Lil Durk has announced his return with a new album called Deep Thoughts.
The Chicago rapper made the surprise announcement late Thursday (October 3), revealing the project’s title, release date and cover art on Instagram.
“Deep thoughts 10/18 for the people for the trenches smurk back [star and crescent emoji],” he wrote alongside the artwork, which depicts Durk floating above the ocean underneath the pensive glow of the moon.
His announcement was accompanied by an early preview of the album, with the OTF founder dropping a new single titled “Monitoring Me.”
Featuring ominous, piano-laced production from Southside, the track finds Smurk asserting his authority over his opps with lines like: “He said something in public, I got in his DMs and made him apologize.”
Check out the song’s accompanying video, along with the Deep Thoughts cover, below.
It was previously believed that Lil Durk’s next album was going to be Love Songs 4 the Streets 3 following an announcement earlier this year.
He wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in January: “Love songs 4 the streets 3 done…….. ima be on asap,” although eight months have passed since then.
While Durk has not yet revealed a 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.”
Through streamer Adin Ross, Durk also recently previewed a collaboration with Drake that saw the Canadian superstar rapping about lean.
“Discontinuing Wockhardt / What seal do I pop now? / What seal do I pop now? / What seal do I pop now? / You know that the Act’ gone, I can’t get no Wock now,” Drizzy says on the unreleased track, which appears to be titled ““Discontinuing Wockhardt.”
Durk himself has been open about his past issues with drug addiction.
Lil Durk Says His Criminal Record Has Been Wiped: ‘Everybody Should Get Second Chances’
Speaking to TMZ earlier this year, he revealed that he quietly went to rehab to kick his drug habit: “It helped me a lot. I want people to not run from it or be shy from it. It was tough at first but it ain’t that tough ’cause I really knew what I wanted. I knew what was holding me back.
“I wanted better. I wanted to be a better man, a better father, a better leader. I’m thinking clearer. My main goal is peace, being with the family and staying out of bullshit.”
The “All My Life” rapper also opened up about his mental state before he went to rehab: “I was moving fast, making excuses. I was letting the drugs take over me — like the codeine, Xanax. But it don’t make me.
“I just see myself staying on the right track and trying to change a lot of lives. This for the youth or the older people who wanna do better and feel like they embarrassed or like people gonna talk about them.”
