Lil Durk Apple Music 1 Takeaways: Talks J. Cole, Swizz Beatz, & Allen Iverson

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Lil Durk continues to promote his album "Almost Healed," so check out highlights from his conversation with Apple Music 1's Nadeska Alexis.

Undeniably, Lil Durk is one of the hottest rappers in the industry today. The Chicago native helped solidify Drill as a subgenre that would take over Hip Hop, and with over a decade of music hits under his belt, Durkio is a formidable force. He recently dropped his latest album Almost Healed and sat down with Nadeska Alexis on Apple Music 1 to detail his journey and new project. Check out a few highlights from the conversation, including Lil Durk speaking on his J. Cole feature, being mentored by people like Swizz Beatz, and how far he's come in the last ten years. You can also watch the interview for yourself below.

Lil Durk Talks J. Cole Feature On "All My Life"

"Shout out to J. Cole. Even just to have that type of music out, just on a positive level, feels super, super good. I think that the J. Cole feature was definitely unexpected for my fans. He went super crazy. And it's so crazy, because we've been talking for two years. He always be like, "Send me a record," and I'm like, "I got to find the right record."

"And I'm glad I waited two years, because in my eyes he's a legend. So if you have a chance to do a song with legend, do you send him something just to send it, just to say you got one, or you're going to make it stick? So that's why I never just sent him a record, because I want something that's going to stick.
As soon as I did the record, he was the first person that popped into my head. I'm like, 'I got it.'"

Reflecting On The Last 10 Years Of His Career

2023 Dreamville Music Festival
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 01: Lil Durk performs during the 2023 Dreamville Music festival at Dorothea Dix Park on April 01, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

"Yeah, a lot can change from then to now. You can tell the big difference in just the character, the music, the beat selection, and the entourage. Everything has changed from that point, but that's where it started from. That's where I get my motivation from."

"Honestly, I didn't even have a direction. I didn't even have a goal. I didn't know I'd be a real artist. I'd be doing arenas and festivals and stuff like that, so at that time I was just doing it just on some local, 'I got the trenches on lock,' type stuff. So my vision wasn't as big as I would've thought it had been."

On Having Mentors Like Swizz Beatz

Future And Friends One Big Party Tour - Washington, DC
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: Lil Durk, Jewelry detail performs during "One Big Party Tour" at Capital One Arena on January 22, 2023 in Washington, DC.(photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

"It's important. Where I'm from, they don't really do it like that. So, I'm saying ain't a lot of leaders, where I'm from. It's like whatever make money, the quick money. If it's violence, if it's this, they going to get to the money, but people like Swizz, and like my daddy, my mom, and a couple more people in my life, we've got something to prove, to show them we're going to be the difference and we're going to change the world. Because if you just look at this whole Chicago, it's like everybody doing the same thing. Not too many want to change a lot. A lot trying to change, but can't change because ain't no way to. So, I hope I could be a platform for them."

Lil Durk On Pushing Out Projects

"I'm really like, a studio head. Yeah, I'm just so much of a fan of music. I just spend all my time doing music. So, when you say 'having fun,' when I actually do go have fun, we feel just super good. No bad energy. Then do therapy, then talk to your friends. Let me give you an example. So, if I got my kids, and one of my guys probably see his kids but not like that, it'll motivate him to keep his kids around more. That's how I got motivated too, by bond."

Lil Durk On Religion

"It keeps me sane. It keeps me stress-free. I don't really look at everything like, "Oh, he got good luck. He got..." I believe in a higher power. As I say, the rug is what we pray on. So, whatever you believe in, whoever you believe in, if you believe in them and you've been through a lot of stuff in your life and you at a peaceful place, going to a happy place, I think you should get more into your religion."

Lil Durk On Meeting NBA Legend Allen Iverson

"It was funny because it was me and French Montana in the club, and Allen Iverson pointed, and I thought he pointed at me. So I'm doing all this sh*t, and they walk up to me. He walked to French. So, I played it off like, 'Damn, I thought you were talking to me.' Then he turns around, like, 'Man, bro, I f*ck with you.' I'm like, 'Oh...' So that was one of the moments, with me and Allen Iverson."

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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