Songfacts®:

• "All My Life" is an anthemic track that spits fire on conquering struggles. Lil Durk unleashes his truth, dropping raw lyrics about the battles he's faced as a rapper and in the streets. Hailing from the mean streets of Chicago, he reflects on his come-up, reminiscing on the gritty days of his past in the toughest ghettos. They never believed he'd rise, but damn, he proved them wrong.
  
  "All My Life" is a self-celebration, a testament to the blood, sweat, and tears he's poured into making it to where he stands today. It's a middle finger to doubters, a victorious shout-out to all his hustle and grind. Lil Durk ain't backing down; he's claiming his rightful place in the game.
  
  "It's just a rap that's just showing you what I been going through - what I been doing lately," he told XXL.
• Durk drops truth bombs in the chorus, reflecting on his journey and his resilience. The Chi-town rapper doesn't hold back, reminding everyone that he rose above his past. He's clean, he's famous, and he's living his truth, fully realized.
• All my life
  They been tryin' to keep me down
  All this time
  Never thought I would make it out
  
  The song title nods to the obstacles that surround Durk's path to success. As he raps in the first verse, there are forces out there, like crooked cops, who are trying to block young men from the 'hood from making it big, but Durk refuses to let them win. The track is a battle cry, a defiant anthem that refuses to let the naysayers dictate his destiny. Durk is in control, rising above the challenges and proving that he's a force to be reckoned with.
• J. Cole steps up in the second verse, injecting his raw hip-hop essence into the track's soulful vibe. He sheds light on the struggles and perils of coming up in the hood, while stressing the significance of breaking free and staying authentic to oneself.
  
  Later on, Cole addresses the heartbreaking loss of talented artists in recent years. He opens up about discovering an unnamed rapper's work only after their tragic demise hit the headlines. It hits him hard, leaving a bitter taste, realizing that this gifted MC didn't have the chance to fully unleash their potential before their time was cut short.
• "All My Life" is the first time both rappers officially worked together on a track. According to Durk, while the song was in its early stages, he knew that only two rappers could contribute the energy he needed to the song. One was J. Cole. His other pick, Kanye West, didn't work out, so Durk is grateful that Cole stepped up to the plate.
  
  "We were just trying to figure out like what's the right person to put on it," Durk told XXL. "'Cause it's one of those songs where if it's not the right person to do the second verse… I feel like Cole can bring the energy that I'm looking for to it. So, if it wasn't J. Cole, it'd be [Kanye], but Ye, he tucked away somewhere."
• Dr. Luke's beat sets the tone with a compassionate piano melody that intertwines seamlessly with the song. In the chorus, a children's choir takes center stage, infusing the track with a touch of Gospel essence. Their harmonious voices elevate the song's positive image, amplifying its impact and spreading a message of hope.
• In the Steve Cannon-directed music video, children surround Durk and Cole on a sunny day in a low-income neighborhood. The clip plays into Durk's charity foundation, Neighborhood Heroes.
• Durk and Cole had discussed working together for two years. "He always be like, 'Send me a record,'" Durk told Apple Music 1's Nedeska Alexis, "and I'm like, 'I got to find the right record.'"
  
  "I'm glad I waited two years, because in my eyes he's a legend," he continued. "So, if you have a chance to do a song with a legend, do you send him something just to send it, just to say you got one, or you're going to make it stick? So that's why I never just sent him a record, because I want something that's going to stick."
• "All My Life" won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2024 ceremony.