Lil Durk

Lil Durk
Lil Durk in 2022
Lil Durk in 2022
Background information
Birth nameDurk Derrick Banks
Also known as
  • The Voice
  • Smurk
  • Durkio
  • Smurkio
  • Vulture
Born (1992-10-19) October 19, 1992 (age 31)[1]
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[2]
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
DiscographyLil Durk discography
Years active2010–present
Labels
Member ofOnly the Family
Partner(s)India Royale (2017–present; engaged)
Children7
Websitelildurk.com

Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.[5] He is considered one of the pioneers[6] and a preeminent artist of the drill genre.[7] He initially garnered a local following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), whose success 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 artist in 2018.

Following the independent release of his Just Cause Y'all Waited mixtape in March 2018, Durk signed with Alamo Records in July of that year.[8] In April 2020, Durk made his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist with his single "Viral Moment." He gained further chart success throughout that year with his singles "3 Headed Goat" (featuring Polo G and Lil Baby), "Backdoor," and "The Voice"; his features on Drake's "Laugh Now Cry Later" and Pooh Shiesty's "Back in Blood", and closed the year with his sixth album, The Voice (2020). The following year, his collaborative album with Georgia rapper Lil Baby, The Voice of the Heroes (2021) became his first to debut atop the Billboard 200. His seventh album, 7220 (2022) became his second to do so, while his eighth album, Almost Healed (2023) was led by the single "All My Life" (featuring J. Cole), which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, won a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, and remains his most commercially successful release.

Durk founded the Chicago-based collective and record label Only the Family (OTF) in 2010, for which he serves as the lead member. The group, having released six albums, included slain rapper King Von.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Lil Durk – Universal Music France".
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Lil Durk Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Weinstein, Mark (August 4, 2016). "Lil Durk Says He Was Waiting for French Montana to Promote 'Lil Durk 2X' Album – XXL". XXL Mag.
  5. ^ "Rapper Lil Durk Charged Again With Gun Violation". CBS Chicago. June 5, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ Saponara, Michael (July 27, 2018). "Lil Durk Signs With Alamo Records: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  9. ^ "Lil Durk's Loyal Fans Get OTF Tattoos". KollegeKidd. April 28, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  10. ^ 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.