Durk Derrick Banks known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.
He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings.
Early life
Durk Derrick Banks was born on October 19, 1992, in the Englewood area on Chicago’s South Side. With his father imprisoned when he was just seven months old, Durk had to shoulder significant responsibilities at a young age. He remembers experiencing food scarcity during his childhood. He initially gained attention on social media platforms such as Myspace and YouTube, and as his online following grew, he became increasingly drawn to the idea of becoming a rapper.
Career
In 2010, Durk released a freestyle titled “Lamron Wasted” over Gucci Mane and Plies’ “Wasted”. That same year, he dropped “L’s Bitch” featuring Lil Reese. Although his plans to sign with Chief Keef and French Montana’s labels fell through, the positive reception to his singles “Sneak Dissin'” and “I’ma Hitta” led him to pursue rapping as a full-time career. On October 19, 2012, Durk released his third mixtape, “Life Ain’t No Joke,” which had been downloaded over 216,000 times on DatPiff by September 22, 2015. In December 2012, he released “L’s Anthem,” later remixed with French Montana.
From 2013 to 2015, Durk gained traction with his music. The success of “L’s Anthem” and its follow-up, “Dis Ain’t What U Want,” led to a joint venture deal with Only the Family and Def Jam Recordings. His fourth mixtape, “Signed to the Streets,” was released on October 14, 2013, featuring guest appearances from Lil Reese and production from Paris Bueller and Young Chop. Rolling Stone named it the eighth-best mixtape of 2013. In an October 22, 2013, interview with XXL, Durk revealed he was working on his debut album under Def Jam and was later named to the 2014 XXL Freshmen Class. His fifth mixtape, “Signed to the Streets 2,” was released on July 7, 2014.
On March 25, 2015, Durk announced his debut studio album, “Remember My Name,” initially set for release on May 12, with its first single, “Like Me” featuring Jeremih, debuting the same day. The album’s release was delayed to June 2, 2015, when it peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard 200, selling 24,000 copies in its first week. He followed this with his sixth mixtape, “300 Days, 300 Nights,” released on December 15, 2015, featuring the single “My Beyoncé” with Dej Loaf, which was certified gold by the RIAA on June 5, 2017.
Durk’s second album, “Lil Durk 2X,” was released on July 22, 2016, but it did not achieve the same success as his debut, peaking at number twenty-nine on the Billboard 200. Later in November, he released his seventh mixtape, “They Forgot,” featuring various artists and production from top producers.
Throughout 2017, Durk released several mixtapes, including “Love Songs for the Streets,” “Supa Vultures” with Lil Reese, “Signed to the Streets 2.5,” and “Bloodas” with Tee Grizzley. On March 29, 2018, he released “Just Cause Y’all Waited” after fulfilling his contract with Def Jam Records, marking his first Billboard-charting non-album project.
Durk signed with Alamo Records and Interscope Records on July 27, 2018, releasing his third studio album “Signed to the Streets 3” on November 9, 2018. This album featured several prominent guest artists. His fourth studio album, “Love Songs 4 the Streets 2,” released on August 2, 2019, peaked at number four on the Billboard 200.
His fifth album, “Just Cause Y’all Waited 2,” released on May 8, 2020, debuted at number five on the Billboard 200. A deluxe edition helped the album peak at number two. In August 2020, Durk collaborated with King Von and Drake, achieving his highest-charting song with “Laugh Now Cry Later.”
Durk’s sixth studio album, “The Voice,” was released on December 24, 2020, as a tribute to King Von. His collaboration with country singer Morgan Wallen, “Broadway Girls,” was a significant success. Durk also featured on Kanye West’s “Donda” and Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy.”
In early 2022, Durk released the single “Ahhh Ha,” followed by his seventh studio album, “7220,” which debuted on March 11, 2022. After an injury at Lollapalooza in July 2022, he paused his career temporarily. He continued to release music, including a guest appearance on Roddy Ricch’s “Twin” and his eighth studio album, “Almost Healed,” in 2023.
In 2024, Durk announced a new album, “Love Songs 4 the Streets 3,” and released the lead single “Old Days.” He won his first Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance with “All My Life” featuring J. Cole.
Personal life
Durk is a Muslim and follows a pescatarian diet. He has six children and has been engaged to his longtime girlfriend, India Royale, since 2020.
