Lil Durk has announced his return with new album “Deep Thoughts”.
The Chicago rapper made the surprise announcement late Thursday (October 3), unveiling the project’s title, release date, and cover art on Instagram.
“Thoughtful Thoughts for the Men in the Trenches10/18 [star and crescent emoji],” he wrote alongside the artwork, which depicts Duke floating above the ocean in pensive moonlight.
His announcement comes with an early preview of the album, with the OTF founder releasing a new single titled “Monitoring Me.”
The song features Southside’s ominous piano accompaniment, with Smurk asserting his authority over his opponent with lines like: “He said something in public and I sent him a private message asking him to apologize.”
Check out the song’s accompanying video and “Deep Thoughts” cover below.
Following the announcement earlier this year, it was previously thought that Lil Durk’s next album would be Love Songs 4 the Streets 3.
In January, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Love Song 4 Street 3 is finished… I will launch it as soon as possible,” even though eight months had passed since then.
While Duke has yet to reveal the tracklist for “Deep Thoughts,” he has released a number of other potential singles, including “Turn Up a Notch,” “Went Hollywood For a Year,” and “Old Days.”
Via streamer Adin Ross, Durk also recently previewed a collaboration with Drake, which will see the Canadian superstar rap around Lean.
“Stop Wockhart/What seals do I break now?/What seals do I break now?/What seals do I break now?/You know, ‘The Bill’ is gone, I can’t hear Walker now,” Drizzy said on the unreleased song, which appears to be titled “Stop Wockhart.”
Duke himself has been open about his past addiction issues.
Lil Durk says his criminal record has been expunged: ‘Everyone deserves a second chance’
Earlier this year, he revealed in an interview with TMZ that he quietly went to rehab: “It helped me a lot. I hope people don’t run away from it or shy away from it. It’s hard at first, but it’s not that hard because I really know what I want and I know what’s holding me back.
“I wanted to be better. I wanted to be a better person, a better father, a better leader. I thought more clearly that my main goals were to be at peace, to be with my family, to stay away from the bullshit.
The “My Life” rapper also opened up about his mental state before going to rehab: “I was quick, making excuses. I let the drugs take over me – like codeine, Xanax. But that doesn’t make me I.
“I just see myself on the right track and trying to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives. This is for people young or old who want to do better, feel embarrassed about themselves, or like people talking about them.
