GET TO KNOW LIL DURK
The dangerous area in which he was born and raised had a negative influence on his family. His father was imprisoned for life on drug-related charges in 1994, and his family endured financial struggles during his upbringing. Many of his early releases were influenced by Chicago's street violence.
Childhood & Early Life :
Lil Durk was born in Chicago on October 19, 1992, to Dontay Banks Sr. and a nurse. His mother's name is unknown. Dontay Banks Jr, commonly known as D Thang, was a prominent rapper and Instagram star who appeared in some of Lil Durk's videos. D Thag was assassinated in June 2021.
He had to assume responsibilities at an early age because his father was imprisoned when he was only seven years old. In an interview with a magazine, Lil Durk said that there was never enough food in his family's home when he was a child.
Lil Durk was deeply influenced by his upbringing in a dangerous area. During his adolescence, he was briefly imprisoned on weapons possession accusations.
He was not encouraged to learn music as a youngster and had to learn on his own by watching music videos on TV. After the popularity of his two singles, 'Sneak Dissin' and 'I'ma Hitta,' he contemplated rap as a full-time vocation.
He got his initial breakthrough on social media platforms such as Myspace and YouTube. He was pleased when his internet fan base began to rapidly increase. Durk was able to devote more time to his job after becoming a parent at the age of seventeen since he felt more responsibility for raising people who relied on him.
Career :
Lil Durk began his career with the Glo Gang label, which was promoted by another Chicago-based rapper, Chief Keef. However, he was never signed to the label. As a result, Lil Durk began to carve out his own identity in the music industry.
Following the success of his first two tracks, Lil Durk released the mixtape 'Life Ain't No Joke.' On the online mixtape distribution site DatPiff, this mixtape was downloaded 216,000 times. Social media networks were instrumental in popularizing 'Life Ain't No Joke.'
Lil Durk released a new song named 'L's Anthem' in December 2012, which featured French Montana and quickly became successful.
The success of 'L's Anthem' motivated Durk to form a partnership with Def Jam Recordings. On October 14, 2013, he released his fourth mixtape, 'Signed to the Streets.'
The mixtape was released exclusively on DatPiff under the labels Coke Boys and OTF (his own). In July 2014, a sequel to 'Signed to the Streets was published.
With the publication of his debut album, 'Remember My Name,' in 2015, he took a major step forward in his career. The album is filled with songs about the Chicago street violence he witnessed as a child.
The album was a tremendous smash, reaching number fourteen on the Billboard 200 chart. However, the album's sales lag, with just 24,000 copies sold in the first week after its release. However, a track from the album, 'Like Me,' became a sleeper success after being downloaded/streamed several times on sites such as iTunes and Spotify.
Lil Durk released his sixth mixtape, '300 Days, 300 Nights,' on December 15, 2015. To promote the mix tape, a track called 'My Beyonce' was released. Dej Loaf, his love interest, was featured in the song.
Critics praised this mix tape as a welcome departure from his previous releases, which largely focused on drug violence in the neighborhood where he was born.
The mix tape was positively welcomed by his followers and cemented Lil Durk's reputation as a rising star in the American music industry.
On July 22, 2016, his second album, 'Lil Durk 2X,' was published. Two months before the album's release, a track called 'She Just Wanna' featuring another rapper named 'Ty Dolla Sign' was released with the intention of building interest around his second album. Durk's second label had a greater reaction than his first.
Major Works :
Durk's third mixtape, 'Life Ain't Joke,' released after he was rejected by the Chicago-based music label, remains one of his key works to this day. It gave him the confidence to pursue a full-time career in music.
The success of his first album, 'Remember My Name,' established Lil Durk as a brilliant performer. The album was also rated second on the list of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Awards & Achievements :
Lil Durk was voted Rapper of the Year in 2016 by the well-known music website 'Underground Interviews.'
Personal Life & Legacy :
Lil Durk has a love relationship with Instagram celebrity India Royale. The pair confirmed their engagement in December 2021. Willow, Zayden, Du'mier, Bella, Angelo, and Skyler are Lil Durk's six children.
Durk's cousin McArthur Swindle was killed by mobsters in Chicago in 2014. McArthur Swindle was working with Lil Durk to become a rapper and was a member of his OTF group at the time of his death.
Uchenna Agina, Lil Durk's manager, was shot and assassinated by Chicago mobsters in 2015. This was especially hard for Lil Durk because he and his management used to crusade against mob violence in America.