CHICAGO native Lil Durk is the lead member and founder of the collective group and record label Only The Family (OTF).
The rapper, singer, and songwriter has made his millions working alongside rap and hip-hop icons Drake, 21 Savage, and Nicki Minaj.
Who is rapper Lil Durk?
Lil Durk, born Durk Derrick Banks, is an American rapper.
He was born on October 19, 1992, in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s south side.
His rap collective, OTF, includes various Chicago drill recording artists, including the late King Von.
After starting out creating rap tracks on Myspace and YouTube, Durk gained fame on the rap scene with his mixtape Life Ain’t No Joke.
He was then signed to Def Jam Recordings and released Signed To The Streets, which was put in the top 10 of mixtape releases in 2013 by Rolling Stone.
While carving out his space in the industry, Durk collaborated with artists like A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Future, Kevin Gates, and Ty Dolla Sign.
His big break came in 2020, after being featured on Drake’s single, Laugh Now Cry Later.
The song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and received nominations for Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the Grammy Awards.
The rapper is also known for his track Hellcats & Trackhawks, and Still Trappin’, alongside King Von.
King Von, 26, died after getting shot during a gunfight that broke out near an Atlanta nightclub on November 6, 2020.
Lil Durk later paid tribute to him with the music video for his song, Backdoor.
The rapper announced the video with the caption: “Midnight. I love y’all like family #doit4von.”
In the clip, the Chicago rapper wore King Von’s favorite chain necklace.
The lyrics shed light on Lil Durk’s struggles growing up in the streets and issues with the legal system.
In 2011, Durk was arrested on a weapons charge and sentenced to three months in jail.
In 2013, he was arrested again after allegedly throwing a loaded handgun into his car when approached by members of the Chicago Police Department.
His father, Dontay Banks Sr., was released from federal prison on July 19, 2017, after serving an extended sentence.
In 2019, Lil Durk and King Von were arrested on attempted murder charges.
All charges against Durk were dropped by October 2022.
That same year, his seventh album, 7220, became his second consecutive number-one album.
Lil Durk’s eighth album, Almost Healed (2023), contained his highest-charting single, “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, peaking at number two on the Hot 100.
Other memorable Lil Durk songs include Like Me, She Just Wanna, and My Beyonce.
He has been engaged to his longtime girlfriend-turned-fiancée, India Royale, since 2020, after just a year of dating.
Lil Durk is also the father of seven children.
He has two kids with his ex-wife Nicole Covone but the identity of the mothers of his other children remain unknown.
The pair welcomed their daughter Willow Banks just a month after they got engaged.
Lil Durk’s older brother, rapper OTF Dthang was “shot in the head outside Chicago nightclub and died on the spot” in June 2021.
It comes after a string of tragedies for Lil Durk.
He lost his longtime friend and labelmate, King Von, who died in November 2020.
He also mourned the death of one of his producers in June 2021.
In July 2021, Durk and Royale were also the target of a home invasion, but thankfully, nobody was harmed.
Durk was hospitalized in July 2023 due to severe dehydration and exhaustion.
Career and climbing the ladder to success
As well as releasing his own tracks, Lil Durk is the founder of the collective and record label, Only The Family.
Lil Durk has climbed the ladder to success through his long-running career and has been featured on projects with industry giants such as Kanye West.
It was reported in November 2023 that Kanye, 46, was talking with Alamo Records about buying out Lil Durk from his contract so that they have the freedom to collaborate.
According to TMZ, sources claimed that Alamo Records blocked a collaboration between the two for Kanye’s new music.
In a demo LP release for the rapper’s new song, Vultures, Lil Durk featured with his own verse.
For the streaming release, however, Alamo Records CEO Todd Moscowitz reportedly withheld permission for his client’s verse to be included.
As a result, Kanye seems set to buy out Lil Durk so that the collaboration can continue.
Who he’ll sign with if his contract ends, is terminated, or is bought out remains unclear.
What is Lil Durk’s real name?
You may be familiar with the up-and-coming rapper now but few have given a second thought to the meaning behind his name.
It turns out there’s more background behind the unusual moniker than you might expect.
Lil Durk, which is not a stage name, owes his uncommon name to his dad Dontay Banks Senior.
Banks was sentenced to life in July 1994 but won an appeal after spending over two decades in jail and granted his freedom in 2019.
The Remember My Name singer tweeted: “Big Durk home!!!” in excitement to relay the good news to his seven million followers.
