Chicago rapper Lil Durk has taken to calling himself “The Voice” of his hometown, and it looks like he’s taking that self-declared position seriously. He recently met with Chicago’s new mayor Brandon Johnson in an effort to address the city’s violent reputation. Earlier this week, some behind-the-scenes footage surfaced online, prompting Durk to take the defensive against fans who cynically called the meet-up part of his album rollout.
Lil Durk sits down with Chicago’s mayor-elect Brandon Johnson to discuss Durk’s Neighborhood Hero Foundation pic.twitter.com/pGxc4WtLnt
— The Chicago Wave (@TheChicagoWave) May 8, 2023
In the comments of a DJ Akademiks post featuring the footage, he wrote, “It ain’t album promo it’s saving kids’ [lives].”
.@lildurk sits down with Chicago’s new mayor to help “save” kids’ liveshttps://t.co/52WCdDsvQr pic.twitter.com/DvJVmvDa0t
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) May 9, 2023
Durk’s certainly been putting his money where his mouth is. In April, he donated over a quarter of a million dollars to HBCU scholarships, while late last year, he vowed to stop name-dropping slain enemies in his music. Even the music itself might be taking a more positive edge; Durk teased one of the new songs from the album, which features J. Cole, with the help of a large cadre of teens.
Lil Durk will rap about shooting somebody so much they twitch every 30 minutes and then go be a fake activist with the mayor
— Depressed Cowboys Fan (@ChickenColeman) May 8, 2023
Stop saying my name on all negativity I’m smarter then that post what we doing for these kids – the voice
— THE VOICE (@lildurk) May 8, 2023
While some skeptics could certainly view Durk’s uplifting turn as more of a shrewd business move than a newfound life philosophy, it at least looks like he wants to continue making a difference in the streets of the Windy City.