Chicago rapper
Lil Durk founded his
Only the Family collective in 2011, and from that time forward he regularly released joint mixtapes with members of the loosely joined crew in addition to projects under his own name. Comprised of talented lyricists and melodic vocalists like
King Von,
Booka600, Doddie Lo, Memo600, and others,
OTF grew from a loosely assembled group of friends to something resembling a more cohesive rap powerhouse as the membership shifted and new mixtapes came together. Family Over Everything is perhaps the most polished work to ever fall under the
OTF banner, with strong performances from each of the seven members, as well as great features from rappers outside of
OTF. Starting off with "Gang Forever," the mixtape presents itself as a messenger of Chicago's drill scene, merging melodic hooks, tense production and meaty verses from
Lil Durk, Jusblow600, and
King Von. The album stays largely in this mode, but there are multiple standout tracks. The
Polo G-featuring "Career Day" offers sticky melodies and lyrics about the struggle to rise from rags to riches that somehow match the beat's wistful production. "Blika Blika" is a tough, rolling blast of aggression and confrontation, and "Fake Love" finds
Lil Tjay stopping by to ride a more sentimental, introspective slow beat. ~ Fred Thomas