"Backdoor" is a song by American rapper

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...

, from his sixth studio album, ''

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'' . It was released as the third single, on December 21, 2020, three days before the album. The song is a tribute to Durk's labelmate and friend,

King Von Dayvon Daquan Bennett (August 9, 1994 – November 6, 2020), known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He was signed to Lil Durk's record label Only the Family and Empire Distribution. Early life Benn ...

, who was shot and killed outside an Atlanta nightclub in November 2020. The video sees Durk wearing Von's signature O'Block chain, which Von approved of before his death.

Background

Lil Durk and King Von were frequent collaborators, starting with 2019's "

Crazy Story "Crazy Story" is a song by American rapper King Von, released on December 6, 2018 as his debut single through Only the Family and Empire Distribution. The song is his breakout hit, and was followed by two sequels: "Crazy Story 2.0" and "Crazy Stor ...

" remix and "Twin Nem", and 2020's "

All These Niggas "All These Niggas" is a song by American rapper King Von featuring American rapper Lil Durk. It was released on August 5, 2020 as the second single and ninth track from Von's debut studio album ''Welcome to O'Block'' (2020). The song was produced ...

", "Baguette's" and "Down Me". Both artists hail from Chicago's

O'Block Parkway Gardens Apartment Homes is a privately-owned low-income apartment complex located on the border of Woodlawn and Washington Park. Chicago’s Woodlawn and Washington Park community areas are located on the South Side of Chicago, Illino ...

section. Von garnered notoriety through his affiliation with Durk. "Backdoor" honors Von who died in November 2020 at the age of 26 after being shot outside the Monaco Hookah Lounge in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

following a reported argument. The shootout resulted in the deaths of two men. "Backdoor" was released following Durk's one-month social media hiatus. He promoted the song with the hashtag #DoIt4Von.

Composition

Apart from the song being a tribute to King Von, it also sees Durk touch on his own personal struggles and cautioning on the dangers of running the streets. Over the piano-led instrumental, Durk references his success, fake love, and promises to make Von proud in the years to come.

Critical reception

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''s Rania Aniftos deemed it a "stirring" song. ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

''s Jordan Darville noted the video for being "an appropriately melancholy sight for a song with disappointment and betrayal simmering beneath the flexing".

Music video

The song's video accompanied its release. Directed by Jerry Production, it features a "subtle but touching" tribute to King Von. In the visual, Durk wears Von's signature O'Block chain, flaunting it in front of the camera. Prior to the song's release, Durk revealed in an

Instagram Stories Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can be ...

a text message conversation he and Von had, in which Durk informed Von that he would be filming the music video with the chain on that day, and Von replying that he will get it cleaned for him. Durk also sports the chain on the song's cover art. Furthermore in the video, he is also seen flaunting his riches, and pays tribute to his late cousin, OTF Nunu.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Lil Durk 2020 songs 2020 singles Lil Durk songs Geffen Records singles Songs written by Lil Durk