Death Race for Love (2019)

Death Race for Love is the second studio album by American rapper Juice Wrld and the last to be released during his lifetime. It was released on March 8, 2019, by Grade A Productions and Interscope Records. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Nick Mira, Boi-1da, Hit-Boy, No I.D., Frank Dukes, and Tommy Brown, among others. The album features guest appearances from Brent Faiyaz, Rvssian, Clever, and Young Thug. The bonus track edition features the 2019 single "Bandit", with an appearance from rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

Death Race for Love includes the Nick Mira-produced lead single, "Robbery", which was released on February 13, and the Purps-produced "Hear Me Calling", which was released on March 1. While the album received a generally lukewarm response from critics, it was a commercial success. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning 165,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It became Juice Wrld's first US number-one album. In October 2021, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Promotion

On February 7, 2019, Juice Wrld announced the album on Twitter, writing: "I'm losing my mind and loving every minute of it... Just in time for the drop of the album... MARCH 8th..." On February 20, Juice Wrld revealed that he would be headlining a North America concert tour in support of the album with fellow rapper Ski Mask the Slump God. On March 4, he revealed the official tracklist for the album. Juice Wrld appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform "Hear Me Calling" on April 8.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Robbery", was released on February 13, 2019. The song was produced by Nick Mira and peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "Hear Me Calling", was released on March 1, 2019. The song was produced by Purps and peaked at number 38 on the Hot 100 following the album's release.

Artwork and title

The album's artwork and title are inspired by the Twisted Metal series of video games for the original PlayStation console.

Critical reception

Death Race for Love was met with a mixed reception. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 61, based on 11 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 5.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Reviewers generally praised the album's sound and blend of genres. Thomas Hobbs of NME gave a positive 4 star (out of 5) review, stating "Juice Wrld is far less indulgent than XXX[Tentacion], not getting lost in the idea that he's a messianic creative. This will be the moment that solidifies his status as one of rap's most exciting new stars". Scott Glaysher of HipHopDX gave the album a 3.9 out of 5, and argued that; "Genre-blending albums (no matter how commonplace they might be these days) are not easy to pull off and for that, Juice Wrld should be given credit. From the seemingly sincere lyrics to the equally candid delivery, Juice truly goes with his gut in whichever way (rap, sing, hum, sob)".