Juice WRLD’s “Empty” Lyrics Meaning

“Empty” is a word used to describe how American rapper and singer Juice WRLD feels on the inside.  And according to this song, the way he deals with this inner lack is by partaking of drugs – specifically alcohol, pills and dope – despite simultaneously portraying such actions as being harmful.

Juice has made references to his dangerous alcohol consumption in songs past. In “Empty”, he raps about solving his problem through “Styrofoam”, which is an allusion to lean, a popular yet potentially-lethal alcoholic beverage that has become extremely popular amongst rap musicians.

In terms of non-liquid drugs, he uses the word “rolling” which is usually associated with smoking weed, as joints and more specifically blunts (also popular in the hip-hop) have to be rolled by the smoker before they are actually burned. However, it is obvious that Juice, while he may be referencing ganja also, is on some harder stuff.  For instance, the rap community does not refer to smoking herb as “dope”.  Also WRLD makes mention to “swallowing… pills” in the song, which lets the audience know that he is indeed using something hard, likely illicitly, with Juice himself known for being a recovering drug addict despite his young age.

But as aforementioned, Juice’s rationale for partaking in these intoxicating indulgences is to deal with his inner issues. Yet somewhat ironically he identifies these same actions as being detrimental to his overall well being.

Other subjects that are brought up in the track besides the above-mentioned are Juice’s potentially-violent tendencies and his rise “from rags to riches”.

Facts about “Empty”

• “Empty” was co-written by Juice WRLD (whose real name is Jarad Higgins) and music producer Nick Mira (who produced the track). Mira also co-wrote and produced Juice’s single “Robbery“.
• March 8, 2019 was the official release date of “Empty”.
• This is the first track from Juice’s second studio album which goes by the title Death Race for Love.

Does “Empty” contain any samples?

No. This song was created from its beginning to its end without the use of any samples.

Did Juice WRLD release “Empty” as a single?

No. The album Death Race for Love (which this track appears on) was supported by just two singles. And these singles are “Robbery” and “Hear Me Calling”. Interestingly enough, despite the track not being released as a single, it ended up being one of the outstanding track from the album.