“Worst album cover I’ve seen this year” - Fans react to Takashi Murakami’s artwork for Juice WRLD’s final posthumous album ‘THE PARTY NEVER ENDS’
As fans get more teasers from the upcoming release of Juice WRLD's final posthumous album, The Party Never Ends, the late rapper's estate unveiled the official cover art for the album today (November 22).
According to publications like HNHH, the artwork appears to have been created by Takashi Murakami. The Japanese contemporary artist is famously known within the hip-hop community for creating Kanye West's iconic Graduation cover art.
The cover art for Juice WRLD's third posthumous album was also unveiled in collaboration with Fortnite, seemingly released as part of the RPG video game's "Chapter 2 Remix".
With popular media outlets like NFR Podcast reposting The Party Never Ends' cover art across social media platforms, like X (formerly Twitter), the trippy artwork featuring Juice performing for what appear to be aliens has gone viral.
The wide-eyed character designs have received a poor reception from Juice WRLD's fans online. One user even claimed that The Party Never Ends' cover was the "worst" artwork they had seen this year.
More reactions followed from disappointed fans expressing their thoughts and opinions on The Party Never Ends' cover art.
"Why did he make juice look like that, i need them to change it" - A fan stated.
"That’s a distasteful title for the album. His party did end. The representation of him also looks pilled out. Shameless record execs" - Another claimed.
"This is one of the worst covers of all time they’re disrespecting his legacy" - A fan cited.
"The atmosphere/background isn’t that bad, could’ve done a lot better with it. But the animated version of Juice is horrible" - Said another.
However, there were a few individuals seen praising the artwork and Takashi Murakami's design for The Party Never Ends, claiming the cover art would eventually "grow" on Juice WRLD's fanbase.
"I love Murakamis work but this just reminds me of Virgils cover for pop smoke" - A user claimed.
"Can’t wait for November 29th! The cover by Takashi Murakami is fire!" - An excited fan shared.
"I know he loved Kanye and looked up to him and he met up with Takashi Murakami back in 2019 so cant really hate on the cover art maybe itll grow on everyone I dont hate it anymore" - Another added.
"Tbh cover art will grow on you guys. The artist usually draws in this style - when you look at his work, it makes you appreciate this piece a lot more" - A user claimed.
Juice Wrld's label releases official trailer for 'The Party Never Ends' starring Eric Roberts
Juice WRLD's estate will release his third and final posthumous album, The Party Never Ends, on November 29, 2024, via Grade A Productions, under an exclusive license to Interscope Records.
Lil Bibby, CEO of Grade A, took to Instagram to repost the official album trailer, praising Juice's legacy in his caption, stating:
"Been 5 years kid, still missing you down here… Feels like yesterday you were down here cracking ya corny jokes. Your fans still miss you, still getting on my nerves everyday. One of them just told me that I had a penthouse in hell waiting for me"
"Other than that the album is amazing, and it’s crazy to see that these kids still want more from you after 1000 leaks and hours of footage. Thank you, and your crazy fans for everything, Hope yall enjoy this Last Album! 999 for Life!!!" - Lil Bibby captioned.
The trailer, uploaded to Juice's official YouTube channel, was directed by Steve Cannon and stars American actor Eric Anthony Roberts. In the video, Eric plays the role of a Grandfather who decided to put his grandchildren on to Juice WRLD's music several years in the future.
While discussing music tastes, Eric explains how a "true legend never dies", which is a reference to the late rapper's first posthumous album, Legends Never Die, released to all major DSPs on July 10, 2020.
Eric then decides to read a bedtime story titled "The Legend of Juice WRLD," hoping to inspire his grandchildren with the legacy the late rapper left behind, stating:
"Juice Wrld... was the greatest artist of all time. 'Goodbye & Good Riddance' was the album that started it all... It was also the first concert I went to in Chicago. The second album, 'Death Race for Love', took us on a high-speed journey navigating various emotions... 'Legends Never Die' taught us, the fans, to love and respect life"
Eric continued by praising 2021's Fighting Demons, claiming the project taught him that no matter what challenges a person faces, "everything would be okay". He concludes by building up anticipation for Juice WRLD's final album by claiming:
"I went to all the concerts. I listened to every project and freestyle, but the last album... it was really worth the wait"
The visuals then transition into a trippy montage of Juice WRLD's past projects flashing across the screen, ending with Takashi Murakami's cover art for The Party Never Ends.
The upcoming album will also feature the late rapper's collaboration with Nicki Minaj on AGATS2 (Insecure), which was released last week.
Juice WRLD passed away due to an accidental overdose on December 8, 2019, a few days after his 21st birthday, while getting off his private jet in Chicago's Midway International Airport.
