I'm just trying to show people that I ain't gotta ride off no movement. I can ride off myself.
Lil Durk
You got to have a strong mind if you fall back. When you fall back, they going to count you out. So you got to have a strong mind and know your worth. When you come back, you've got to be different and even more better.
Everybody always going to sound like somebody. You got to separate yourself.
I'm really living my dream so if I were to change anything up, I probably wouldn't be where I am.
My message is just showing people how I came from nothing.
I don't wish jail on nobody, not even my worst enemies.
Once upon a time, I was really lost. I was 18 going on 19, and I was shy. All I want to do is get money, and the way I was thinking I was going to do that was a negative route.
I'll never stick to one sound, I switch it up.
I'm my own boss, you know?
We came from nothing really. One house. Ten people. Even days the lights was off. The worst days was not eating. Surviving off rice and toast.
I was 17 and out of school, living with my mom, starving, not eating, getting locked up, no focus, no guidance. When you ain't got no guidance, you can't do too much. But then I had my first son and started working. I got the right people around me.
I grew up without a father, so I have to be on point for my kids.
I would say I grew without a doubt. My whole energy in life - as an artist and as a person - has definitely got me smarter and wiser.
When I do shows, I take pictures and make the fans feel like family. All of that really matters. That's the cheat code if you ain't got a hit.
I don't want my kids to be on the streets period. I want my kids to be nerds. I want them to be book smart or playing sports - I don't want them to know nothing about the streets.
I like aiming for the producers who are hungry. I don't chase the wave.
I'm happy with the person I become.
I made 'LS4TS2' for women, my Day 1's, the trenches, and all those that doubted me.
'Trap House' is one of my favorite songs off '300 Days 300 Nights' mixtape, I sent it to Thug, he loved it and knocked it out on the spot in Atlanta.
It's either you finna create your own wave, you finna sound like me or you finna sound like G Herbo, you finna sound like Chance The Rapper, you finna sound like Juice Wrld. You ain't gonna get too far 'cause you sound like somebody. So, create your own lane and do your own style.
I rock with Chance, I rock with Kanye, I rock with Common.
Put your own twist to it. That's how you say relevant. Or things get old and boring.
I want my kids to be able to live comfortable and go to school and to be into sports.
I worked with Ty Dolla Sign, YG, Nipsey Hussle, Metro Boomin - I build relationships, and I try to stay afloat with everyone who is hot or cool, period.
It feels good to be in a place now where I can give back to my community.
Death can happen anywhere, but kids in Chicago, like 4 years old, can get shot. You don't really hear that in too many places.
Growing up in Chicago is hard. I'd say 80 percent of the people ain't really got no daddies. Their household wasn't right. All they know is the streets and getting some money to support each other and support their family.
In Chicago, a lot of people don't really got nothing to live for. Everybody can't ball. Everybody can't rap. Nobody is really doing those activities. There's nothing to do but the streets.
There's definitely a lot of responsibility to keep the good energy going.
Certain parts are bad in every city, but Chicago is beautiful.
I been living down in Atlanta, but everyone back home has been in my thoughts, especially those doing something for the community and all the neighborhood heroes. I thought about all the first responders putting their lives on the line to help out and it inspired me, so I took a jet back to Chicago to show my thanks.
I let my partners and my DJ listen to my songs and if they say, 'Oh yeah I felt that one' or 'I am feeling that' then I write it down and we just continue building the album from there.
You got to want to evolve. It's something you can practice on but it just came to me. I wasn't really sitting there like, 'What can I do to get better?' It just came to me, talking to my people and my crew. They just tell me what my strongest and weakest points are at.
I ain't expect it. I just expected to be Chicago famous - 'hood famous. I ain't expect to be outside-of-Chicago famous.
I don't think anybody feels safe in Chicago. Bullets ain't got no name on them.
I wasn't really into music. I was into the streets. I was too worried about the streets and how I was going to eat and how I was going to make the streets happen.
My thing is to get new fans. So I love when people say, 'Oh, I've heard of him before.' Or 'I've never heard of Durk.' Or 'I'm a fan of Durk today.' This is what I like to see, because it lets me know when I come out with something that it's going to work.
Atlanta is just different. It's the music city.
I gotta stay in that light where people will see me and hear me. And not be scared of me, you know?
I wanna get the streets riled back up. I wanna get super tours and bookings.
What really broke it down was I had my son while I was locked up, so that really affected me. I can't really have this, knowing my father was locked up when I was small. So that really out of everything - through the fame, the money, everything - that really put the toll on me: 'Oh yeah, I gotta change.'
Bone Thugs is one of my favorite rap groups of all time. I listened to them all the time when I was a kid.
If you got a vibe with a producer I think you should go full-fledged instead of being satisfied with two songs.
I can buy anything I want now. It hasn't changed me personally. It just changed what I can do for myself and my family.
'L's,' it represents life. That's what I represent it as, life. When you throw the L's up for life, you can't go wrong. Like, no gang-banging, nothing like that.
With 'LilDurk2x,' it's a good vibe to it, good energy.
I don't want to try to piggyback off of anybody else.
I think every artist should go for a Grammy.
I've been with Def Jam Records for five years and they gave me my first recording contract so for that I'm forever grateful.
I just want to paint that picture of Chicago that everybody's missing, and I just want to rap about it.
