Lil Durk’s “Pelle Coat” Lyrics Meaning
“Pelle Coat” was released through Alamo Records and Only the Family on 24 May 2023, just a couple of days prior to the issuance of Lil Durk’s “Almost Healed”, the album it is featured on. Apparently “Pelle Coat”, along with another song from the LP, “Therapy Session”, are collectively serving as the second single to the album since Lil Durk dropped a joint video of the tracks, as directed by Steve Cannon.
And to note, “Therapy Session”, which co-stars Alicia Keys, is the skit that sets off “Almost Healed”, with “Pelle Coat” being the track that follows it.
The Verifiable Street Life of Lil Durk
Lil Durk is known in hip-hop circles as a true-to-life gangsta. That is to say that it has been verified that he grew up on the merciless streets of Chicago, and many people close to him, including the likes of King Von and Durk’s brother, DThang, have been murdered in recent years. Furthermore, Durk is reputed to run with a formidable Chi-town street gang known as the Black Disciples.
The Lyrics of “Pelle Coat”
Meanwhile, the lyrics of this song obviously speak to his real life, as made evident by a number of references to various people known especially to Lil Durk’s fandom.
So when you combine those two factors, the vocalist actually being engaged in that life, coupled with these lyrics being factual, what you get is a song like “Pelle Coat” with a lot of innuendos and indirect lingo.
Or put otherwise, the listener is more or less tasked with researching or being familiar with the various stories, i.e. aspects of Lil Durk’s personal history, that lie behind individual assertions and observations. Durk couldn’t get too specific because, as implied, doing so would be akin to incriminating himself. But there are some general themes that can be gathered from this piece.
And that would be the vocalist, while retaining his gangsta if you will, concurrently looking for some type of repentance. For example, the song concludes with a prayer that, if answered, will see Durk forgiven “for the sh*t that (he) did” and also being empowered to get closer to his children, as he apparently desires.
“Mornin’ time I get on my knees, I pray to Allah
Forgive me for the sh-t that I did
Let me get closer to my kids
Can you protect all my friends?”
What is being implied throughout is sorta like he didn’t choose the street life, but rather it chose him.
Indeed, even to this day Durk is keeping it real. But in context, that would also entail keeping certain secrets and what have you.
And in the process, the vocalist also addresses his critics. What he is telling them is that contrary to certain rumors circulating, he has remained dedicated to his homeys, such as monetarily supporting his incarcerated brethren or paying for the funerals of others who have been murdered.
In Conclusion
So conclusively, there are two types of listeners who are bound to appreciate “Pelle Coat”. One would be fans of hardcore street rap, not of the fantastical variety but that which is realistically relayed by someone who’s been there based on his real-life experiences.
Second would be the likes of those who are deep into hip-hop gossip, of which Lil Durk tends to regularly make headlines, due in large part to all of the death, violence and beef which has surrounded his life of late.
What is the meaning of “Pelle Coat” as used in the song?
It’s a type of winter coat that was or maybe still is fashionable in the ‘hood, meaning that it’s also pretty expensive. Durk mentions it in the first verse to harp back to 2010, when he used to wear one, but most of the song isn’t really set in the past like that.
