Lil Durk’s Mom Blames Herself For Rapper’s Legal Troubles & D-Thang’s Death

LaShawnda Woodard, Lil Durk’s mother, opened up about carrying the weight of guilt for her son’s death and his ongoing legal issues during a gut-wrenching appearance on “If You Knew Better with Amber Grimes.”

In a raw and honest conversation, Woodard revealed the depth of her self-blame.

“I feel like everything that has happened is my fault. I blame myself for everything that’s happening. I blame myself for my son getting killed and I blame myself for my son being locked up,” she said.

Woodard traced her guilt back to not following her mother’s advice about education and career building.

She explained that if she had listened to her mom’s guidance about finishing school and establishing a career to get her family out of the neighborhood, things would have been different.

“If I would have listened like I was supposed to, we would have been somewhere totally different. They would have been raised different, and I felt like everything would have been better,” she said.

The weight of her self-blame extends to how she shows up as a parent now.

“I try to show up the best I can. You know, now with different situations that’s going on, I try to blank out my pain and like be there for them and be strong for them.

“I know for a fact this popped up because if I would listen to my mom then on what to do and how to do it, how to move, how to go finish school, how to get your career going so that you can get out of the neighborhood that we living in, which is 7220,” she explained.

Despite her children’s repeated attempts to reassure her, Woodard struggles to accept their forgiveness.

Her oldest son, D-Thang, was known for his ambition and love of school. He graduated and accomplished his dreams before his death five years ago.

Yet Woodard still carries the guilt, unable to separate her failures from her children’s successes.

Woodard’s journey toward healing includes writing her book “7220,” which she completed in just two to three weeks.

The book allowed her to process her trauma, including surviving sexual assault as a young girl and an attempted rape at 17.

During the interview, host Amber Grimes challenged Woodard’s narrative of self-blame, pointing out that her children’s accomplishments,.D-Thang’s graduation, Lil Durk’s music career and dedication to his craft, are also her fault in the positive sense.

Woodard is working toward healing and community connection. She’s been speaking at high schools about her experiences with sexual assault, encouraging young women to speak up and seek help.

She’s also working on another book focused on parenting and accountability.