genre hiphop

It’s not that “Late Checkout” is a bad song. In fact, both Durk and Hunxho are in their bag as they skate along this sensual ode to their significant others. It’s just that a song so literally and viscerally about having good sex arriving so late in an album this vulnerable ultimately feels out of place. Durk spends the project’s first 11 songs speaking on the loss of family, friends, his struggle with addiction, his paranoia and more. By the time “Late Checkout” arrives, it just feels rather…late.

Notice I said 11 songs, not 12. Again, it’s not like “Can’t Hide It” is a bad song. Jhené came through and did her thing, which makes sense considering the beat sounds like something pulled straight out of her Souled Out era. However, it just doesn’t quite fit the mood of the album. “Can’t Hide It” serves as one of the only light moments on Deep Thoughts, but listening to Durk croon about kissing toenails is slightly jarring after listeners spent 11 songs traversing the heavier themes on the album.

“Wonderin’ Again” is smooth as ice, and puts a nice emphasis on Durk’s melodic side, but it’s just too short to have any lasting impact. Compared to the other great tracks on the album that come before it and after it, “Wonderin’ Again” is just too brief to pack a punch.

“Untouchable” feels more like an exit-lude to “Monitoring Me,” and Durk packs some serious heat into its brief track. It’s just that when held up to the other excellent songs on the album, this song’s brief runtime keeps “Untouchable” from really taking flight.

Lil Durk sticks to his award-winning formula on “Soul Bleed,” spitting emotional bars about his struggles over an electric guitar and some moving piano keys. The short song eventually gets buried underneath the quality that comes after it, but longtime Durk supporters will likely connect with “Soul Bleed” just as they have to similar songs of his in the past.

Future and Lil Durk sound great together, treating “They Want To Be You” almost as the antithesis to “All My Life.” Together, Pluto and Durk rap about their adoring fans and how young people’s drive to be just like them makes them insecure and uncomfortable. While both rappers come through and do their thing, the song doesn’t quite catch the way previous collabs of theirs have, such as “Last Name” and “Petty Too.” It left me wanting to like this song more than I did.

Lil Durk taps back into his drill music roots with “Monitoring Me,” one of the only braggadocious tracks on the album. While “Monitoring Me” pivots from the emotional catharsis that fills most of the album, Durk offers up some seriously venomous bars on here the expense of his opps. “You know that money be different, they come to your building to kill you and the doorman/I was a Jeezy fan, but I was seein’ red, ain’t build me a snowman,” Durk raps. For fans hungry for the old Durk, “Monitor Me” will scratch that itch and then some.

“Shaking When I Pray” serves as the perfect palate cleanser for Deep Thoughts. Anyone heading into the tape thinking radio-friendly bangers like “Stand by Me” await them will be quickly reminded that Durk, first and foremost, is a street poet. “I know I past it, but I get mad when they say I don’t do s—t for the streets,” Durk spits. While better songs await, the ominous tone set by “Shaking When I Pray” doesn’t let up, helping fans quickly adjust with a vulnerable intro that sets up the rest of the album beautifully.

For listeners who may be a bit in their feelings at this point in the album, “Think You Glowed” feels like a shot of adrenaline. The beat is rambunctious, the bass trunk-rattling, and as Durk glides seamlessly across it, he searches for motivation amidst all the trauma that’s polluted his life. “I ain’t make it far to ever see what college is/Feel like a Grammy, givin’ out them scholarships,” he raps. Elsewhere, he tries to turn his trials and tribulations into a happy ending, something he’s continuing to do while behind bars. “Always see me smirkin’, but my heart scarred/I’m one of the strongest on Allah Akbar/You think I’m a menace, I’m really a rockstar,” he raps.

“Think You Glowed” serves as a turning point for Durk at this point in Deep Thoughts, as it shows him trying to reckon with his past and build something better from the ashes.

“Notebook (No Hook)” is more like a journal entry for Durk, who pens some gut-wrenching bars about a betrayal he experienced while down on his luck. “Told you, I lost it all/ You ain’t even come call/ Watchin’ story from a fake page and I seen ’em shoppin’ at the mall/ Told him I need a handout, he ain’t respond to me at all,” Durk raps. “Notebook (No Hook)” feels more like a moment of catharsis for Durk, who seems more intent on reflecting on past frustrations than crafting a structured song.

This song will motivate anyone listening to “turn up a notch.” Durk skates over 808 Mafia’s crisp beat, as he admits he had to go harder during a big slump in his career and how he ultimately turned it into a Grammy victory last year. “Turn Up a Notch” offers another nice break from Deep Thoughts‘ gloominess, and will inspire fans to get up and go get it.

“Alhamdulillah” shows how colorful and complex a writer Lil Durk really his. Merging his Muslim faith with tales about his trauma, Durk speaks on his struggle to quit popping pills, having to pay for funeral services with cash because he has no insurance, and what it feels like to strive for greatness against all odds. It’s a powerful track that showcases Durk’s knack for great penmanship.

Durk again does his thing on “Opportunist,” as he both calls out the opps and continues to mourn the loss of his loved ones. “I don’t take back nothin’ when I say it, when I dissed him/ Even though he dead, I read our thread, cause I miss him,” Durk croons. There are many bars on “Opportunist” that will likely be put under a microscope by devout fans, but at face value, the song is a classic Durk track.

Perfectly balancing Lil Durk’s blend of raw emotion and braggadocious poetry, “Vanish Mode” puts listeners in a chokehold and doesn’t let up. The beat is hypnotic and menacing, but Durk sounds like he’s finally having a good time as he raps about his cars, money, and bountiful love interests.

The second track of Durk’s Deep Thoughts finds the Chicago rapper penning some seriously vulnerable bars. While the hook is distressingly catchy, Durk owns up to his addictions in a harrowing way. He speaks on how his relationship with drugs nearly ruined his actual relationships, and he owned up to the fact that trying to get clean in rehab was a terrifying ordeal. “She told me if I keep sippin’, ain’t no need to get married/ My first day havin’ withdrawals, couldn’t believe, it was scary,” he says. Lil Durk’s penmanship here is top-notch, as he opens up about a topic many rappers don’t discuss.

Over a silky collage of gospel loops and hi-hats courtesy of Metro Boomin, Lil Durk closes out his album with a bang. In Deep Thoughts‘ closing moments, Durk acknowledges the tough situation he’s in and admits to everyone, including himself, that he doesn’t know why he remains tied to gang life. “This s—t get ugly,” he calls out on the hook, “I don’t know why I love the streets.” It’s a powerful end to one of Durk’s most personal albums in recent memory.

“1000 Times” highlights Lil Durk and Lil Baby’s seamless chemistry, proving why they’re one of the best rap duos in the game. “100 Times” not only includes some stellar songwriting from both rappers, but emphasizes each rapper’s signature styles — Durk’s melodic delivery and Baby’s rapid-fire, confident flow. Their back-and-forth dynamic feels effortless as they lyrically reflect on struggles, success, the weight of loyalty, and how it feels knowing their darkness inspires greatness in others. Their natural synergy makes “1000 Times” an undeniable banger.