Deonte Hoard. Giovanni Matos. Savon Davis. Jennifer Ponton. Amari Sutton. Nicole M. Towns. Javante Linson. Terrell Campbell. Anthony Diaz. Uchenna Agina.
These are a few of the 150-plus people killed by gun violence in Chicago so far in 2015. All of these names (and the ones I don’t have the space to list) are important, but for 22-year-old Durk "Lil Durk" Banks the last name hits incredibly close to home. Agina (better known as OTF Chino) was Durk’s manager, a confidante who was, in a cruel sense of irony, murdered after meeting with Bulls player Joakim Noah in an attempt to partner Durk with the latter’s anti-violence organization. It’s doubly frustrating given Durk’s affiliation with French Montana’s Coke Boys imprint, which recently suffered the loss of rising member Chinx Drugz. Durk’s first studio album (he’s released 5 mixtapes overall) since signing to Def Jam back during the Great Chicago Rap Gold Rush a few years back, Remember My Name, is a project that has the spectre of death looming over it at all times.
A common criticism of Durk’s music revolves around his near-total dependency on Auto-Tune. He’s aware of the charge, addressing it on "What Your Life Like". The software is Durk’s friend when he adopts a singing delivery, like on single "Like Me". The tune showcases Durk (and featured crooner/fellow Chicagoan Jeremih) in his lane fully, producing a smooth entry into the pantheon of Sensitive Thug jams. Other times, like on the absolutely grating "Tryna' Tryna'" or when he tries to feebly hit high notes during the chorus on, uh, "Higher" it can be his worst enemy. Luckily, the highs outweigh the lows. It’s apparent after a few listens that Durk is only getting better, from both a rapping and writing perspective. He’s definitely grown from his earlier mixtapes (he sounds like a different person entirely than the one who once rapped "Yo' bitch know she doin' dick, we call that ho double D." Growth! Progression! Artist Development!).
It’s apparent that Durk has a solid ear for production and a nascent ability to craft songs that get caught in your ear. The C-Sick-produced opener "500 Homicides" is a thunderous intro that finds Durk viciously addressing enemies, shouting out his affiliates and reminding folks that there are repercussions of your online actions. "What’s up with this Twitter beef?/ Thought we was keeping in the streets?.../ Hell yeah, you can die over a retweet!"
Remember My Name as an album isn’t going to change lives. It is, however, a view into the psyche of those who reframe the concept of death as a way of life, a cost of doing business, or even a source of motivation to create a better life for yourself and those you care about. On the album standout "What Your Life Like", Durk laments, "They say the murder started after L’s/ Now my phone got shit to tell... /Got that call, they cancelled 20 shows/ That's money down the drain/ I got kids, don't take it wrong."
The moment underlines a curious tension for Durk and the other artists in his orbit. The culture of the neighborhoods that produced Durk, his OTF (Only The Family) affiliates and the rest of the various artists who find their sounds lazily lumped together under the name "drill music" find themselves in a weird catch-22. You rap about the stuff you’re seeing (and participating in, for some) and you’re rewarded with money, fame and the opportunity to make your life better. At the same time, you’re branded as "trouble" by promoters, your profile is raised among the police and old enemies, and you’re forced to go on the defensive. The thing that might make your life better might be the same thing that ends up killing you. What in the hell are you supposed to do? On Remember My Name, Durk chooses to keep on keepin’ on.
