Lil Durk has been singing for a lot longer than some of his peers, and on "Public Housing," a highlight from his new Just Cause Y'all Waited project, he's making it clear just how much experience as a melodic vocalist he has. Structured like a rap song, Durk floats above the driving beat with soaring hooks that double and emotionally urgent verses. "I asked Allah can he give me guidance / Full of anger I was in out my mind / And I know this music is my soul passion / Last week I spent fifty thousand on my fashion," he says.
The project comes in the absence of Durk's Signed To The Streets 3, a project he's been teasing for months and months but has unfortunately not yet seen the light of day. It is unclear if the project will serve as his next proper album and follow-up to the underrated 206 LP Lil Durk 2x. The previous two installments in the Signed To The Streets trilogy, which many fans feel is the Chicago rapper's best work, were both released as free mixtapes. He recently announced his departure from Def Jam.
"I've been with Def Jam Records for five years and they gave me my first recording contract so for that I'm forever grateful, but I'm a different artist than I was five years ago, and the time is right for a change," he told Billboard. "At the same time, Def Jam is making changes in their offices and trying a new direction. I didn't want to be a part of another regime change."
If Just Cause Y'all Waited marks a new era for Durk, we're more than ready for it.
Quotable Lyrics:
I came from public houses to a mansion
I lost my family I was feelin' stranded
I seen my son he a throw a tantrum
Call a couple bitches cause I had no manners