Credit: Lil Durk

Lil Durk seems pessimistic about the future of hip-hop as he shares his views on the current musical landscape. He doesn’t seem pleased with the way the genre is going and wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts on the situation.

Lil Durk was quickly spotted by the iconic Def Jam Records when he first started gaining a local following in the Chicago scene. After the release of his debut album Remember My Name on the label, it’s all been building since then. Now, he’s one of the most prominent voices in the drill music scene, is the proud owner of a Grammy award, and is one of the vital founding forces of the Chicago-based collective and record label Only the Family.

Durk’s comment on the state of music was short but savage. “Hip hop ain’t what it used to be,” he wrote on social media.

However, in reponse, a lot of voices have chimed up calling Durk the problem. Plenty of fans have hit back claiming that he’s part of the poison that is impacting the genre at the moment.

In particular, they cited his upcoming release with Drake. As a follow-up to their 2020 collaboration, ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later,’ the duo has been teasing a new track. However, amidst Drake’s beef with Kendrick Lamar, Durk’s clear side-picking has been questioned.

But even more so than that, their marketing strategy for the song has been majorly critiqued. Drake has recently been using various streamers to tease his songs. However, for this new one, the track ‘Discontinuing Wockhardt’ was previewed by Adin Ross, who is a white, pro-Trump streamer.

To some, this stepping into murky and questionable political waters for the sake of promotion is part of the problem with hip hop, making that clear to Durk after his statement.

People have also critiqued the lyrics of the song for seemingly glorifying or humourising addiction. “Discontinuing Wockhardt/ What seal do I pop now?/ What seal do I pop now?/ What seal do I pop now?/ You know that the Act’ gone, I can’t get no Wock now,” Durk raps on the track. The reference to Wockhardt is in connection to the pharmaceutical giant, which manufactures codeine, which is mixed with Sprite to create Lean, a recreational drug which can be fatal when taken with alcohol and other drugs.

However, Durk has been open in the past about his addiction issues and experiences in rehab. “It helped me a lot. I want people to not run from it or be shy from it. It was tough at first, but it ain’t that tough ’cause I really knew what I wanted. I knew what was holding me back,” he told TMZ. “I wanted better. I wanted to be a better man, a better father, a better leader. I’m thinking clearer. My main goal is peace, being with the family and staying out of bullshit.”

So even though Lil Durk is hitting out at the current musical landscape, plenty of voices rose to remind him that he’s part of it