Lil Durk has spent the last decade on a long gloomy journey to success. The Chicago rapper began his career on Myspace in 2010, out of high school and filled with ambition. By 2013, his war-torn melodic stories continued to resonate with Def Jam. But a series of problems threatened to escalate disengagement: Short-term conflict with Chief Keef drill pioneer, several philosophical charges, when he left Def Jam in 2018, and, in particular, fatalities his cousin OTF Nunu in 2014, friend and former OTF manager Chino Dolla in 2015, and protégé King Von last November. Durk continued through it all, moving to Atlanta and gradually releasing new music, culminating in a one-two punch of his feature on the Drake movie “Laugh Now, Cry Later ”And the release of his sixth studio album, The Voice, December last year.
So if anyone has earned the right to host an album-wide impact lap with their peers, it’s Lil Durk. Family Only – Lil Durk Presented: Loyal Bros., released three months later The Voice, using Durk ‘s second wind to give access to the Only the Family collection – made up of Memo600, Booka600, Lil Mexico, Doodie Lo, Slimelife Shawty, Chief Wuk, THF Zoo, and the late Von – effect on a national scale. Having once lived under the control of the industry, Durk is ready for the safest route he can clean up his squad. “I fell once and I’m still on fire,” he said confidently opening the JUMP song. ”It is more interesting, therefore, to see him take a backdrop; he appears on just six of the 23 songs on the album, largely giving the floor to his team, which proves to be up to the challenge.
Loyal bros a Chicago hard drill drills through and through, setting invitations from the trenches of street life over minor-key ominous tunes and 808s capable of punching holes in your chest. The speed of the record translates to the interplay of the group, which is fluid and boring. Although ultimately too long for his own good, Loyal bros in good order and well-tuned, giving breathing space to nearly two dozen different artists without having to dive into a car park.
On “Do It for Von,” Booka600, Memo600, and THF Zoo go on endless sides over one twisted verse. The duo tracks play to the strongest relationships in the group (like Durk and Slimelife Shawty on “Dying 2 Hit’em”) and find interesting differences in outside guests (Lil Uzi Vert will directed the show on “Let It Blow” and Detroit neighbor Tee Grizzley ran off with two different songs). “Kennedy,” a solo show for Lil Mexico member, is getting ready to take up space on albums and radio. Unlike Dreamville Revenge of the Dreamers III a compilation, jumping hard between different contemporary rap and R&B styles, Faithful Bros’ a hyper-focus on a drill aims to show the strength of the collection’s connection through a grasp of their city style.
The OTF connection feels even more important against King Von’s unparalleled passing. Loyal bros featuring one song released in the life of Von (“Me and Doodie Lo”) as well as two verses later, each showcasing its sharp vocabulary and its gift for straightforward storytelling . On “Me and Doodie Lo,” Von and Lo trade stories like war veterans over the staccato beat, bringing decaying corpses and their own stock to life. Of all the OTF members, Von is the one who most closely reflects Durk’s emotional well-being, and the spirit of their fallen lieutenant lifts up the entire collection. “Von died, we held that game face, he hates it when niggas cry,” Booka600 laments Game Face. ”
Even against a major loss, the OTF unit stands tall Loyal bros. Durk’s belief in brothers appears on a record that not only works as a coda for his own hard-earned stardom but helps the gathering together as a whole. No one rises to the empty space left by Von, perhaps by design. Loyal bros it’s a family affair, one that distances itself from the recent sex cycles of Durk’s solo work to remain rooted in Chicago drill traditions as old as OTF itself.
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