Lil Durk’s incarceration hasn’t stopped his music output. The Chicago rapper released his Deep Thoughts album from behind bars on Friday (March 28).
With Durk behind bars inside MDC Los Angeles, his management team picked up the slack to piece together his 20-track Deep Thoughts album with his blessing. The project features assists from Future, Lil Baby, Hunxho and Jhené Aiko.
It’s Durk’s first album since 2023’s Almost Healed. The 32-year-old continued to gain momentum heading into the project as the RIAA announced on Thursday (March 27) that Durk earned another 53 certifications.
“With 53 new RIAA certifications, @lildurk has cemented himself with the most Hip-Hop certifications in 2025 and secured a place among the top 50 artists of all time with 52.5 million units,” the RIAA wrote to X.
Durk’s team gave fans a look into his creative process with the release of a Deep Thoughts mini documentary, which showcased the rapper’s journey crafting the process as well as the communication with his team from behind bars.
“It’s gonna be more than just is a song good or great? You gotta be like, ‘Boy, the album is nominated for a Grammy.’ We gotta start thinking in that box and get out the little box of thinking,” Durk says to open the doc. “This s–t deeper than that. This s–t really Deep Thoughts.”
Lil Durk was arrested in October 2024 on federal murder-for-hire charges. Prosecutors allege Durk’s involvement in a 2022 shooting targeting rapper Quando Rondo, which ended up killing another individual. He faces trial in October 2025.
Stream Deep Thoughts below.
