Lil Durk Calls Juice WRLD An "Icon," Shares Why He Quit Taking Percocets

BY Erika Marie 11.6K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Paras Griffin / Stringer / Getty Images
Lil Durk
When he first heard of Juice WRLD's death, he thought the news was fake.

Young artists are vowing to give up drugs left and right following the untimely death of Juice WRLD. While the rapper's cause of death is still listed as "inconclusive" pending toxicology reports, there have been rumors that Juice WRLD may have ingested a number of pills just prior to his death. On Thursday, his mother came forward to speak candidly about her son's drug dependency, and she hopes that others take control of their addictions before it's too late.

Juice WRLD's fellow Chicago rapper Lil Durk spoke with Complex about the passing of his friend. He said like many others, he found out about Juice WRLD's death on Instagram. "We woke up to it," he said, adding that his initial reaction was to feel "salty." He said, "We went through the same situation with Fredo [Santana, who died after having a seizure]. I thought it was fake though, the first time that I seen it. You know how Instagram be. That's the type of sh*t that they wanna see. 'Oh, he died from drugs.'"

Durkio added, "He was a real icon. Like, he wasn't like a regular artist. He was a real icon." The rapper said that he'd quit taking Percocets a while back because he felt as if he was "taking 'em too much." Even as artists speak openly about giving up their addictions, Durk said people are still going to do what they want. He admitted he took drugs to deal with pain as he was "going through street situations," especially when he "first started going to jail." 

As far as his case is concerned, it's still ongoing as Durk is out on bail. When asked if fans showed be concerned, the rapper just said he's got new music on the way and "I'm gon' always be me." Check out his full interview below.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.