, with an exclusive preview at the Juice Wrld Day event held at Chicago's United Center on December 9th. [3]

Contents

Cast

All star as themselves.

Production

Shot, edited, and produced by Oliver, the documentary contains footage from Juice's last years, and contains appearances from numerous friends and family of his, including his protégé The Kid Laroi, girlfriend Ally Lotti, and manager Lil Bibby. It also features numerous frequent collaborators of Juice's, including rappers Ski Mask the Slump God, Polo G, and G Herbo, producers Benny Blanco, Rex Kudo, and Hit-Boy, and music video director Cole Bennett.[ citation needed ]

Release

Into the Abyss premiered at the AFI Fest on November 12th, 2021, where it won the AFI Fest Documentary Audience Award, and it officially debuted on December 16th, 2021, with an exclusive preview at the Juice Wrld Day event held at Chicago's United Center on December 9. [3]

The documentary's release was preceded by the release of Juice's fourth studio album and second to be released posthumously, Fighting Demons . [4] [5] The first single from the album, "Already Dead", was released to streaming services on November 12, 2021. The album was officially released by Juice's labels, Grade A and Interscope Records on December 10, 2021.[ citation needed ]

Critical response

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. [6] Conversely, film critic Steve Pulaski of Influx Magazine gave the film a negative review, saying, "Into the Abyss is perhaps the grimiest documentary that could be made about the late Chicago legend. Sloppy editing is one thing, but to show intimate footage of the 21-year-old artist’s spiral into addiction in such an uncritical way feels especially cruel." [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Brandon George Dickinson, better known by his stage name Lil Bibby, is an American rapper and record executive from Chicago, Illinois. Beginning his career in 2011, Bibby released his debut mixtape, Free Crack in 2013. The project was followed by Free Crack 2 (2014) and Free Crack 3 (2015) before he signed with Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records, an imprint of RCA Records. However, he released no studio albums under the label. He then shifted focus onto expanding his record label—Grade A Productions—in 2017, through which he has signed commercially successful acts including fellow Chicago native, rapper and singer Juice Wrld, as well as Australian rapper and singer the Kid Laroi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G Herbo</span> American rapper (born 1995)

Herbert Randall Wright III, better known by his stage name G Herbo, is an American rapper. Wright signed to the Chicago-based record label Machine Entertainment Group in 2011 at the age of 16. Through the label, he released his debut mixtape Welcome to Fazoland (2014), followed by Pistol P Project (2014), Ballin Like I'm Kobe (2015), and Strictly 4 My Fans (2016). His debut studio album, Humble Beast (2017) was released through Cinematic Music Group and received critical acclaim. His collaborative album with record producer Southside, Swervo (2018) served his first major label release through Epic Records; its sequel, Still Swervin (2019) served as Wright's second album. His third album, PTSD (2020) peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200 upon release, likewise with his fourth and fifth albums, 25 (2021) and Survivor's Remorse (2022); 25 marked his first project with Republic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juice Wrld</span> American rapper and singer (1998–2019)

Jarad Anthony Higgins, known professionally as Juice Wrld, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Throughout his career of four years, he was a leading figure in the emo rap and SoundCloud rap genres which garnered mainstream attention during the mid-to-late 2010s. His stage name, which he stated represents "taking over the world", was derived from the crime thriller film Juice (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ski Mask the Slump God</span> American rapper (born 1996)

Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne, known professionally as Ski Mask the Slump God, is an American rapper. He is best known for his association with XXXTentacion, with whom he formed the hip hop collective Members Only in 2014. He is notable for his nostalgic-themed musical production and public image, of which is often clad with multi-colored durags. He signed with Victor Victor Worldwide, an imprint of Republic Records to release his debut commercial mixtape You Will Regret (2017), which entered the Billboard 200 and spawned the platinum-certified singles "BabyWipe", "Take a Step Back", and "Catch Me Outside".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polo G</span> American rapper

Taurus Tremani Bartlett, known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles "Finer Things" and "Pop Out". His debut album Die a Legend (2019) peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

