Lil King links with STAR BANDZ for new video single “Ain’t Mean To Hurt You”
Chicago-grown newcomer Lil King joins forces with fresh-faced Midwest rookie STAR BANDZ for their new single “Ain’t Mean To Hurt You” — out now along with an accompanying music video. A trap-heavy outing punctuated with sticky punchlines and smooth bravado (“Came up a bag, I lost it/Then I made it back/I’m just a spender”), the track finds Lil King trading razor-sharp bars with STAR BANDZ following her momentous breakout single “Yea Yea”.
Hailing from Chicago’s South Side, Lil King first began performing when he was just 12 years old, turning heads in his city’s flourishing drill scene for his ultra-personal writing style and comedic approach to the genre’s heavier overtones. Known for magnetic flows and unique visuals that have netted hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, he scored a viral hit with “Late (REMIX)” and soon landed a deal with Simple Stupid Records earlier this year. Lil King has since earned co-signs from longtime inspiration Lil Durk, Chuckyy, OTF, and YFG Fatso, the latter of whom he collaborated with on recent track “After Me”. Now with “Ain’t Mean To Hurt You” (feat. STAR BANDZ), Lil King is dialed in on his debut full-length project (out later this year) — and poised to become one of the Midwest’s must-listen new acts.
Please find links to stream “Ain’t Mean To Hurt You” (feat. STAR BANDZ) below, and stay tuned for more announcements to come:
WATCH
About Lil King:
Chicago rapper Lil King, signed by Simple Stupid Records earlier this year, hasn’t stopped performing since he first took the stage at age 12—now, he’s positioned to be up next far beyond his city. Taking a hint from the rich flows and weathered tales from the trenches of his longtime inspiration—and recent cosigner—Lil Durk, King builds verses around stories straight from his South Side childhood that couldn’t have been made elsewhere, by anyone else. In just a few months, his charismatic freestyles and carefully-crafted music videos have raked in hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, including the runaway hit “Late (REMIX)”.
He began his career working out verses with his uncle before developing the uber-personal writing style that’s catapulted him to the vanguard of melodic drill in one of America’s most important regional hip-hop ecosystems. Now, his platform just keeps growing, with engagement across TikTok and Instagram increasing consistently. Handling the preternatural responsibilities of a flourishing career in stride, King’s hunger in the booth and writing capabilities beyond freestyling set him apart from contemporaries, a top-to-bottom artist with the ferocity of a bygone era.
