On June 2, Lil Durk will have a reason to smile: The 22 year-old rapper will release his debut album, Remember My Name under Def Jam. 

The release of his new album will circumvent all the pain that he has been dealing with these past couple of months. Back in March, Durk's manager, Chino, was shot and killed in Chicago. Then, last month, his Coke Boy brother, Chinx, was also shot and killed in a drive-by in Queens, New York. Instead of being entangled in a web of pain, Durk has learned to harness himself in a ball of optimism. Despite all of the hindrances in front of him, Durk isn't ready to slow down. Even after being embroiled in a verbal skirmish with Chief Keef, he managed to oust all of the negativity and make peace with his Chicago comrade. 

With a bevy of co-signs from the likes of Meek Mill, French Montana, and more, the former XXL Freshman is ready to embark on his journey to stardom. His penchant for autotune and crafting poignant hooks has earned him massive respect in the rap community. From "Dis Ain't What You Want" to even his newest record "Tryna, Tryna," Durk's ability to feed his fans is something to marvel at. 

He sat down with Myspace and spoke on his new album Remember My Name, why this album is important to Chicago, how he's managed to deal with the loss of Chinx and Chino, his respect for Dej Loaf, and the best athletes to come out of Chicago.  

How excited are you about your debut album Remember My Name coming out? 

Lil Durk: Man, I'm super geeked. I'm charged up, you feel me? [Laughs] It's such a good feeling to finally drop.

I know you just recently dropped the new joint with Logic called "Tryna, Tryna." What made you decide to collaborate with him on the record? 

LD: It was something different. He has such a big fanbase. He's a different artist. You want to give people something that they wouldn't expect, you know what I'm sayin'? They ain't expect that. 

If you had to pick you top three favorite tracks on the album, which ones would you choose and why?

LD: "Tell You What You're Life Like" cuz that track just defines the struggle with what happened and what went on. "Remember My Name" of course, because that's the name of the album. I'm saying it's gonna give people a preview of what they can expect when they listen to the album. [And finally] "Higher" because it's a feel good record. Ain't no limits to what you can do. Those are my favorite three. 

With you being a Chicago man, how important is the release of this album to your hometown? 

LD: Real important. I'm trying to bring a different energy to Chicago on a positive side instead of all the B.S. that we went through. It's gonna be very important for Chicago. 

I know fans were excited when you and Chief Keef managed to squash everything and link back up. How did you guys manage to talk everything out and work together on your new album?

LD: Well, just politicking, bro. We just said what we had to say on the phone. We're working on a new project too. So look out for that. 

Let's switch things up and keep things super Chicago. If you had to pick your five favorite Chicago albums, which ones would you choose? 

LD: Kanye, Yeezus. 

Why Yeezus?

LD: It was different. He put a mixture of different sounds together. I liked that. I respect him for being creative. Of course, Chief Keef, Finally Rich. It was in the same era of time as me, so I can relate to it. Definitely the whole city was rocking with it. Everyone in Chicago was rocking with that. Definitely that. That's two. 

You can throw in your own tapes if you want, too.  

LD: Ah, I was gonna say. [Laughs] Of course mine, Remember My Name because a lot of people ain't expect me to put out an album. 

You have two more, if you can try. It can be mixtapes. 

LD: Oh you didn't say that. [Laughs] Bump J's mixtape. 

Which one?

LD: Man, all of them motherfuckers. [Laughs] I'm gonna say Chicagorilla because before all of us, he was talking that savage sh-t. So he definitely in that top five. And I'm gonna say my man [Lil] Herb with Welcome to Fazoland because it was the same era of time. He was talking that real sh-t that motnerf-ckers relate to. Of course you know that. 

That's a tough list, man. Switching topics, I know it's been a rough time for you in regards to losing your manager Chino. How have you managed to stay strong and positive?

LD: It's a team sport, you know what I'm sayin'? I'm just gonna keep going cuz I know that's what he wanted. I gotta be positive and don't let anything throw me off. So by them doing that, it definitely hurt bad, but at the same time, I just gotta keep going because if I stop, that's what people want, you know what I'm sayin'? I can't give people that. So my support system definitely there. 

I hear that, especially with you being a fellow Coke Boy and you just recently lost Chinx. 

LD: Yeah, rest in peace Chinx. 

How has his untimely passing affected you?

LD: Man, it's just the same with all the others, you know what I'm sayin'? It's crazy. I came out to New York and he was like, "Man, be cool." Because of him, now when I come out here, I know how to handle things. We just keep losing people. It'll throw you off, but you just gotta keep strong, and just keep going.

On a lighter note, you definitely have a thing for autotune and use it pretty well. Is that something that you plan on continuing using throughout your career, or at some point do you feel that you'll let it go?

LD: Man, I'm gonna do both. I just wanna give the fans what they want and I'm gonna do what I'm comfortable with. So I'm gonna do both, basically. I ain't gonna let it go though. [Laughs]

What inspired you to even consider using autotune in the first place?

LD: Playing with the melodies before you even record. You just have the autotune on and you just playing with the melodies and after awhile I was like, 'Yeah, I f-ck with it.'

Let me find out you might just go R&B with it and do an R&B mixtape with the autotune one day. 

LD: Ah, nah. [Laughs] That's going a little too far left for me. [Laughs]

I know you and Dej Loaf have a tight knit relationship. Talk about her as an artist and what you appreciate about her skill-set. 

LD: I love just her grind, bro. It's something different and she's humble. You can tell when everybody is on her, she still be pushing them back like, 'Nah, I'm gonna wait.' She's humble. That's what I definitely like about her and she works hard. Dej is always working 24/7. Every time I call her or FaceTime her, she's in the studio. 

Maybe you guys can do a mixtape together on some Jay and Bey type of thing. That would be dope.

LD: Hey, you never know. [Laughs]

I remember talking to Freddie Gibbs and he said the best basketball player to come out of Chicago was Iman Shumpert. Who would you say in your personal opinion is the best to come out of your city?

LD: From Chicago? Damn, I got two. I'm gonna say [Derrick] Rose and Jabari Parker. I've seen them through high school and street ball and all that. I know what they're capable of. Rose showed you he's here. Jabari, he got hurt, but we know what he can do. 

My man Dwyane Wade might feel some type of way about that. 

LD: Man, everybody got their own opinion. [Laughs]

For somebody who's never been to a Lil Durk show, like myself, how would you describe your performance game in one word?

LD: Turnt-up. 

Why?

LD: Cuz I like to entertain the crowd, bro. I like to start off rapping even though I'm nervous, I'm hyped. Sometimes, I'll jump into the crowd and take pictures with the fans. Depending on how the fans act, I might bring them onstage. I'm the type to have fun and put on a really good-ass show.

Before I let you go, with your debut album Remember My Name set to be in stores June 2, how would you describe the album in one word? 

LD: Real. 

Why real? 

LD: Because I'm talking everything that's going on with us in this era of time. I'm talking about the future and the past and what everybody is going through. This one is for Chicago and I definitely want to keep it real with everything that I do.