What follows is a warts-and-all experience, with raw footage of Juice and his entourage drinking, smoking, and otherwise partying backstage and in hotel rooms even here, he freestyles almost compulsively - it was like an ever-flowing stream that couldn’t be dammed. That painful admission is followed by testimonials from his peers in the music business, all of whom are effusive in their praise of the late artist’s abilities: “Juice wasn’t trying to be that,” music-video director Cole Bennett says, “Juice just became that.” Like just about everything else he ever wrote and recorded, this one is “from the dome” - off the top of his head and not written in advance. One of the first things we hear Juice say in the film is “I pop Percs to numb all the pain ’cause it hurts to live,” a line delivered with characteristic effortlessness in one of the many freestyle raps he performs. The film’s vérité, behind-the-scenes look at his trials and tribulations may feel surface-level to those unfamiliar with Juice, but his many admirers will likely consider it essential viewing.
As evidenced by the very existence of Tommy Oliver’s documentary “Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss,” the rapper’s impact on those around him - to say nothing of his legions of fans - continues to be felt today. Juice WRLD’s untimely death two years ago did little to snuff out his burgeoning stardom - quite the opposite, in fact.
