Album: Deep Thoughts by Lil Durk (2025)
Format: Album

Artist Background: Durk Banks (born October 19, 1992), better known by his stage name Lil Durk, is an American hip hop recording artist and singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is the leader of his own collective, OTF (abbreviated for "Only the Family"), and is also signed to Def Jam Recordings. Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: 2020s, Album


The original 2018 Just Cause Y’all Waited mixtape was a way for Lil Durk to stay in touch with his fanbase while between label deals, but the stakes for the sequel are just a bit higher. “It was just an idea we came up with to see how can we get past this quarantine situation with everyone needing to stay in the house,” he says. The MC is continuously working on music and continues to record during the nationwide quarantine, but needed fans to know he hadn’t forgotten about them, even as he works towards another higher-profile release. “Me and Metro Boomin supposed to be doing a joint album called No Auto, but with the quarantine going on, it kind of slowed everything down,” Durk says. “So I was just being creative and felt like, while y'all waiting on me and Metro, let’s feed ’em this.” Below, the prolific Chicago MC talks us through Just Cause Y'all Waited 2 track by track, going deep on what we get for our patience. 
Different Meaning
“If I'm in a relatable mode, I'll make all music to relate to the trenches, or to the streets, or just to the world. Whatever people are going through. This is not necessarily about somebody, it's just more relating and putting my thoughts together: what I've been through or somebody around me been through.” 
Street Affection
“I was just in a mode where it’s like, people will be lying saying they your brothers and you put people that you just met before your [actual] brothers. As soon as you meet some people, they say, ‘I love you.’ It just be fake. Some people just use the word. ‘Love’ is a strong word.” 
3 Headed Goat (feat. Lil Baby & Polo G)
“Me and Lil Baby was in a studio and we did not finish the song. So I had the song on my hard drive. And then my hard drive crashed. I didn't have no sessions, only had [what I had recorded on my] phone and a little bit of the beat left playing. And then I just decided Polo G going crazy right now, I got to put Polo on there.” 
All Love
“‘All love’, that's how we brush s**t off in Chicago. When somebody do something fake and they try to explain themself, you be like, 'It's all love.' What I got in my mind is, 'I ain't ever f**king with you no more.' It's like a nice way to dismiss somebody. It's really two ways: Somebody played you and you got love for them, you just tell them, 'Bet. It's cool. It's all love. We gon' get through it.' Or 'It's all love [meaning] I ain't f**king with you.'” 
Gucci Gucci (feat. Gunna)
“I like Gucci, I like Rhude, I like different clothing lines, but it's like, if you an artist, you let the music talk to you. As soon as the beat came on, all I heard was 'Gucci'. So it ain't directly saying that [Gucci is] my favourite. It's just what I had on at the time.” 
Viral Moment
"I know some real ones that would lose it all for a viral moment. You would probably betray your friend just to go viral. You would probably do something goofy that's not in your character just to go viral. You would probably tell, just to go viral. You would probably expose a girl or just do anything just to go viral.” 
248
“I got the title from how long the song is. I was really just putting bars together and just riding the beat. Just feeling it. Whatever came to my head, honestly.” 
Triflin Hoes
“Me and my brother Chief Wuk, we was in the studio. He was telling me, ‘Oh man, this female playing with me.’ She calling his phone private, telling him, ‘Woo woo woo…’ And a couple of the guys had hit her already. So instead of him being like, ‘I'm finna go on Instagram and put her on blast,’ I just made a song out of that.” 
Internet Sensation
“You know how you have people look at people’s relationships and be like, ‘Oh, I want to be him,’ or ‘Well, look what she doing, look what he doing,’ and I'm just saying, 'Stick to it. Don't let the internet break it up.' So it’s just like a fun song, and it's for the females and anybody who’s open in their relationship on the internet.” 
Street Prayer
“We was in the studio having a conversation about Muslims, Christians, Jews, and it's like, everybody makes it a big deal like, 'Oh, he's Muslim, he can't hang with no Christian.' It's so crazy, because people say stuff like that. I just put my creativity with it [to say] the streets need a prayer. The kids need a prayer who are out here dying. People who locked up, they need prayers. No matter what your religion is. Everybody needs a prayer.” 
Chiraq Demons (feat. G Herbo)
“I don't know what their 'demon time' is, or 'demon talk', I just know ours is, like, them old Chicago evil ways. Them days where we were just so turnt up. Not even the violence, just having fun and being able to be outside without being shot at. Metro Boomin had just left the studio and I was in 'no Auto-Tune mode', so Herb was like, 'Let's do something like that,' and we just rocked it.” 
Doin Too Much
“[This is for] the doubters. The haters. Everybody's saying, 'You ain't going to go as far. You ain't going to do this. You ain't going to achieve.' I grew up, look at me now. Basically like I'm s**tting on them.” 
Broke Up in Miami
“This is about me and India [Durk’s long-time partner]. She's in Miami with her friends—it’s so petty—she called me twice, I ain't answer. And I called her back and literally 10 minutes later, 'Why you ain't answer the phone!?' That’s why I said we broke up for 'five minutes'. Just another mood. When I was making the song, we already were cool.” 
Turn Myself In
“I made this song a day before I turned myself in on my recent case. I wanted to let the world hear me and let them see what type of time I'm on before I go in. We got past it so we on a new vibe, but that song just means a lot.” 
Fabricated
"When we do do good things, the media don't cover it. You gotta let it be known. And it ain’t just for the kids. I want doctors, I want judges, I want lawyers—different people to look at me like [in a positive light]. I want to be able to come to a doctor's house and have a conversation with them, or a lawyer house and have a conversation. I don't want to never be stuck on one level where it's like I can't talk to them or relate to them.”

