Lil Durk

Lil Durk
Lil Durk in 2022
Lil Durk in 2022
Background information
Birth nameDurk Devontay Banks
Also known as
  • The Voice
  • Smurk
  • Durkio
  • Vulture
  • Mustafa Abdul Malak
[1]
Born (1992-10-19) October 19, 1992 (age 32)[2]
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[3]
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
DiscographyLil Durk discography
Years active2010–present
Labels
Member ofOnly the Family
Partner(s)India Royale (2017–present; engaged)
Children7

Durk Devontay Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper.[6] Regarded as a preeminent artist in the Chicago-based hip hop subgenre drill music, Banks has been cited as one of its pioneers.[7][8] He initially garnered local success with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to him to sign with Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015), and its follow-up, Lil Durk 2X (2016), to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the rapper in 2018.

Following the independent release of his Just Cause Y'all Waited mixtape in March 2018, Banks signed with Alamo Records in July of that year.[9] His 2020 single, "Viral Moment", marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist and foresaw his commercial breakthrough that same year with the singles "3 Headed Goat" (featuring Polo G and Lil Baby), "Backdoor," and "The Voice", as well as his guest appearances on Drake's "Laugh Now Cry Later" and Pooh Shiesty's "Back in Blood". He closed the year with his sixth album, The Voice (2020), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Released the following year, his collaborative album with rapper Lil Baby, The Voice of the Heroes (2021), became his first to debut atop the chart. His seventh album, 7220 (2022) became his second to do so, while his eighth album, Almost Healed (2023), peaked at number three and was led by the single "All My Life" (featuring J. Cole), which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, yielding his furthest commercial success.

Banks is a four-time Grammy Award nominee. He founded the Chicago-based collective and record label Only the Family (OTF) in 2010, which included late rapper King Von.[10][11] In October 2024, Banks was arrested by federal authorities on a conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire charge.[12]

  1. ^ "Lil Durk New Muslim Name". Instagram.
  2. ^ "Lil Durk – Universal Music France".
  3. ^ Lil Durk Takes Complex on a Tour of Englewood on Chicago's South Side | The Neighborhood On Complex. Complex. March 14, 2016. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2023 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Lil Durk Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Weinstein, Mark (August 4, 2016). "Lil Durk Says He Was Waiting for French Montana to Promote 'Lil Durk 2X' Album – XXL". XXL Mag.
  6. ^ "Rapper Lil Durk Charged Again With Gun Violation". CBS Chicago. June 5, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  7. ^ Dylan Green, May 26, 2023 "Lil Durk: Almost Healed Album Review", Pitchfork, As a member of drill’s first wave in Chicago in the early 2010s, Durk’s music has always been rife with amped-up tales... The drill rapper’s mainstream takeover continues with an engaging, guest-heavy, but otherwise run-of-the-mill album.
  8. ^ Mosi Reeves, May 26, 2023 "Lil Durk Balances Chiraq Realism and Global Pop Ambition on ‘Almost Healed’", Rolling Stone, The drill superstar's latest is an occasionally thrilling mix of contradictions... He’s arguably the most commercially viable proponent of drill music... But it’s not too long before Almost Healed swerves into an incessant stream of goon antics, drill threats
  9. ^ Saponara, Michael (July 27, 2018). "Lil Durk Signs With Alamo Records: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  10. ^ "Lil Durk's Loyal Fans Get OTF Tattoos". KollegeKidd. April 28, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  11. ^ Weinstein, Max (February 29, 2016). "Lil Durk Confirms He's Still On Def Jam After Leaked Song Contains Shots at Label". XXL. Townsquare Media. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  12. ^ Stamps, Brayden (October 25, 2024). "Rapper Lil Durk arrested on murder-for-hire charges; affiliates of his rap group also charged". WGHP. Retrieved October 25, 2024.