His independent approach on life is the result of his upbringing in the violent Englewood neighborhood and seeing his father get imprisoned for life. He spoke about the latter in great detail on “Street Life,” and the resulting pressure that was placed on him. Instead of buckling underneath the enormous weight, he kept on hustling to provide a way for himself and his family.
“People ain’t got no money in their pocket, what you going to do? Rob. So you just got yourself a case. Instead of going to Mcdonald’s to get a job because it would look bad. There is always a way to make money, people are choosing to be broke and gangbang. They say they can’t get a job, when they can work anywhere, they are afraid of what people will say about them,” Durk declared after being asked what he thought about the current condition in Chicago. An unexpected self-responsible answer, it exemplified the ethos that drives his life and influences his outlook. He doesn’t blame the government, but people’s pride as the reason for the lack of money in the neighborhood.
“Violence is crazy, everybody want their own name. I always want no violence, but people will be people. But we have to chill. Kids are dying out there. If everybody could come together, I know that will never happen, but that could do something. It ain’t never going to work, because it’s vibing on the feelings and emotions of the people.” Depressingly pragmatic, he democratically places the power in the hands of the populace in these violent areas. He acknowledges that he has work to do, to move kids away from the lifestyle he almost became victim to.
“A lot of kids look up to me, a lot don’t. But to kids that do look up to me [saying stay in school] can change a whole lot. Like look at Durk, he is doing this, he isn’t doing that. So let’s do this.” He realizes the power that he wields, and he wants to help those who may not have the opportunity that he does now.
“A lot of people took a chance on me, so I want to return the favor and take chances on some of these young producers,” Durk wisely said, as if he was already an age old sage. “If they ever do an interview they can be like, ‘Durk was the first person I worked with.’ I want to give them a chance because people gave me a chance man.”
Giving back is constantly present in his mind. If you are not returning to your hometown and attempting to help those around you, don’t expect Durk to be a big fan. When asked who he has been listening to, his response was telling. “Louie, LEP, I was f***ing with people that were out here with us. I f*** with Lupe. I didn’t mess with people that go big and then left. Kanye ain’t do anything for Chicago, so he isn’t on my favorite list. You see the violence going on and you can’t come back and build something. I don’t mess with that, you see the schools closings and you can’t make a community center. I mess with Meek Mill because he gives back to the kids, Young Chop too.” While his critique of Kanye is a little heavy handed, especially since ‘Ye is starting an after school program, it shows that community activism is priority number one.