Album: Almost Healed by Lil Durk (2023)
Genre: Rap
Format: Album

Description: Pain and tragedy have defined so much of Lil Durk’s life and, by natural extension, his music. The devastating losses he’s experienced since rising to hip-hop stardom from Chicago’s once nascent drill scene compound one another, to the point where even something as common as rap beef takes on a more ominous tone. With Almost Healed, he memorialises the deaths of his brother DThang and friend King Von with therapeutic catharsis on his mind. After the introductory framing device by no less than Alicia Keys, the revelations and anecdotes behind “Pelle Coat” and “Never Again” contribute to what hopefully amounts to a healthy path through grief. 

With high-profile guests like Kodak Black and Morgan Wallen in the mix, the universality of life’s trials and tribulations becomes clearer. When 21 Savage comes through for “War Bout It”, the lure of violence becomes more prominent. Similarly, seasoned hitmakers J. Cole and Future bring big energy to “All My Life” and “Never Imagined”, respectively, without departing too radically from the surrounding themes. Yet Durk doesn’t dwell entirely on morbid subjects, addressing the comparatively lighter cruelty of a bad romance on “Dru Hill” and “Sad Songs”.

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Rap, 2020s, Album

Pain and tragedy have defined so much of Lil Durk’s life and, by natural extension, his music. The devastating losses he’s experienced since rising to hip-hop stardom from Chicago’s once nascent drill scene compound one another, to the point where even something as common as rap beef takes on a more ominous tone. With Almost Healed, he memorialises the deaths of his brother DThang and friend King Von with therapeutic catharsis on his mind. After the introductory framing device by no less than Alicia Keys, the revelations and anecdotes behind “Pelle Coat” and “Never Again” contribute to what hopefully amounts to a healthy path through grief. 

With high-profile guests like Kodak Black and Morgan Wallen in the mix, the universality of life’s trials and tribulations becomes clearer. When 21 Savage comes through for “War Bout It”, the lure of violence becomes more prominent. Similarly, seasoned hitmakers J. Cole and Future bring big energy to “All My Life” and “Never Imagined”, respectively, without departing too radically from the surrounding themes. Yet Durk doesn’t dwell entirely on morbid subjects, addressing the comparatively lighter cruelty of a bad romance on “Dru Hill” and “Sad Songs”.

Album: Durk 2X by Lil Durk (2016)
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Format: Album

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Hip-Hop/Rap, 2010s, Album


Album: Remember My Name by Lil Durk (2015)
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Record Label: Def Jam Recordings
Format: Album

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Hip-Hop/Rap, 2010s, Album, Def Jam Recordings


Album: They Forgot by Lil Durk (2017)
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Record Label: Alamo
Format: Album

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Hip-Hop/Rap, 2010s, Album, Alamo


Album: 7220 by Lil Durk (2022)
Genre: Alternative Hip-Hop
Record Label: Alamo
Format: Album

Description: What better vessel for Lil Durk’s most personal raps to date than an album named for the address of his beloved grandmother’s home? “7220, that’s where I went through it,” Durk says on the album’s “Headtaps”. “Like my first life experience, know what I mean.” He then goes on to rap about the time he wished he could watch cartoons with his children when he was locked up and how news of a cousin’s passing once sent him into a state of disbelief. Durk has seen more than his fair share of loss over the course of his young life, and 7220 is peppered with references to the many friends and family members he’s already outlived. 

