20 of the Hardest Lil Durk Lyrics From His New Album, 'Almost Healed'

Lil Durk has come a long way. The drill forefather first rose to prominence over a decade ago and is now on the cusp of superstar status, as he releases his eighth solo album, Almost Healed. He’s been one of the hardest working and most consistent rap stars of the last few years and has ascended to the upper echelons of the rap game as a result. One of several Lil Durk lyrics that speaks to this moment is a bar from Almost Healed’s lead single, “All My Life.” 

“Some said I’d never be a superstar, but I know I’m different,” raps Durk on the J. Cole-assisted “Life” track. The Dr. Luke-produced song —which dropped just as some folks were questioning Durk’s hit-making abilities— debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest charting record featuring Durk as a lead artist.

Lil Durk stepped it up in a few ways for Almost Healed. The seasoned vet enlisted the help of Alicia Keys, Morgan Wallen, Future, Kodak Black, 21 Savage, as well as platinum producers such as ATL Jacob, Southside, Metro Boomin, Zaytoven and Wheezy. The Voice rapper revealed to DJ Akademics that even Ye was at one point heavily involved with the project that features artwork produced with A$AP Rocky's creative agency AWGE.  

Durk has been setting the path for this current stage of his career for a minute. From his standout appearances on songs with Drake, Ye, Coi Leray, Pooh Shiesty and plenty others to teaming up with Lil Baby for a joint album to making his love life a trending topic, Durk’s been showing everyone he's a certified star. Lil Durk lyrics can be heard anywhere in the inner city to a major festival. I’m projecting that he’ll easily have the biggest first week sales of his career, with opening sales between 175k - 250K copies.

The title of this new album, Almost Healed, speaks to Lil Durk’s growth as not only an artist, but more importantly as a man. Like J. Cole said, Durk is on “some positive shit.” And why shouldn’t he be? He’s been through enough already. 

Almost Healed is a testament to the maturation of the Chicago rapper. However, even though he has elevated over the years, the core elements of Durk are still very present. He hasn't switched up too much musically from what fans know him for. He’s just expanded his sound. His music has helped soundtrack the streets since he first hit the scene in the early 2010s, and he’s absolutely still delivering hard-hitting anthems to spin the block to.

As a fan since those early days, I remember Durk not always giving superstar vibes outright. Yet the times I interviewed him (for Life + Times in 2015 and for Revolt in 2017) I was convinced that he knew bigger things were on the way. Shout out to Durk for all that he has accomplished throughout his career and for delivering a real Album of the Year contender. 

We rounded up 20 of the hardest Lil Durk lyrics from Almost Healed. See which lines made the cut.