The Tragic Link Between Young Musicians and Early Demise

The 27 Club is the title used to refer to artists who have died at age 27, usually due to suicides, murders, or drug abuse, including Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, among several other artists.

Recently, in 2017, another phenomenon started; some have begun referring to the Club of 21. This term was first used in the song "Legends" by Juice WRLD, in which he narrates his fear of reaching that age, stating that he has become paranoid because many rappers are dying young—coincidentally, those who are called legendary.

Fear of Premature Death in Music

In these lines, he explains that he does not find an answer to the deaths of these rappers who die very young and whose deaths occur unexpectedly.

Drug Abuse and Unexpected Loss

In this part, we can appreciate his resentment of the deaths caused by drugs. This is especially due to the death of his friend Lil Peep, who in November 2017 died of a fentanyl overdose. (It has been rumored, though not confirmed, that he was killed by associates who were with him at the time and gave him the adulterated drug, failing to help him after he fell asleep and never woke up again.)

The line that says "this time it was so unexpected" refers to the death of XXXTentacion, who died after being shot in his car after leaving a motorcycle store.

Self-Defense and Weapon Carrying

• Min 0:53: As I explained before, one of the rappers died of drug abuse, and the other was shot. This led rappers to begin carrying weapons with them for self-defense out of fear of being killed. This trend is still in force because there are still deaths in which weapons are involved.

Juice WRLD's Fear and Passing

• Min 1:07: Juice WRLD did not want the title of legend because he was afraid of dying like his friends. Unfortunately, on December 8, 2019, this artist died shortly after his 21st birthday due to a drug overdose administered as soon as he arrived at the airport.

Music as a Vehicle for Positive Change

• Min 1:21: Here, he says he was trying to change the world through his music. He could talk a lot about drugs or, as he says, "flex" diamonds and luxurious things, but in all his songs, he tried to leave a good message for people to try to change.

In an interview, he said that it makes no sense to have the attention of millions of people and waste it completely; you have to make something important with the attention you receive.

These lines are also addressed to XXXTentacion, who helped many children from centers who could not afford clothes or toys. To this end, he created a challenge called "The Helping Hand Challenge," which consisted of donating the most items possible to children in need. The person who donated the most could spend a day with X doing whatever they wanted.