Lil Durk Net Worth: Biography, Age, Career, Wife, Children

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Popular American rapper and singer, Lil Durk is one of the most famous music artists to come out of Chicago, Illinois. Having released two studio albums, the Chicago-based Hip-hop artiste has a lot of hit songs to his name. He is currently signed to Def Jam Records and is the founder of Only The Family (OTF).

Lil Durk’s grass-to-grace story is similar to Polo G. He was born and bred in the rough neighborhood of Inglewood, located on the Southern side of Chicago. Durk is one of the most popular hip-hop artists in Chicago and is revered as a legend in the town.

He has released several albums and mixtapes and is associated with popular names such as Kanye West, Drake, Dej Loaf, French Montana, and King Von.

Lil Durk Profile

Nickname/Stage Name	Lil Durk
Full Name	Durk Derrick Banks
Profession/Occupation	Rapper, Singer, Recording Artist, and Songwriter
Net Worth	$6 million (USD)
Date of Birth	October 19, 1992
Place of Birth	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Nationality	American
Parents	Mr. and Mrs. Dontay Banks
Children	Six (6)
Number of Children	Angelo Banks, Bella Banks, Du’mier Banks, Skylar Banks, Willow Banks, and Zayden Banks
Girlfriend	India Royale
Tattoos	Yes
Height	5ft 7in (170cm tall)
Gender	Male
Age	30 Years
Religion	Muslim
Genres	Hip-Hop, Rap, Trap, Drill
Associated Labels	Only The Family (OTF), Dem Jam Records, Interscope Records

Lil Durk Early Life and Biography

Lil Durk was born to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Dontay Banks on October 19, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. His real name is Durk Derrick Banks. He has a younger brother named Dontay Banks Jr. Life wasn’t easy for Durk as he was growing up.

They were times when they didn’t have enough food at home to sustain themselves. The violent neighborhood where he grew up also had a profound and negative impact on him.

His father, Dontay Banks Sr., was thrown into prison for crack-cocaine distribution in 1993 when Durk was only seven months old. Durk lacked a father figure after the incarceration of his Dad. His father served two life sentences without parole and was released in 2019 after spending over 25 years in jail.

Due to the incarceration of his father, Durk’s mother, a nurse had to shoulder the responsibility of raising him. Things were tough for him, and they had to move to their grandmother’s house alongside their mother to survive. In an interview, Lil Durk revealed that about ten of them live in a little three-bedroom house.

While growing up, Durk picked up an interest in basketball but couldn’t fulfill the dream of being a basketball star because of his height. He was desperate to make money and make ends meet. In school, his grades weren’t good enough.

So, furthering his education was out of the question. Durk had a child and became a father at the age of 17. He dropped out of Paul Robeson High School in his senior year after having a baby. Not looked after, he followed in his father’s footsteps and ultimately found himself involved in crime.

Durk began trading drugs in the streets. While selling drugs on the streets, he became interested in music. He mastered the art of songwriting and music production by watching tutorial videos on YouTube.

Durk Banks diversified his skill, began making music, and soon became a rapper. During this period, he formed a music group with a couple of his childhood friends. The crew he formed is now known as Only The Family (OTF).

Lil Durk has lost a lot of friends, colleagues, and loved ones to death. He lost his friend and manager, Uchenna OTF Chino Agina, who was shot dead in March 2015. Most notable is the death of his artist and close friend, King Von, on November 6, 2020, and most recently happens to be the death of his brother, Dontay, who was murdered in a Chicago nightclub on June 6, 2021. Durk Banks was arrested severally in 2011, 2013, and 2019.

He was forced to serve over five months in prison and paid over $350,000 in bonds. In July 2021, Durk was visited by a team of gunmen who invaded his home. Durk and his girlfriend exchanged bullets with the suspects, but fortunately, no life was lost, and the gunmen fled the area.

After dropping out of school, Durk Banks decided to focus on his music. The decision to take the music seriously paid off, as he’d become one of the biggest rappers in Chicago. Durk has six children, Angelo, Bella, Du’mier, Skylar, Willow, and Zayden. Durk had his first marriage with Nicole Covonhe, which lasted for five years (2008 to 2015). The marriage produced three children: Angelo, Zayden, and Bella Banks.

Lil Durk pictured with his girlfriend, India Royale

Durks Banks is currently engaged to India Royale, an Instagram model. The union is blessed with a child, Willow Banks. At the moment, Lil Durk is a practicing Muslim.

Music Career

Lil Durk initiated his music career in 2011 while working with his friends, Sly Polaroid and King Louie. He released some singles like “Sneak Dissing” and “Ima Hitta”, which he uploaded on YouTube and MySpace.

Having no capital to push the music the way he wanted, Durk dropped out of high school and joined a Chicago-based gang, the Black Disciples. Sadly, this got him into a lot of trouble with the law. His girlfriend then, Nicole Cavone, was pregnant with his first child.

In October 2011, Lil Durk was arrested and sentenced to jail on charges of illegally possessing firearms. During this period, he affiliated with Chief Keef’s Label Glory Boyz Entertainment but was never signed to the label.