Music-making has functioned as therapy for nearly every MC who’s ever picked up a mic, but you can’t help but feel for Durk listening to him talk about a real-life home invasion he suffered on “Shootout @ My Crib”, remind listeners that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone on “Love Dior Banks” or live out a revenge fantasy for friend and collaborator King Von on “AHHH HA”. Guests on 7220 include stars like Future, Gunna, Summer Walker and, most peculiarly, country singer Morgen Wallen, who more than anything else serve as emblems of how far the MC has come since his childhood address.

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Alternative Hip-Hop, 2020s, Album, Alamo

What better vessel for Lil Durk’s most personal raps to date than an album named for the address of his beloved grandmother’s home? “7220, that’s where I went through it,” Durk says on the album’s “Headtaps”. “Like my first life experience, know what I mean.” He then goes on to rap about the time he wished he could watch cartoons with his children when he was locked up and how news of a cousin’s passing once sent him into a state of disbelief. Durk has seen more than his fair share of loss over the course of his young life, and 7220 is peppered with references to the many friends and family members he’s already outlived. 

Music-making has functioned as therapy for nearly every MC who’s ever picked up a mic, but you can’t help but feel for Durk listening to him talk about a real-life home invasion he suffered on “Shootout @ My Crib”, remind listeners that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone on “Love Dior Banks” or live out a revenge fantasy for friend and collaborator King Von on “AHHH HA”. Guests on 7220 include stars like Future, Gunna, Summer Walker and, most peculiarly, country singer Morgen Wallen, who more than anything else serve as emblems of how far the MC has come since his childhood address.

Album: Signed to the Streets by Lil Durk (2013)
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Record Label: Only The Family Entertainment
Format: Album

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Hip-Hop/Rap, 2010s, Album, Only The Family Entertainment


Album: The Voice by Lil Durk (2020)
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Record Label: Alamo
Format: Album

Description: December 2020’s The Voice should have been a moment for Lil Durk. The album marked a tipping point for the once under-heralded Chicago MC, Durk finally getting his due after years of toiling in the margins and, of course, that “Laugh Now Cry Later” guest appearance. But the milestone was marred by the murder of close friend and OTF labelmate King Von. Five weeks after the release of the original, Durk delivered The Voice (Deluxe), a project that serves as both a tribute to his fallen comrade and a do-over for that arrival moment. 
With the addition of 12 new songs (and a handful of music videos), The Voice (Deluxe) includes an entire album’s worth of new material. In step with any Durk project, it’s packed with quotables that could only have come from an artist like Durkio, someone who keeps it realer than most in the instances of courtship (“Every Freakin Day”: “Told her I can’t lack, but I’ll do it all for the pussy”), street life (“Switched Up”: “All my n***as went to jail, I had to fuck with different n***as”) or mental health (there’s a song called “Kanye Krazy”). Guests on the new set of songs include Lil Baby, Chicago singer Sydny August and rising Memphis talent and increasingly frequent Durk collaborator Pooh Shiesty.

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Hip-Hop/Rap, 2020s, Album, Alamo

December 2020’s The Voice should have been a moment for Lil Durk. The album marked a tipping point for the once under-heralded Chicago MC, Durk finally getting his due after years of toiling in the margins and, of course, that “Laugh Now Cry Later” guest appearance. But the milestone was marred by the murder of close friend and OTF labelmate King Von. Five weeks after the release of the original, Durk delivered The Voice (Deluxe), a project that serves as both a tribute to his fallen comrade and a do-over for that arrival moment. 
With the addition of 12 new songs (and a handful of music videos), The Voice (Deluxe) includes an entire album’s worth of new material. In step with any Durk project, it’s packed with quotables that could only have come from an artist like Durkio, someone who keeps it realer than most in the instances of courtship (“Every Freakin Day”: “Told her I can’t lack, but I’ll do it all for the pussy”), street life (“Switched Up”: “All my n***as went to jail, I had to fuck with different n***as”) or mental health (there’s a song called “Kanye Krazy”). Guests on the new set of songs include Lil Baby, Chicago singer Sydny August and rising Memphis talent and increasingly frequent Durk collaborator Pooh Shiesty.

Album: I'm Still a Hitta by Lil Durk (2012)
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Record Label: Only The Family Entertainment
Format: Album

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Hip-Hop/Rap, 2010s, Album, Only The Family Entertainment


Album: Love Songs For The Streets by Lil Durk (2017)
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Format: Album

Related Artists: G Herbo, Lil Baby

Music Scene: Part of the Chicago, Illinois music scene. Emerged in the 1990s era. Associated with Alternative Hip-Hop movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Hip-Hop/Rap, 2010s, Album


Lil Durk

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