Show: With GunPlay and Hypno Carlito on Thursday at the 9:30 Club. Doors open at 7 p.m. 202-265-0930. www.930.com. $25.
Lil Durk is a 22-year-old rapper from Chicago. He started taking his rap career seriously at 18, after receiving an overwhelmingly positive response to his first mix tape, 2011’s “I’m a Hitta.” It bolstered Durk’s confidence in his skills, causing him to shift his focus toward his music rather than the streets. Since then, he’s steadily released new music, cranking out five mix tapes in three years. In 2012, he signed his first record deal with Def Jam, and in 2014, he was listed as part of XXL’s Freshmen Class.
Durk is honest about what he’s been through since he began rapping, speaking in interviews about wake-up calls that made him focus on his craft and being steadfast about his commitment to carving his own path while working in a music scene that can be violently cliquish.
Advertisement
Before releasing his debut album, "Remember My Name," in June, Durk became a husband and father, was arrested twice on weapons charges and lost friends to violence, including his manager, Uchenna "Chino Dolla" Agina, who was killed earlier this year. In the wake of those losses, "Remember My Name" hit the No. 2 spot on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
In a summer full of trap-heavy releases from such rappers as Future and Fetty Wap, the explicit slow song, “Like Me” featuring Jeremih, is a nice and smooth alternative. Save for such tracks as “500 Homicides” and “Lord Don’t Make Me Do It,” Durk’s first major-label release isn’t as hardcore as his earlier music. Instead, songs like “Tryna’ Tryna,” “What Your Life Like” and “Higher” sound like radio-ready examples of Durk’s hard work.
— Lauren McEwenncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLSwtc2gpq6sl6q2pbGOpqysoZNkuaq4jJ2sq6NdnsBuucCkoKefXZZ6r63MnmSfp6Jitaq50p6jn2Vdlrulec6nnGaxn6q5rXnRnqSepZKav3B%2Bj2psaGhpZH11e8OaaZ%2BdZZqBboDCnmpmaWGagm6uxZtwZnFnaIOlfJOfmnGdZJTAtbvRsmWhrJ2h