Beginning his career, from 2011 to 2012, Durk released his debut, un-official mixtape, I’m a Hitta which was released on August 26, 2011. On April 3, 2012, Durk released his sophomore mixtape, a sequel to his previous tape, I’m Still a Hitta. Durka later released his third mixtape on November 5, 2012, titled Life Ain’t No Joke
Like many drill artists, Durk’s early career was plagued with legal issues and accusations of violence. These issues eventually led to his shows being canceled.
From 2013 to 2015 Durk released a total of four projects, three mixtapes, and an album. October 10, 2013, marked the release of the first Signed to the Streets, one of Durk’s most notable mixtapes and the start of a series. In the summer of 2014, specifically July 4, Durk released a sequel to Signed to the Streets and released Signed to the Streets 2 featuring his “What You Do to Me”.
2015 would be an enormous year for Lil Durk as in July 2015, Durk released his debut studio album, Remember My Name which featured his Jeremih-assisted “Like Me.” Later that year, Durk released his sixth mixtape 300 Days 300 Nights which included his then-girlfriend, Dej Loaf-assisted, “My Beyoncé.”
From 2016 to 2017, Durk released a total of four solo projects and one collaborative project. On July 22, 2016, Durk released his sophomore studio album, Lil Durk 2X accompanied by features such as Future, Young Thug, Yo Gotti and more. Ending the year, Durk released They Forgot, his seventh mixtape.
Beginning 2017, in February, Durk released his seventh mixtape, Love Songs for the Streets, which is deemed as one of his most notable projects including features from Moneybagg Yo and YFN Lucci. Later that year in August, Durk released a collaborative EP with Lil Reese titled Supa Vultures; the project included his “Nobody Knows”. On October 19, 2017, Durk carried on with his Signed to the Streets series with the highly anticipated Signed to the Streets 2.5. The mixtape included the start of yet another song series titled “India” dedicated to his fiancé India Cox otherwise known as India Royale.
In 2018, Durk released two projects, he began with Just Cause Y'all Waited, Durk’s highest-charting mixtape peaking at #57 on the Billboard 200. Durk then released a sequel to Love Songs for the Streets titled Love Songs 4 the Streets 2. Durk was extremely successful prior to this album, however, many say that this exact album broke Durk into the mainstream rap industry as it had been his first project to chart in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
2020 was an even better year for Lil Durk as he released his almost chart-topping Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200. It was later followed up with a deluxe.
The scars of violence run deep in Durk’s discography, particularly arising from the loss of OTF members Nunu (Nuski) and King Von at the hands of gunfire. Both artists are commemorated on his album The Voice, for which a deluxe version was released in 2021.
Anointing himself as the voice of the streets, Durk followed up this project with the release of the collaborative album The Voice of the Heroes with Lil Baby which brought the Chicago native artist his first #1 album.
Marking his first solo #1 album, in March 2022, Lil Durk released a melodramatic take on the deaths of his loved ones through an album titled 7220. The album became Durk’s first solo project to top the charts.
Ghetto
Lil Durk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's get it
L's
(I grew up like that)
Nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go
People to meet, I'm from these streets
(I grew up like that)
Not going too far, so I stick to the wall
(I grew up like that)
I grew up in the ghetto
Where niggas don't make it out like that
(I grew up like that)
I grew up in the ghetto
Where my niggas don't make it out like that
I grew up with fam
I grew up with niggas that call me fam
I grew up with niggas who snake they man
I grew up with niggas who got in that jam
I grew up with niggas doing life in the can
One time, fighting for land
But I grew up in the ghetto
Times I ain't eat nun, go to school just to eat lunch
No kid watching re-runs, wake up doing re-runs
My momma, my opponent (let's get it)
These millions I'm on it
And I gotta eat nigga
On the corners everyday with the lights out
Walk in broad day with the pipes out
Waking up middle night with the lights out
So why these niggas faking?
