LIL DURK

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.

I let my team pick what order the records go. I don't pick my own records. I'm a fan of my music regardless so you have to think outside of the box.

I think every artist should go for a Grammy.

See what I do is I book a studio that's closed down and I go by myself. No one's in there, literally just me and the engineer.

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.

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.

Certain parts are bad in every city, but Chicago is beautiful.

I want my kids to be able to live comfortable and go to school and to be into sports.

I stay in the studio. I'm a studio junkie.

I just want to paint that picture of Chicago that everybody's missing, and I just want to rap about it.

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 have three kids, and that's a big part of staying focused.

I was 17 when I first started rapping and 18 before I started taking it seriously - when I really knew I could rap and have fans and be a trendsetter.

I'm happy with the person I become.

When you in the studio you don't need everybody calling your phone telling you about what's going on outside the studio. I don't need those distractions.

I want to do, like, 50 records.

Rapping is my dream, but my kids make me happy.

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.

No shade to the other artists in Chicago... but if you got confidence in yourself and you know you're Number One, say it.

I don't throw shade at anybody like, 'You sound like me.'

'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.

I just moved to Atlanta so the change of scenery and environment put me in a different mood and a different vibe, both good.

Bone Thugs is one of my favorite rap groups of all time. I listened to them all the time when I was a kid.

You've got Lil Uzi Vert - you do a song with him, you ain't doing nothing but gaining new fans. You gotta keep up with the time and the pace.

If you got a vibe with a producer I think you should go full-fledged instead of being satisfied with two songs.