''Life Ain't No Joke'' is a
mixtape
A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...
by American hip hop recording artist
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 ...
; hosted by DJ Moondawg and DJ Victoriouz. It was released on October 19, 2012, by his independently record label
OTF. The mixtape features guest appearances from
French Montana
Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...
,
Soulja Boy
DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence, after his self published debut single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peake ...
and
Yo Gotti
Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...
. As of October 31st, 2022, the mixtape has been downloaded over 259,000 times on
DatPiff and is certified platinum.
Reception
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
's Jordan Sargent noted that Lil Durk, unlike fellow Chicago rappers
Chief Keef
Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...
and
Lil Reese
Tavares Lamont Taylor (born January 6, 1993), known professionally as Lil Reese, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Hailing from Chicago's drill scene in the early 2010s, he is known for his collaborations with fellow rappers Chief ...
, "leans heavily on one under-discussed aspect of drill music: Autotune, and drowning music in it." Sargent remarked that several songs on the mixtape make use of the effect "to no real positive outcome", with the exceptions of "Right Here" and, in particular, "Molly Girl", which he called "one of the tape's clear highlights."
[
] In an interview with ''
The Morning News'', Durk said that singing on such tracks as "Molly Girl" makes him more versatile than the average rapper. "I think I can switch up any type of genre song," he says. "If I knew about country, I can make a country song."
[
] Corban Goble of
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
wrote: "''Life Ain’t No Joke'' is a great title for this set of songs; while there’s this urgency instilled in these teenagers by the dire circumstances of their upbringing, the threat of falling in with the wrong people and finding yourself at the front end of a life sentence always looms above them."
[
]
Track listing
References
External links
''Life Ain't No Joke''at
DatPiff
2012 mixtape albums
Lil Durk albums
{{2010s-hiphop-album-stub