Juice WRLD Has Biggest Posthumous Debut Week Since Notorious B.I.G. & Tupac

The album released on July 10 and has earned 497,000 album units in the U.S.

Juice WRLD’s posthumous album Legends Never Die has reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart. 

Following the release, the late rapper has joined the ranks of two hip-hop titans, Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac. Legends Never Die marks the largest posthumous debut since B.I.G.'s Life After Death and Tupac's R U Still Down, both of these historic albums arrived in 1997, 25 years ago.

According to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, Legends Never Die earned 497,000 album units in the U.S. This robust number is why the release had the biggest first-week sales of 2020. It also had the largest audio streaming week of the year with 280,000 SEA units. These units are equivalent to 422.63 million on-demand streams. 

This is the late rapper’s second No. 1 album following 2019’s Death Race for Love. This album topped the same Billboard chart on March 23, 2019. Juice WRLD’s untimely death in 2019 left an indelible mark on the music industry. 

Since Legends Never Die surpasses The Weeknd’s After Hours, Lil Baby’s My Turn and Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake. After Hours received 440,000 units after its debut. One shocking bit of data Billboard reported included that Legends received a bigger week than Taylor Swift’s Lover.

Carmela Wallace, Juice WRLD’s mother, and Grade A shared the following statement with The Hollywood Reporter expressing his fans supporting his album, “The overwhelming love that millions of music fans clearly have for Jarad reminds us how much his poetic words, creativity, and bright light continues to shine throughout the world.”

She added:

 “This first collection of songs is a poignant reminder of his great artistic talent and emotional honesty. Music was his passion and recording gave him the outlet to share everything he was going through. In addition to his music, Jarad's legacy will continue to provide help to young people through his Live Free 999 Foundation. We are incredibly grateful to the fans who continue to uplift him every single day and our hope is that his words touch your life in a way that helps you through any challenges you may be facing.”

Legends Never Die arrived on July 10. Stream it below.