Lil Durk

Englewood roots

Durk Devontay Banks was born on October 19, 1992, and grew up in Englewood on Chicago’s South Side. He founded the collective and label Only the Family (OTF) in 2010 and built a local following with early singles such as “Sneak Dissin’” and “I’m a Hitta,” along with mixtapes including “I’m a Hitta” (2011) and “Life Ain’t No Joke” (2012).

Def Jam years

The street popularity of “L’s Anthem” and “Dis Ain’t What U Want” led to a 2013 joint-venture deal between OTF and Def Jam Recordings. His October 2013 mixtape “Signed to the Streets” was ranked among the year’s best by Rolling Stone. His debut studio album “Remember My Name” (2015) reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200, followed by “Lil Durk 2X” (2016) at No. 29.

Alamo and the charts

In July 2018 Durk announced a new deal with Alamo Records and Interscope. “Love Songs 4 the Streets 2” (2019) peaked at No. 4, and both “Just Cause Y’all Waited 2” and “The Voice” (2020) reached No. 2. His guest verse on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later” hit No. 2 on the Hot 100. “The Voice of the Heroes” (2021), a joint album with Lil Baby, and “7220” (2022) both topped the Billboard 200, while “Almost Healed” (2023) and “Deep Thoughts” (2025) each peaked at No. 3. “All My Life” with J. Cole reached No. 2 and won Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards. OTF also launched the career of the late King Von.

Federal case

Banks was arrested in October 2024 on federal charges tied to a 2022 Los Angeles shooting. In September 2026 a federal jury acquitted him of all counts in that trial; a separate federal case against him remained pending.

Read the story: Chicago Rap, Decade by Decade: From Hip House to Drill