Lil Darius is the epitome of a rising artist but one who seems wise beyond his years.

The 18-year-old Athens, Georgia native has had a busy year. In February, he released his project Gift Of The Ghetto, which served as sort of an introduction to the rapper and his story. Featuring Babyface Ray, Luh Tyler, Peezy and others, the effort was introspective and led him to reveal many of the vulnerabilities he has even as he’s still in his teenage years.

But Darius has grown up faster than the majority of people his age. When he was younger, he used to spend time with his father riding through the Georgia streets and highways listening to southern hip-hop greats like Jeezy, T.I. and Lil Wayne. It was during that period that he began to think that maybe being a rapper was something he should pursue.

“It kinda like shaped me like listening to music. Music inspire and influence you to do different things, so the music that I was listening to influenced me to do whatever else I was doing,” Darius told BET during a recent interview. “Then seeing them like how they lifestyle was it just made me want to go rap – they lit. When you young and you see somebody doing this and all the money, cars.”

Later on, Darius actually began testing out that dream by rapping with his friends. They in turn encouraged him to really begin taking things more seriously, which through dedication and focus, led to him signing a deal with Encore Recordings. Since, he already dropped two projects in 2022 with Small Town Hero and 17, and then followed that up with Gift Of The Ghetto.

“I really felt like a slow grind and like just putting in hard work, going day-by-day, growing and getting better,” says Darius. “Since it's so early and I’m so young, everything be a little fast or at the same time, like [I’m gaining] fans and taking pictures. It just be a good experience and be so cool.”

Now, as this year comes to an end, Lil Darius is updating his fans with a more fun outlook on his life, but one that is no less serious practically. Late last week, he released his latest album Yung N Turnt, which is perhaps his most complete and consistent to date. Helmed by Grammy nominated and in-demand producer Tay Keith, the project relays much of the fun and spoils of success that comes with being a teenage rapper with money.

The Nardo Wick-featured “Lamborghini Boys” is the epitome of this. On the song, Darius raps about the challenges of his younger years with bars like, “I grew up, had to teach myself, no guidance / We fresh to death, my headstone say no stylist.” And while he currently doesn’t have Lamborgini fleet money, the prospect of one in every color keeps him motivated. The song’s inspiration, much like others, he says comes from the various settings he’s been finding himself in since attaining growing stardom.

“I had just come back from Miami, [and there] you just have fun, get cars – Lamborghinis, Corvettes – and I came back and I felt like I had to pop it, like had to show what we was on,” Darius explains.

On working with Tay Keith, Darius notes that the producer helped keep him sharp and offered the challenge of working with someone who has the music business insight and experience that he does.

“Tay brought out a different type of vibe in me because like these beats are so different, so it was really kind of hard picking the beats when I was doing songs,” he describes. “I went out to Nashville where we worked fo two, three weeks and I did like 40 songs, and it was just trying to say like how the young wave is like, what I be on, lifestyle, it's just me.”

Overall, Lil Darius may still be unable to drink legally, but his rapid pace at project dropping within only the two years he’s been rapping professionally is nothing short of remarkable. Independently, he’s piled up tens of millions of views and streams across numerous platforms and is on a trajectory one would want to buy futures on. For the rapper himself, he’s just looking to remain consistent and build on what’s already worked for him.

“I feel like my sound’s growing, I'm learning more about music, my life everyday is changing, and it’s different stuff to talk about and growth, development, and learning,” he says. “Don't ever let anybody hold you up. I just be paying attention and learning and like getting up on game. This time next year it’ll be way different.”

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