10 Artists With Posthumous Albums

Jarad Anthony Higgins, more commonly known as Juice WRLD, was seemingly just making a name for himself in rap at the time of his sudden death due to a drug overdose at 21 years old in 2019. A budding wunderkind, Juice WRLD birthed an entirely new lane in hip-hop, marrying rock melodies with the influences of his rap forefathers, Chief Keef, Kanye West, and Travis Scott. The Chicago artist’s posthumous releases allowed his fans a hauntingly beautiful look into his state of mind as he battled the anxiety and demons that came with fame.

Dubbed the Queen of Tejano Music, Selena Quintanilla was 23 years old when she was shot dead by the former president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. Not only was she known for her upbeat, infectious music, but Quintanilla also managed to cement her status as a fashion icon even in her short-lived time in the spotlight. With Dreaming of You, Quintanilla joined a mere handful of other artists to posthumously top the Billboard charts, and although the album (understandably) lacked cohesion, it was a much-needed final farewell from the Tejano artist to a world not yet ready to come to terms with her passing.

One month after releasing Swimming in August of 2018 (which is widely considered to have been his magnum opus), Mac Miller passed away unexpectedly due to a drug overdose. In January of 2020, his album Circles was released, largely having been put together with the help of music industry heavyweight and close collaborator of Miller’s, Jon Brion. Circles was almost a follow-up to Swimming; together, the two led to a full-circle moment in which Miller confronted the difficulty of his mental health battles and recovery in the most vulnerable way possible. The album was notably more optimistic, though, laced with experimental jazz and more singing than Miller had ever done before, balancing out Swimming’s more downtrodden and self-deprecating themes.

A combination package of the late singer’s greatest hits (“One in a Million,” “Four Page Letter,” “If Your Girl Only Knew”) and a handful of unreleased songs (“Erica Kane,” “Come Over”), I Care 4 U was released in 2002, three years after Aaliyah’s tragic passing in a plane crash at the age of 22. The young artist won R&B fans over with her cool, midtempo numbers throughout the span of her seven-year career, and I Care 4 U stood its ground alongside her three proper albums as an homage to her talent and the career that would have lied ahead of her. As well as her studio album after 20 years of her tragic passing is available to stream. 

Michael Jackson’s second posthumous album, Xscape was only slightly better-received than his first one, Michael, which was released in 2010 and overwhelmingly felt like some cobbled-together outtakes and unfinished tracks that many think should have never seen the light of day. The eight-track record consists solely of songs Jackson recorded in the 20th century that were re-produced by L.A. Reid, Timbaland, and others to be presented to the public. Worth noting is that the opening song, “Love Never Felt So Good,” was a standout off the album and is even considered to have been the project’s saving grace.

Released 16 days after he was murdered, Biggie’s sophomore album Life After Death picked up right where his first album, Ready to Die, left off, unraveling Biggie’s own rags-to-riches tale. Lauded for its vivid storytelling, the album was almost unanimously deemed a success story as far as double albums go, exhibiting Big’s signature dextrous flow layered over maximalist beats.

Released under 2Pac’s alias, Makaveli, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is riddled with Christ imagery and allusions to the rapper’s premature, violent death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. The gangster-rap-heavy album features cameos by other prominent hip-hop artists of the time including Outlawz, Val Young, Aaron Hall, and throws subtle insults at Shakur's rivals such as The Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, Nas, and more. One of 2Pac’s darkest bodies of work, the album is one of his two posthumous releases and had a profound impact on the rapper's resounding cultural legacy.

In November of 1993, Nirvana performed an acoustic set on MTV Unplugged at the height of the band’s popularity, six months before Kurt Cobain’s death by suicide. Exactly one year after the band’s performance, in November of 1994, Nirvana released the recording as an album of its own, which quickly became one of their most popular releases. The set consisted of a number of cover songs, such as one of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World,” and unheard cuts of the band’s own music, eventually being certified platinum fives times and going down in history as one of the best live albums of all time.

Released in December of 2011, five months after the legendary crooner’s death, Lioness: Hidden Treasures exhibited a softer, more restrained side of the powerhouse singer that was Amy Winehouse. The heartbreakingly poignant 12-track album featured previously unreleased songs and alternate versions of classics such as “Valerie” in a fitting tribute to Winehouse's singing and songwriting capabilities.

When up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed in a home invasion in February 2020 at 20 years old, the music world was left stunned in the aftermath. His premature death occurred just before the heavily-anticipated release of his first studio album, which was subsequently produced in his wake by rap vet and mentor 50 Cent. The album, which was titled Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, was a catchy record that spawned six singles, including the wildly popular “Dior” and “Mood Swings,” and showcased Pop’s beloved, unfettered trash talk over thundering UK drill beats. The album became one of the biggest releases of summer 2020, reigning over the Hot 100 list and satiating fans longing to hear the late rapper’s hulking voice once again. 

The album set expectations exceptionally high for Pop Smoke’s second posthumous release, Faith, which dropped one year later in July of 2021 and fell notably short of his studio debut, perfectly embodying the often enigmatic nature of posthumous albums. While Pop Smoke’s role in and influence over Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon was unmistakable, Faith, with its repetitive hooks and exorbitant number of features lacked that level of authenticity, inadvertently turning the rapper’s booming voice into a muddled echo on his own album.