After serving a 2-month prison sentence, Lil Durk returned to the rap scene with a new mixtape entitled “I’m Still a Hitta”. On October 19, 2012, he dropped another mixtape titled “Life Ain’t No Joke”, which is one of his most commercially successful projects.

On September 22, 2015, his Life Ain’t No Joke mixtape received more than 216,000 downloads on the DatPiff digital distribution platform. His fanbase across social media grew and his music was well received by the mass public. The success of his music gave him the confidence that he could thrive if he took the rap game seriously. His growing social media handles were instrumental in the success of the Life Ain’t No Joke mixtape.

Lil Durk became a hot property in Chicago and it wasn’t when the calls from the record labels started coming in. Durk settled with Def Jam Recordings, but the contract was a joint venture deal as he had floated his Only The Family (OTF) record label at that time. His popularity further grew with the release of another mixtape, “Signed to the Streets” in 2013.

Signed to the Streets was the first project he released under the label. The mixtape featured the hit songs like “Dis Ain’t What u Want” and it won him a spot on the 2014 XXL’s Freshman Class. The mixtape earned 8th place in Rolling Stone’s list of The Best Mixtapes of 2018. In the same year, Durk’s fame increased and he made a lot of guest appearances on songs made by other artists, including Jim Jonez, Tae da Truth, and Chinx Drugz. On July 7, 2014, he dropped the second installment of his mixtape “Signed to the Streets 2”.

His career took a great leap in 2015 following the release of his debut album, “Remember My Name”. The album was released on all major streaming and digital download websites courtesy of OTF and Dem Jam Records.

The album sold over 24,000 copies within a week after release and made it to #14 place on the Billboard 200 chart. It also peaked at number 2 on the U.S RnB and Rap charts. In December 2015, he released another project dubbed “300 Days, 300 Nights”, which was his sixth mixtape. One of the many singles in the mixtape, “My Beyonce” featuring Dej Loaf was released to build hype about the mixtape. The song peaked at number 21 on the US Rap Chart and it ignited his love affair with Dej Loaf.

He also released under album entitled “Lil Durk 2x” under Dem Jam Records. Durk Bank released a fresh single titled “She Just Wanna” featuring TY Dolla Sign to build hype before the album’s release. Sadly, the album didn’t do better than his debut album but reached 4th position on the US Rap chart, 5th place on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart.

He left Dem Jam Records a move many considered risky for his young career. As an independent and unsigned artist, Durk dropped a new mixtape dubbed “They Forgot”. A couple of months later, he signed a record deal with Interscope Records in 2018. Interscope Records gave Durk an enabling environment and support he lacked at Def Jam.

Under Interscope, Lil Durk released music projects like “Signed to The Streets 3” and “Love Songs 4 the Streets 2”. The mixtape peaked at number 57 and became the first non-project to gain entry on the Billboard top 200. Love for the Streets 2 generated the hype and buzz that Duke craved from his second album, “Lil Durk 2x”. The album gave him the impression that he had the talent and creativity to make a critically acclaimed album or mixtape, and this brought him more recognition and respect in the industry.

He kept building momentum and in May 2020, Durk dropped his 2nd highest chart-topping single titled “3 Headed Goat” featuring Polo G and Lil Baby. The sing reached 2nd place on the Billboard top 200. Later that summer, he collaborated with Canadian rapper, Drake on a song “Laugh Now Cry Later”, which became his highest chart-topping single. The song debuted at #2 on the Billboard top 200 and was nominated in the 63rd annual Grammy awards in the “Best Melodic Performance and “Best Rap Song” category.

Since 2015, Lil Durk has released more than five music albums and ten mixtapes inclusive), including “Signed to the Streets 3 (2018)”, “Love songs 4 the Streets 2 (2019)”, Viral Moment”, “Supa Vultures”, “Bloodas”, “Durkio Krazy”, “Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 (2020)”, “The Voice (2020)”. His sixth studio album “The Voice” made it to number 1 place on the Billboard top 200 and was a great way to end the crazy year of 2020.

In March 2022. Lil Durk released his 7th studio album, 7220. The 18-track album features guest performances from Summer Walker, Morgan Wallen, Gunna, and Future.

Lil Durk has been involved in hip-hop controversies and beef with The Game, Tyga, Chief Keef, Lil Reese, and King L. His remix of Nicki Minaj’s “Chiraq” received a lot of attention, and it features Shy Glizzy and Meek Mill.

Despite his young age, Lil Durk has been successful with his music releases and collaborated with popular music stars like Drake, 21 Savage, Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Baby, Lil ‘Reese, and Polo G, to mention but a few. In 2021, he made a guest appearance on Ye’s (Kanye West) 10th studio album dubbed “Donda”.

Lil Durk and King Von

Lil Durk and King Von are close friends who grew up in the violent streets of Chicago. After his release from jail, King Von linked up with Durk to put him through the music business. Lil Durk mentored King Von and signed him to OTF. Both artists collaborated on several tracks, notably “All These Niggas” and “Still Trapping”.

King Von released several music projects under the Only The Family (OTF) crew. His buzzing career was terminated on November 6, 2020, when he was shot dead outside a nightclub in Atlanta.