The late rapper Juice WRLD’s catalog is the latest to land a multimillion-dollar deal giving an entity other than his estate a substantial stake in his life’s work.
According to Billboard, 90 percent of the Chicago-bred artist’s interest in master recording income and 90 percent of his portion of publishing ownership now belong to Opus Music Group. Grade A Productions and Interscope Records will maintain ownership of his master recordings. The acquisition was made for nine figures at an undisclosed time early this year.
The independent record label and music publisher touts itself as a connoisseur of “curated collections of contemporary recordings and musical works from global, multi-award-winning writers and artists.” Their portfolio also includes the works of Latin reggaetón artists Rauw Alejandro and Maluma.
In a statement to Billboard, Opus said, “To represent the body of work of Juice WRLD — whose cultural significance and generational influence can’t be overstated — is an honor and a responsibility.”
The rising star’s life was cut short when he passed away from an accidental overdose at the age of 21 in 2019. He had upwards of 2,000 unreleased records. While some of the music leaked online in the weeks following his death, others were released with the blessing of his family. In their first public statement, the “Wishing Well” rapper’s loved ones said they would continue to share his talents with the world: “You guys meant the entire world to Juice, and by listening to his music, watching his videos, and sharing stories about him, you are keeping his memory alive forever.”
Since his untimely passing, two posthumous projects have been released, last year’s Fighting Demons in 2022 and Legends Never Die in 2020. In December, the Juice WRLD Day Festival was held in honor of the third anniversary of his passing. Artists such as Trippie Redd, Lil Tecca, Ski Mask, G Herbo and several others performed at the event dubbed “a global celebration of life.”