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Before landing on the charts and doing interviews, Lil Durk was already moving through the streets of Chicago like a legend in the making. His name carried weight in the city long before the mainstream ever tuned in. He had the melodies, the pain, the truth and the hunger. His mixtapes gave a front-row seat to survival. Chicago had him on repeat, and so did St. Louis, Detroit and Indianapolis. The Midwest knew who he was before the blogs caught up.
Lil Durk’s come up is what it really looks like to grind when nobody’s watching. He stayed loyal to his city and didn’t chase headlines or switch up to get noticed. Even when things got quiet around him, he kept recording like his life depended on it. That hunger paid off. He’s had multiple platinum singles, sold-out tours and chart-topping singles with some of the biggest artists in the world.
In the early 2010s, while the music industry was still figuring out what drill even sounded like, he was in it, shaping the sound from the ground up. In fact, he played a key role in pushing the genre beyond Chicago. What started in the trenches turned into a global sound, and Lil Durk was one of the voices leading that charge. Now, he’s charting with the same pain and truth he started with. The industry might call him a star today, but Chicago always did.
The drill pioneer’s deep cuts are a reminder of who he was before the fame and how far he’s really come. Let’s get into the ones that tell his real story.
1. David Ruffin
On “David Ruffin,” Lil Durk runs through some of the worst-case scenarios that come with the life he lived at the time. From spotting disloyalty in the crew to dealing with snitches or women chasing clout and money, he plainly lays it all out. Everybody wants his lifestyle until they realize what it really takes to survive it. The song is a reminder that what looks like success came with pain, losses and hard decisions.
2. Rebellious
When you sign a major deal, you might expect everything to flip overnight. But it doesn’t always move like that. It’s hard to celebrate the win when you still have to keep one foot in the streets just to take care of the people depending on you. Can you blame him for feeling rebellious?
3. Locked Up
Unfortunately, being locked up is all too familiar for Lil Durk. He’s lived it, seen his friends go through it and even watched his father face it. He’s spoken about what it’s like to miss people and be the one getting missed — the collect calls, the money on the books and the pain that comes with hearing a voice but not seeing a face.
4. Astronomical
The way the Deep Thoughts creator rode the beat on “Astronomical” needs to be studied. Producer Chase Davis did his big one and handed it to the perfect rapper. There’s not even a real chorus — Lil Durk was just in the booth, in his bag, switching his flow every time the beat shifted. Nothing’s forced, it’s just raw instinct.
5. 248
“248” is a love letter to his family and close friends. On this track, Lil Durk paints a vivid picture of what life really looked like for him in Chicago. “When you lose five n**gas in one summer, that’s when you’ll feel my pain / You ain’t gotta snatch it, they’ll kill you, you can’t feel my chains,” he raps on the record.
6. Neighborhood Hero
When you make it out of the hood, there’s always a desire to give back to the place that raised you. “Neighborhood Hero” was special because it shows Lil Durk’s heart. The way he gives back to his community isn’t always loud or posted for the world to see, but it’s real. Moments like this make it clear that he is truly a neighborhood hero back home!
7. Fabricated
People love to speak on your life without knowing a thing about what you’ve been through. On “Fabricated,” Lil Durk calls it out and breaks it down. He tells you exactly how to spot those people and how to move when they show up. Every line feels personal, yet relatable, like he’s giving advice straight from experience.
8. Internet Sensation
The “All My Life” hitmaker has never been too proud to be vulnerable or show that he’s a lover boy at heart — even with everything that comes with his lifestyle. In a world where social media drama can ruin a relationship overnight, he made a whole song showing love for the peace he has at home. No distractions or drama, so he’s spitting real gratitude for the one who holds him down.
9. No Interviews
It seems like “No Interviews” is everything Lil Durk wants to say outside the booth but doesn’t. If you’ve ever wondered why he rarely sits down for interviews, these lyrics explain it better than he ever could. It’s not like he’s hiding, he’s just more comfortable telling his truth in the music.
10. Viral Moment
He’s never been the type to explain himself, but at the end of “Viral Moment” Lil Durk finally addressed the question everyone kept asking — why does he call himself “the voice”? He made it clear that being the voice means relating to the people. That’s why he’s so transparent in his music. He knows his story speaks for more than just him; it’s for everyone that can relate.
