Lil Durk returns with his new single “Old Days”, as fans await his highly anticipated new album Love Songs 4 the Streets 3. While the album doesn’t have a release date yet, “Old Days” is an excellent addition to Durk’s discography that should not only hold fans over until the new tape drops but also build additional hype for the Chicago native’s upcoming project.

“Old Days” sees Durk discussing familiar topics, namely the pitfalls of fame, friends and family that take advantage of him, the trauma of dead confidants, and Durk’s wishes for peace despite understanding that the violence in his hometown will not stop until the root causes are addressed.

“Old Days” review

Durk begins the song by talking about family, noting his appreciation for those who don’t use him for his money and fame, and saying that he is more willing to give financial support to those who don’t ask for it or use him.

Durk says, “You know, I been talkin' to my family on group FaceTime. They don't ask me for nothin', they just tell me that they miss me, know what I'm sayin'? I be, I be tellin' 'em it ain't about money, but I'ma send it anyways. Know what I'm sayin'? I love y'all.”

Durk sticks to his tried and true formula

In the first verse, Durk laments the way that money has changed how people in his life view him. He continues to talk about people who turned on him over money or jealousy, rapping “How many n****s I used to f**k with told me f**k me over money?”

He talks about his disdain for gang members and leaders who testified against codefendants and are back around the city as well as the lengths his friends would go to defend his name, saying “The older rats got out before unc” and they around here like it’s nothing,” followed by, “Said the block gon get on his a**, that’s why he ain’t never make a comment.”

Another topic Durk touches on is the passing of his friend and fellow rapper King Von. Lil Durk gets honest and shares the trauma he felt, singing “The autopsy of Von body had me coughing up my vomit.”

Durk’s flow in the first verse is energetic but also features the melodies that fans have come to know him for. This song features brutally honest lyrics from Durk as he opens up about his past life as a drug dealer and how selling drugs led him down a path of drug abuse and addiction.

He shows vulnerability as he addresses his attempts to resist going to rehab, rapping, “I miss the old days, the old ways, my history iconic / I was takin' so many pills, I was so high, I really abused it / Started sellin' Percs, I turned around and started to use it / Took my name off rehab, I replaced my name with Doodie's.”

Midway through the first verse, Durk cuts the beat and delivers one simple line where he is just talking, rather than rapping. “Ain’t lied yet about nothin’.” The brief pause makes it sound as if Durk will be leading to an interlude or chorus. However, the verse continued.

Durk gets more personal and discusses his goals and how he views them as unattainable. This is the most notable part of the song, as he raps, “I wish I could stop the war, I really wanna live in peace / I wish I could stop the war, but it’s too late for them to speak / I want the politics in my pocket, I wanna treat the ‘Raq like Meek.”

However, he immediately follows that up by saying “But it’s me, I’ll do everything to show them I ain’t weak / I’m the streets, who ever thought I’d make a million off of beats?”

In the second verse, Durk briefly gets political, talking about the disparities in adequate emergency care equipment in neglected, impoverished neighborhoods with high crime rates such as Englewood and O-Block on the South Side of Chicago, noting, “Don’t get shot on my block cause St. Bernard ain’t got no trauma unit.”

Durk shouts out his incarcerated friend RondoNumbaNine, rapping “Rondo mama know I love her even though I ain’t been talkin’ to her.” Rondo was a former member of the 600 set of the Black Disciples gang and an aspiring rapper. He was also a close friend of Durk’s, who helped the upcoming artist gain some traction in the industry through features and promotions.

Shortly after Rondo had a potential breakout song in “Hang Wit Me,” he was arrested on murder charges in Chicago. Rondo was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 39 years behind bars.

Before the second verse ends, Lil Durk briefly goes back to the theme of rappers being unable to stop the violence, saying “The killers gotta step in to stop the violence, can’t no rappers do it.”

Should you listen to “Old Days”?

Overall, “Old Days” is an excellent addition to Durk’s catalog. He relies heavily on his strengths for this track and sticks to the formula that fans know and love.

Durk’s flow is impeccable and makes for a smooth and easy listening experience. His lyrical content is deep and addresses the conflicting sides of his life story that fans love him for. This song also features the brutal honesty and attention to detail that has earned Durk his nickname “The Voice of the Streets,” as his music brings a voice to those who are otherwise voiceless.

“Old Days” is a prototypical Lil Durk song. While it is nice to hear Durk expand and try new things, it’s difficult to argue with the results when he sticks to what he does best. “Old Days” sounds like a lot of other Durk songs, but the hunger in his voice is there, and Durk’s emotional lyrics along with his excellent flows are an incredible combination.

As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Grade: A-