I pray to God that I make it
I tell my momma I can't take it (the ghetto)
Nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go
People to meet, I'm from these streets
(I grew up like that)
Steady going to funerals, steady going to interviews
Not going too far, so I stick to the wall
(I grew up like that)
I grew up in the ghetto
Where niggas don't make it out like that
(I grew up like that)
I grew up in the ghetto
Where my niggas don't make it out like that
C-C-Came up in the ghetto
People tell me keep my head up my whole life
If I didn't have nothing, I'm fed up
B-B-Bitches out here, just shut up
Rest in peace my lil shawty
I promise I wish I could write you a letter
And I miss you momma
I trap like it's life because no one is promised tomorrow
Pray to my father
Lord forgive me for sins I committed
But this is the way that we living
Why can't no one see my vision?
Remember the basement, remember my aunty would beat me because of the dishes
Couldn't wait to get grown
Say to myself when I make it I'm gone from you bitches
Even though a nigga tryna make it out I still got love for the (ghetto, ghetto, ghetto)
I can't change, I was raised in the (ghetto, ghetto, ghetto)
Made me who I am and I love the (ghetto, ghetto, ghetto)
(I grew up like that)
Nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go
People to meet, I'm from these streets
(I grew up like that)
Steady going to funerals, steady going to interviews
Not going too far, so I stick to the wall
(I grew up like that)
I grew up in the ghetto
Where niggas don't make it out like that
(I grew up like that)
I grew up in the ghetto
Where my niggas don't make it out like that
(I grew up in the ghetto)
Why they faking, why they faking?
The lyrics to "Ghetto" by Lil Durk and Hypno Carlito describe the harsh realities of growing up in the ghetto, a community plagued by poverty and violence. The artists paint a vivid picture of what it's like to live in such a neighborhood, where basic necessities like food and shelter are scarce. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the track: "Nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go / People to meet, I'm from these streets".
The song describes how the artists grew up surrounded by people who were struggling to make ends meet, frequenting funerals and interviews, and getting into trouble with the law. The lyrics also talk about the nuances of growing up in a ghetto community, such as the prevalence of familial bonds and betrayal among friends. These realities are juxtaposed with the rappers' ambitions to make it out of the ghetto and achieve success despite their difficult circumstances.
Overall, "Ghetto" is a powerful and poignant ode to the challenges of growing up in poverty-stricken communities, as well as a testament to the strength, resilience, and hope that arise from such experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Ghetto, yeah I grew up in the ghetto
I came from the ghetto
Nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go
I didn't have access to basic necessities or shelter
People to meet, I'm from these streets
I know a lot of people from this neighborhood
Steady going to funerals, steady going to interviews
I'm always either attending funerals or job interviews
Not going too far, so I stick to the wall
I haven't achieved much success, so I try not to draw attention to myself
Where niggas don't make it out like that
This neighborhood is tough to escape from
I grew up with fam
I grew up with family members
I grew up with niggas that call me fam
I grew up with people who treated me like family
I grew up with niggas who snake they man
I grew up with people who betray their friends
I grew up with niggas who got in that jam
I grew up with people who got in trouble with the law
But I grew up in the ghetto
Despite everything, I grew up in this tough neighborhood
Times I ain't eat nun, go to school just to eat lunch
There were times when I didn't have food except for the meals at school
No kid watching re-runs, wake up doing re-runs
I didn't have a luxury of watching TV or sleeping in
My momma, my opponent (let's get it)
My mother and I had a lot of disagreements
On the corners everyday with the lights out
I spent a lot of time outside on street corners, even at night
Waking up middle night with the lights out
I would wake up in the middle of the night without electricity
So why these niggas faking?
I'm wondering why people are pretending to be someone they're not
Rest in peace my lil shawty
I lost someone important to me
I trap like it's life because no one is promised tomorrow
I hustle because I don't know what tomorrow will bring
Remember the basement, remember my aunty would beat me because of the dishes
I have memories of being punished by my aunt for not doing chores
Why they faking, why they faking?
I'm still trying to figure out why people are pretending to be something they're not
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OBIE TRICE, LEE HAZLEWOOD, TREMAINE ALDON NEVERSON, JONATHAN ROTEM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind