• October 19, 1992
• Drill rapper Lil Durk got a big break in 2020 when he featured on Drake's "Laugh Now Cry Later." The next year, he was everywhere, placing an amazing 41 songs in the Hot 100, which tied Taylor Swift for the most entries on that chart in 2021. Many of these songs were collaborations with Lil Baby.
• He's based in Chicago, where he started a label called Only The Family in 2010. Two years later he signed with Def Jam, but not much came of it. In 2018 he left the label and rebooted Only The Family, which he used to release his material.
• There is a Big Durk: his father (real name, Dontay Banks). Big Durk was in jail when Lil Durk was growing up, but stayed a part of his life and kept in touch through phone calls.
• When his fellow Chicago MC Kanye West bowed out of a headlining spot at the 2022 Rolling Loud festival in Miami, Durk brought him on stage during his set to perform.
• Durk stirred up a lot of trouble with his 2012 track "L's Anthem," a celebration of his gang where he takes (metaphorical) shots at rival gang members and rappers. Unfortunately, the violence turned real, and members of both sides were killed. Durk later ended up in beefs with rappers 6ix9ine and Young Boy Never Broke again, but by 2022 he was looking to end the feuds and move in a more positive direction. "I'm not chasing death no more," he told Rolling Stone. "I want our kids to grow up safe and sound."
• Lil Durk was arrested in October 2024 in connection to the August 2022 shooting of rapper Quando Rondo and the death of Rondo's cousin, Saviay'a "Lul Pab" Robinson. Prosecutors alleged Durk hired five associates from his Only the Family (OTF) collective to carry out the attack in retaliation for the 2020 killing of King Von, a close associate of Durk.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Thinking Out LoudEd Sheeran

Ed Sheeran wrote the 2014 love song "Thinking Out Loud" about his girlfriend at the time, Athina Andrelos. They split the following year, and Ed started seeing Cherry Seaborn, whom he married in 2019; songs like "Perfect" and "No Strings" are about her.

When I'm With YouSheriff

Sheriff had been disbanded for years when "When I'm With You" hit #1 in America thanks to rediscovery by radio stations. The group never re-formed and never made a video for the song.

Dancing In The DarkBruce Springsteen

Before she was famous on Friends, Courteney Cox danced on stage with Bruce Springsteen in his "Dancing In The Dark" video.

That's What Friends Are ForDionne & Friends

Elton John didn't win a Grammy until 1986, when he got one for singing on "That's What Friends Are For."

PanamaVan Halen

"Panama" by Van Halen is not about the country or the canal, but about a stripper David Lee Roth met in Arizona.

Super FreakRick James

The Temptations sang backup on "Super Freak" by Rick James. He mentions them in the song when he says, "Temptations, sing!"

Editor's Picks

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & FireSongwriter Interviews

The longtime bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire discusses how his band came to do a holiday album, and offers insight into some of the greatest dance/soul tunes of all-time.

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.