Lil Durk and Stray Kids Heal on “All My Life” Remix

Better known by his stage name “Lil Durk,” Durk Derrick Banks’s most recent album, Almost Healed, features collaborations with artists like Alicia Keys, 21 Savage, and J. Cole. The lead single, “All My Life,” features three collaborators on the song: J. Cole, Burna Boy, and Stray Kids.   

Stray Kids, also recognized as SKZ, is a K-Pop boy group comprised of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. Bang Chan created the group and personally selected the members. Stray Kids debuted on March 25, 2018, following their formation in 2017 on a reality show of the same name produced by JYP Entertainment. 

The group consists of three subgroups: 3Racha, DanceRacha, and VocalRacha. 3Racha is Stray Kids’ producing team that creates all the music. Although all three subgroups work on songwriting, 3Racha is most involved and collaborates with many people. DanceRacha focuses on dancing, while VocalRacha consists of the main vocalists. 

Stray Kids’ first two songs were “Hellevator,” which was released as a digital single from their pre-debut EP, "Mixtape," in January 2018, and their debut song, "District 9," which was released on their debut day. Their latest work is their 3rd full-length album titled 5-Star, which arrived this year. In addition to their album, the group also released their Japanese language EP titled “Social Path / Super Bowl - Japanese Ver.” Their new EP “Rock-Star” comes out later this month.

“All My Life” by Lil Durk and Stray Kids is a standout due to the lyrics and message reflecting the stories of how both artists became the performers and people they are today. 

The chorus examines how life was challenging for both Lil Durk and Stray Kids, but it has motivated them to work harder to become the popular and well-known artists they are today. 

At the beginning of the song, Seungmin of Stray Kids sings, “All my life I’ve been runnin’ alone in space and time, I see them come and go.” This lyric reminds me of the struggle experienced by the leader of Stray Kids, Bang Chan. In one interview, he talked about how, during his seven years of training to debut as an idol, he had friends that either debuted, went to different companies, or left the music industry altogether– witnessing them come and go. He did not have anyone until the members of Stray Kids met him. 

Lil Durk worked hard to get his name out there on social media when it was starting to become an essential tool. He struggled with his father’s incarceration since he was seven months old and became a father at 19.

Looking at where the artists are now and how far they've come is inspiring. The song conveys a message of hope that things will get better.

Lil Durk is set to release a new album soon filled with 13 tracks.

This month, Stray Kids will release a new EP Rock-Star with eight new tracks. It's rumored that the comeback theme has a more rock-type feel this time.

I love the song and am excited to hear more from both artists!