Nightmares In the Trenches

One thing about a Chicago drill rapper: They bring the whole team with them. After blowing up in the early 2010s with hits like “L’s Anthem” and “Dis Ain’t What U Want”, Lil Durk included his Only the Family collective in his joint-venture deal. A decade later, he remains the brightest star of the massively influential crew from Chicago’s South Side, and the OTF team’s still with him (though sadly without its next-biggest name, the late King Von). Nightmares in the Trenches is Durk and OTF’s sixth compilation album, and while the squad’s secondary members contribute the flinty, workingman’s drill that fans have come to expect, the curveball here comes from Durk himself. On “Smurk Carter”, he pulls off a worthy homage to Lil Wayne in his mid-2000s prime, dropping lyrical references to “Duffle Bag Boy” and recreating scenes from “Hustler Muzik” in the video.