"PTSD" is a song by American rapper G Herbo featuring fellow American rappers Juice Wrld, Lil Uzi Vert, and Chance the Rapper. It was released on February 28, 2020, from G Herbo's third studio album of the same name (2020). The song was produced by D.A. Got That Dope. It peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming G Herbo's first and highest-charting song.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Kid Laroi</span> Australian rapper and singer (born 2003)

Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, known professionally as the Kid Laroi, is an Australian rapper and singer. He originally gained recognition from his association with American rapper Juice Wrld while he was on tour in Australia. He gained a local following before signing a joint venture record deal with Lil Bibby's Grade A Productions and Columbia Records. He garnered mainstream recognition with his 2021 single "Stay", which peaked the charts in numerous countries including his native Australia, as well as the Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Righteous (song)</span> 2020 single by Juice Wrld

"Righteous" is a song by American rapper and singer Juice Wrld. It is the first posthumous 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, as the lead single for his posthumous album, Legends Never Die.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tell Me U Luv Me</span> 2020 single by Juice Wrld and Trippie Redd

"Tell Me U Luv Me" is a song by American rappers Juice Wrld and Trippie Redd. It was released on May 29, 2020 through Grade A Productions under exclusive license to Interscope Records, as the second single for Juice Wrld's posthumous third studio album, Legends Never Die.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go (The Kid Laroi and Juice Wrld song)</span> 2020 single by the Kid Laroi and Juice Wrld

"Go" is a song by Australian rapper and singer the Kid Laroi and American rapper and singer Juice Wrld, released on 12 June 2020 as the first single from Laroi's debut mixtape F*ck Love, released on 24 July 2020. The song was recorded while the two, who were close friends, met up in Greece in 2019. That recording is included in the song's official video, with both the song and video serving as a tribute to Juice Wrld who died in December 2019.

<i>Legends Never Die</i> (Juice Wrld album) 2020 posthumous studio album by Juice Wrld

Legends Never Die is the third studio album by American rapper and singer Juice Wrld. It was posthumously released by Grade A Productions and Interscope Records on July 10, 2020. The album follows Juice Wrld's death from a drug-related seizure approximately seven months prior, on December 8, 2019. It features guest appearances from the Weeknd, Trippie Redd, Marshmello, Polo G, the Kid Laroi, and Halsey.

"Hate the Other Side" is a song by American rapper Juice Wrld and American producer Marshmello featuring American rapper Polo G and Australian rapper the Kid Laroi, released on July 10, 2020, as the ninth track from Juice's posthumous third studio album Legends Never Die.

<i>Fighting Demons</i> 2021 studio album by Juice Wrld

Fighting Demons is the fourth studio album by American rapper and singer Juice Wrld. It was posthumously released by Grade A Productions and Interscope Records on December 10, 2021. The album features guest appearances from Justin Bieber, Polo G, Trippie Redd, and Suga of BTS. It serves as a tie-in for an HBO-produced documentary titled Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss, released on December 16, 2021.

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"Girl of My Dreams" is an English and Korean song by American rapper Juice Wrld and South Korean rapper Suga of BTS. The track was released as a standalone digital release on December 10, 2021, serving as the first promotional single from Juice Wrld's fourth and second posthumous studio album, Fighting Demons (2021). It serves as the second collaboration between Juice Wrld and Suga from BTS, with the two having collaborated previously on the 2019 single "All Night" from the soundtrack album BTS World: Original Soundtrack (2019).

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References

  1. "'Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss' Review: Gone-Too-Soon Rapper Tells His Story in Elegiac Documentary". November 13, 2021.
  2. "Music Box | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com". HBO.
  3. 1 2 "Juice WRLD Day 2021". Juice Wrld | 999 Club.
  4. "Juice WRLD to Release Posthumous Album Fighting Demons on Dec. 10". November 11, 2021.
  5. "New posthumous Juice WRLD album 'Fighting Demons' set to drop next month". NME . November 12, 2021.
  6. "Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
  7. Pulaski, Steve. ""Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss" (2021) Review". Influx Magazine.