Rapper Lil Durk recently appeared on “The Beat with Ari Melber,” and he reacted to clips of twice-impeached former president Donald Trump speaking about violence in the 31-year-old’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
Melber played a clip of Trump giving a speech in The White House’s Roosevelt Room back in 2017 where he said the violence in Chicago was worse than in the Middle East.
“What the hell is going on in Chicago?” said Trump. “I said the other day what the hell is going on? What the hell is happening there?”
Durk was also reacting to clips of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) talking about the crime rates in Chicago and blaming the Democrats despite Republican states having higher murder rates. There was also a FOX 32 Chicago anchor who read a report that stated Chicago gang members outnumber the city’s police department.
The “All My Life” artist told Melber that there is violence everywhere, not just in Chicago.
“I really don’t pay it no mind because it’s violence everywhere,” Durk said at the 24:50 mark of the Nov. 17 interview. “You can get self-defense everywhere, you can kill anywhere, you can stab anywhere, you can choke anywhere, you can kidnap anywhere.”
The rapper — whose birth name is Durk Derrick Banks — added that every big city has its moment of being the city with the most crime.
“Every city has their moment of the rates. Every city has their rates. If you look up the murder rate right now, I bet you ain’t Chicago, probably,” said Banks as Melber added that other cities have a higher per-capita murder rate.
Chicago is one of the top 20 cities with the highest violent crime rate in the United States. The state is ranked number 10 among 20 U.S. cities with highest murders per capita in 2023.
“That’s what I’m saying, so now the story transpired to that city,” he continued. “So, that’s why I never really comment on it ‘cuz, every city has it’s day.”
Durk has openly spoken, in his music and interviews, of losing loved ones to gun violence. He told The Los Angeles Times that he sought therapy to cope with the loss of his friend, rapper King Von, who was shot to death in November 2020, and his big brother, Dontay Banks Jr., who was murdered several months later.
His most recent album, “Almost Healed,” which dropped in May, features collaborator R&B singer Alicia Keys referencing his tragedies.
“On a microphone, I’m just having fun, rapping about whatever I’m going through. In therapy, I’m going into the details of why, or when, or how,” he said.
“I listen to my fans,” he said about fans telling him they were affected by his music. “Like, they could tell me they happy, they sad, they can tell me something made them angry, I always listen to them because they keep me, they keep me grounded.”
The “What Happened to Virgil” artist also discussed his charity foundation, Neighborhood Heroes, which specializes in programs focused on young people in the community. Durk said it was different being “up close and personal” with the kids.
“It’s different when you doing non-profit like the Neighborhood Heroes and you in one of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago giving out turkeys or bookbags or showing them how to open up bank accounts to save money.”
Durk’s Foundation is currently preparing to support 2,000 families on the South and West sides of Chicago with hot and ready meals from Boston Market on Thanksgiving Day.