On May 31, 2014, Durk’s cousin OTF Nunu, also known as Nuski, was shot and killed. A year later, on March 27, 2015, his friend and manager, Uchenna “OTF Chino Dolla” Agina, was also fatally shot. On November 6, 2020, Durk’s affiliate King Von was killed in Atlanta. On June 6, 2021, his brother, Dontay “DThang” Banks Jr., was shot and killed outside a Chicago nightclub.
In the early hours of July 11, 2021, Durk and India were involved in a home invasion where they exchanged gunfire with the suspects, who fled the scene without causing any harm.
In July 2023, TMZ reported that Durk was hospitalized due to severe dehydration and exhaustion.
Controversies
Durk was involved in a rivalry between Chief Keef and Joseph “Lil JoJo” Coleman. After Durk released “Ls Anthem,” dissing JoJo’s affiliates, The Brick Squad (not to be confused with Gucci Mane’s label), JoJo responded with “BDK (300K),” targeting Keef, Lil Reese, and Durk. This feud ended when Lil JoJo was shot and killed on September 4, 2012.
Following their respective signings to Universal Music’s Def Jam Recordings and Interscope Records, tensions arose between Durk and Chief Keef’s label, Glo Gang. After a social media exchange, Durk distanced himself from Glo Gang, leading to a series of diss tracks, including his remix of Nicki Minaj’s “Chiraq” with Meek Mill and Shy Glizzy. In this track, Durk dissed Keef, Lil Reese, The Game, Tyga, King L, and the Gangster Disciples. Durk criticized Keef for siding with Tyga and The Game. In the midst of Keef’s feud with Migos, Durk supported Migos to antagonize Keef. However, in August 2014, Durk and Keef reconciled.
Durk also had a brief feud with King L, who called their conflict a “whack movie trailer.” However, King L later admitted that his feud with Durk was a mistake. Durk’s beef with The Game and Tyga began in 2014 after they released their remix of “Chiraq,” leading to social media exchanges and diss tracks. Durk boasted about an alleged affair with The Game’s ex-fiancée, prompting The Game to respond with “Bigger than Me.” Within eight months, Durk had squashed his beefs with both The Game and Tyga.
Durk and Famous Dex attended Paul Robeson High School together but lost contact after dropping out. They reconnected at the 2016 BET Awards, with Durk affirming his support for Dex.
Durk was embroiled in a feud between his Only the Family protégé King Von and Baton Rouge rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again. The feud, initially taken as a joke, involved social media and musical disses. Von mocked YoungBoy’s music, claiming he was not genuine. On November 6, 2020, King Von was killed in an altercation involving YoungBoy’s affiliate Quando Rondo.
In 2022, YoungBoy reignited the feud with his track “Bring the Hook,” dissing King Von and O’Block. Durk responded with “Ahhh Ha,” targeting YoungBoy and his ex-girlfriend Jania Meshell. YoungBoy countered with “I Hate YoungBoy,” dissing Durk, his fiancé India Royale, and others. On May 4, 2023, DJ Akademiks claimed YoungBoy and Durk had reconciled, but YoungBoy later dissed both Durk and Akademiks and announced a new mixtape, “Richest Opp,” intended to release on the same day as Durk’s album “Almost Healed.”
Legal issues
In late 2011, Durk was arrested on a weapons charge and, although initially released on bond, he was later sentenced to three months in jail. On June 5, 2013, Durk was arrested again after allegedly throwing a loaded .40 caliber handgun into his car when approached by police on South Green Street in Chicago. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and held on a $100,000 bond. His lawyer claimed to have nine affidavits supporting Durk’s innocence, including one from a witness who admitted ownership of the gun. Durk was released on July 18, 2013.
On August 19, 2016, Durk was cleared of probation violation charges after being arrested on felony gun charges; the judge dismissed the charges.
In May 2019, Lil Durk and King Von were arrested in connection with a non-lethal shooting that occurred on February 5, 2019. Prosecutors alleged that they robbed and shot a man outside an Atlanta drive-in, stealing a Jeep Cherokee and $30,000. Durk and Von were released on $250,000 and $300,000 bonds, respectively. In October 2022, the charges against Durk were dismissed.
Net Worth
Estimated to be over 8 million dollars