Photo Credit: Justin Kim / AWAL
Lil Durk is relaunching his label venture, OTF Entertainment, announcing a new partnership with record company AWAL.
Rapper Lil Durk is embarking once more on his entrepreneurial pursuits, announcing a partnership with record company AWAL to relaunch his label venture, OTF (Only The Family). The partnership sees OTF benefitting from AWAL’s infrastructure and artist development expertise.
The Chicago native will serve as CEO of the label, joined by longtime collaborator Cedrick “SB” Earsery as COO. The duo will collaborate with AWAL leadership and A&R, including CEO Lonny Olinick and SVP/Head of Urban Music Norva Denton.
“Durk has long established himself as a cultural leader in the A&R space,” said Olinick. “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with him and OTF during his evolution as an executive.”
“Providing a venture home for OTF and my brother Durk after starting our careers together in Chicago is truly a full-circle moment for the ages,” adds Denton, who worked as Durk’s West Coast Regional Director in 2012, and initially got started with Def Jam.
“This move was about winning as a family, never business,” says Lil Durk. “I’m excited to flood the streets with music!”
The first OTF single as part of the new partnership, “GTA,” by Lil Durk’s personal DJ, DJ Bandz, will be released Friday (May 10). The track features Rob 49, Skilla Baby, and Fivio Foreign.
Founded in 2012 by Lil Durk, OTF is deeply rooted in the Chicago music scene. The label rose to prominence alongside Lil Durk with the success of his breakout hit, “Dis Ain’t What You Want.”
OTF has served as a starting point for artists like the late King Von. Alongside Durk, OTF has also launched the Neighborhood Heroes Foundation, which works to establish meaningful change in underprivileged neighborhoods.
The relaunch comes on the heels of the label and Durk facing a lawsuit filed in December by Exceed Talent Capital, which alleges that Durk, his manager, and OTF committed “manifest fraud” related to a deal over the rights to his song, “Bedtime.”
AWAL offers a unique model for independent artists, providing the resources and reach of a major label while enabling artists to retain ownership and creative control of their music. Their roster includes deadmau5, Disclosure, Lil Peep, Young the Giant, Jungle, mxmtoon, Laufey, and many more. AWAL has also supported the careers of artists like Finneas, Kim Petras, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
