Lil Durk is a somewhat controversial figure when it comes to his opinions. In 2019 the Chicago rapper (real name Durk Banks) shared a dubious list of his top 50 rappers, which sent the culture into a frenzy. However, it didn’t impede his growth as an artist, and his popularity is still increasing. The emcee first gained notoriety in the early-2010s, and ever since, his cult following has continued to grow.
As a new-generation emcee, Banks has worked with a number of artists. However, there is one legend he never got to work with who he considers a legend. Taking to X/Twitter last year, Durk sent a tweet to his 6.2million followers, singing the praises of his late Chicago counterpart Juice Wrld. Addressing the ‘Lucid Dreams’ lyricist, Banks wrote, “I wish juice world was still alive cause the music watered down now his talent showed he ain’t need a gimmick.”
Following Juice Wrld’s death in 2019 after an accidental overdose of drugs, in an interview with Montreality, Durk compared the musician (real name Jarad Higgins) to another Chicago act, unveiling, “[I] rock with him 1000! He was like an icon. Not just saying it because [he died], but he had an advantage to be like the next — coming out of Chicago — like the next Kanye type shit. Because he was smart.”
Recalling the times he saw Higgins in the studio, Banks continued, “[He was] going in that muthafucka freestyling! You know how you go in the studio with somebody, and he going crazy? Even your team be like, ‘Aw shit, you gotta go crazy!’ They putting pressure on me and shit. I’m like, ‘Hold on.’ I damn near forgot who the fuck I was for a minute. But we got some music in and some vibes. He was way ahead of his time!”
Earlier this year, Grade A Productions label executive Lil Bibby unveiled that the final posthumous Juice Wrld project was in the works. Taking to social media, the mogul wrote, “The Last Juice WRLD Album is in the works. Let’s celebrate the life of Juice. No more mourning. I want everyone that Juice loved while he was here to help celebrate, especially his fans who he loved!”
Since he died in 2019, two posthumous Juice Wrld albums have been released. 2020’s Legends Never Die, and 2021’s Fighting Demons. The former debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. You can listen to Fighting Demons below.