INTERVIEW: Lil Durk Touches on New Project, "My Beyonce," & ‘Chiraq’

As of late, the internet has been buzzing over a seemingly impromptu on-stage kiss between two pretty discreet artists, Dej Loaf and Lil Durk. While the public display of affection comes off a bit left fieldish for the two collaborators, even with rumors of them dating flying around, the appeal for on-lookers probably more so stems from the built up teasing for their new track and upcoming video, “My Beyonce.” In a recent RESPECT. interview with the OTF artist Lil Durk, when asked to describe the treatment for said video, the Chicago rapper was short on details (a running theme through out the interview) and offered as much of a description as a preview video still delivered. As you can see, Durk likes to talk more with his actions than his words.

Beyond the desire to show and prove, there might be another reason as to why Durk prefers to stay rather brief when it comes to interviews. In the past couple of years, the rapper has lost a friend (L’A Capone), a cousin (OTF Nuski), and a manager (Chino) to gun violence in Chicago, which has put him in a “deep mode of rap.” His lack of eagerness to deliver ample details may be a reflection of the frequent losses that have occurred in his life resulting in him solely reserving his energy to communicate via his craft. With his new mixtape 300 Days, 300 Nights dropping on December 15th, we’ll get a chance to hear the artist open up to the masses in his own way.

RESPECT Magazine: You have 300 Days, 300 Nights coming out soon. What kind of energy or feel can we expect from you on this project?

Lil Durk: Just original tracks, an original feel. You know, the old me with a mixture of the new me. It’s going to be some good energy, a good feel.

RM: “My Beyonce” (with Dej Loaf) just came out. I know you guys have been teasing the video for a bit. Can you talk to me a little about the treatment for it?

LD: Yeah, Love & Basketball. [It was] something we came up with and it was perfect.

RM: Is that a favorite movie of yours?

LD: We just both agreed to it. It was perfect and it matched what we have going on right now.

RM: Have you happened to see the trailer for Chiraq?

LD: Yeah.

RM: As a Chicago native, do you have any opinion on it? What do you think of it?

LD: Man, maybe they should have just had a different name for it.

RM: Do you feel the direction they went was the wrong way, overall?

LD: Yeah, because you got the name..it’s also the name. The reason it’s called Chiraq is because there’s a lot of violence going on not because of females…If you were going to do that, you might as well have called the movie Chicago or something because Chiraq is a whole other level.

RM: So, you just feel they didn’t meet what it is?

LD: Yeah.

RM: So, French Montana’s movie Respect The Shooter is coming out soon. Did you play any part in it?

LD: No. When they were shooting, we were always busy.

RM: Did you want to play a part in it or have some sort of role?

LD: Yeah, yeah. Of course. It was just off. Our schedules weren’t matching.

RM: So, you know with Chicago rappers, there’s always this stigma. With you, is there anything that you want people to know about you that they may not be able to see because they can’t get pass the stigma?

LD: Yeah, I’m a good guy at the end of the day, you know what I’m saying? A lot of people will believe what they see in the media from a long time ago. I’m just growing as an artist and as a person.

RM: Is there anybody that you want to work with that might throw people off or that might be unexpected?

LD: I’d say Rihanna.

RM: What kind of feel do you think you would want to go with with her on a song?

LD: Something different. Something they wouldn’t expect. They wouldn’t expect that.

RM: Like something that could introduce you to different audiences?

LD: Yeah.

RM: Oh, ok. So, I know you’ve experienced a lot of loss recently. Personally, I know how that is. Considering that, how do you get past those times where you might start thinking about those people because times like that, you can get stuck. What do you say to yourself or what do you do to move past those moments to keep moving forward?

LD: Stay working. Stay busy. It should be motivation instead of down time because down time is like being depressed. It shouldn’t be like that. It should really be motivation to keep going.

RM: What’s the bigger picture for you in your career? What are you trying to accomplish with your position and how do you plan to maximize on your platform?

LD: Just be a bigger artist, you know what I’m saying? Since albums don’t do the same, being able to sell albums and capture a fan base I ain’t never had. Definitely touring and just open up different lanes while having the whole Chicago behind me and rocking out.

RM: Is there anything specifically that you want to accomplish beyond music even? Do you want to get into acting or anything really?

LD: Yeah, I’m willing to do all that. Anything that’s going to open me up as a person.

RM: So, really just anything that can help you grow?

LD: Yeah.

Lil Durk‘s new mixtape 300 Days, 300 Nights comes out December 15.