While most kids are just focused on finishing high school at 17 years old, Lil Darius is already living out his dreams as a rapper and recording artist. Hailing from Athens, Georgia, an hour from Atlanta, Lil Darius is here to make it known he’s the “Small Town Hero,” putting his city on any chance he can. 

And when it comes to work ethic, no one is going harder than Lil Darius. As a teenager who only started rapping a year and a half ago, the rising star has already established a core fanbase, with his numbers on social media climbing daily. With a voice that cannot be overlooked, Darius creates from a heartfelt place, spitting nothing short of the truth in each of his releases.

Most recently, Lil Darius unveiled the official music video for “Me Vs Me,” featuring Lil Poppa. This follows a slew of bangers — including “Mud Brothers” featuring Slimelife Shawty, “Pipe It Up” featuring 21 Lil Harold, “Chosen,” and “Regular” featuring Rylo Rodriguez — leading up to Darius’ highly-anticipated debut project, arriving sometime this year.

AllHipHop spoke with Lil Darius in downtown Los Angeles to discuss his background, Top 5, how he linked with Slimelife Shawty, getting signed, connecting with Hunxho, and more!

AllHipHop: Do you feel 17?

Lil Darius: Sometimes I do, but not really because I don’t go to school or anything like that. I don’t even feel 17, I feel like I’m old. I feel old really. 

AllHipHop: What do you like to rap about? 

Lil Darius: I like to rap about what I’ve been through, what I have going on at the time or at the moment. However I’m feeling, I rap like that. I rap about something that happened in the past. I really rap about my feelings, what’s going on. If I’m feeling turnt right then and there, that’s what I’ll rap about. 

AllHipHop: I know you’re from Athens, Georgia. What does it mean to be a “Small Town Hero”?

Lil Darius: “Small Town Hero,” I’m trying to give everyone from my area inspiration. I’m the first person to do it out of that section, out my side. I’m trying to put on for my city, and show I broke us out. 

AllHipHop: Your voice is so unique, how would you describe your sound?

Lil Darius: I guess I got a melodic pain sound sometimes, then I could get on some hardcore street rap/trap rap. I be on anything, however I’m feeling. 

AllHipHop: Who’s your Top 5 all-time? 

Lil Darius: Youngboy, Lil Baby, Rod Wave, Lil Wayne, and… hmmm. I’ma say Durk. I’ma give it to Durk.

AllHipHop: You got a favorite NBA Youngboy song? 

Lil Darius: Favorite Youngboy song right now is “Fresh Prince of Utah,” recent new song on his new tape. I really like that one, that s### so hard. 

AllHipHop: What’s your recording process? 

Lil Darius: I be punching in. I punch in. I’ll listen to the beat, I might mumble something. I’ll get a sound that I want to go with, and I’ll go punch it in. 

AllHipHop: Why are you “Chosen”?

Lil Darius: Everybody don’t get this chance. I feel like I’m chosen. Since I got the chance, I’m the golden child. It’s so many people in the world, why me out of all people? To get a chance, to get something like this. I feel like I’m chosen. 

AllHipHop: Describe the moment where you decided to be a rapper.

Lil Darius: When I decided I wanted to be a real real rapper, was when I made a song with Slimelife Shawty. I started getting a lot of love from the city because a lot of people don’t get features like that. For my first couple of songs, for that to be a feature, it gave me that momentum. Everybody in the city was with me, so I said I gotta do it. 

AllHipHop: Did you whip up “Mud Brothers” from scratch? 

Lil Darius: Yeah, I made it a day before he came to the studio, and I left it open. It sounded like something Durk could get on. I was talking about my bros. I was talking about them, and said “perfect dude, Slimelife.” My manager B Rich, he said “S###, I used to manage Slimelife. I can get him to pull up.” 

AllHipHop: Wow, you said it out loud and he made it happen?

Lil Darius: Yeah, that be happening a lot. Everything we put into play, Rich be like “oh I know his manager.” He called him like “pull up on me tomorrow, we gon’ be here again.” He pulled up, we did the song, he ripped the verse then we did the video. Straight like that.

AllHipHop: Best memory from the video shoot?

Lil Darius: Probably when we were on the steps. We were taking pictures and he said “lil bro, all you have to do is stay hungry and stay focused. Everything will fall into play.” Ever since he told me that, everything was going up. 

AllHipHop: “Me Vs Me” out now featuring Lil Poppa, how’d you guys link?

Lil Darius: Me and Lil Poppa, everybody was saying we sounded alike on TikTok. I don’t hear it though. They said I was copying his style and everything. When they said that, I’m like s###, why not get him on a song? So did the song, I posted it on Instagram. I said tag him, he just replied to it. He commented under it and said “say less, send it.” We set It up, shot the video. S### be falling into place sometimes, it’s crazy. 

AllHipHop: Where’d you guys shoot the video? 

Lil Darius: It was a little warehouse place. It’s a courtroom scene and all that, I don’t know where the spot is, I don’t even remember. [laughs] I was tired. He’s hard though, he just signed to CMG. I think he was under Interscope.

AllHipHop: How does it feel to be signed so early in your career?

Lil Darius: It feels good. It’s a blessing. Everybody doesn’t get this chance, so it’s a blessing for sure. 

AllHipHop: What’s next? You about to drop a project?

Lil Darius: I’m finna drop two tapes. We finna go pick it out today actually, I’m going to meet with my label today. We’re going to pick out the first tape. 

AllHipHop: That must be fun.

Lil Darius: Yeah, it’s going to be fun. We get to meet with a lot of folks, have listening parties and all that. All the hard work I’ve been putting in, I have so many songs I haven’t dropped. We’re about to finally go ahead and start dropping for everybody. Finna go hard.

AllHipHop: You got a song with Hunxho as well?

Lil Darius: Yeah, me, Hunxho, and Lil PJ. The song was already made. I was in the studio with Hunxho and PJ one night, this was two months before I even got on the song. The song was already made, they’re in there recording. I was with PJ, I pulled up on Lil PJ because PJ f### with me strong. We in there, I chop it up with Hunxho. 

They did the song and they were finna get Unc Funk on it. I didn’t say nothing about it or whatever. I ended up recording with Lil PJ that day. Two months later, PJ sent me the verse like “get on this song.” I said, I was in there when y’all made it! I got on the song, we shot the video the same week. Went ahead and knocked it out. Me and Hunxho locked in, I f### with Hunxho for sure. 

AllHipHop: He has that record “Let’s Get It” going crazy!

Lil Darius: Yeah, in the clubs! Everybody knows that. As soon as they play it, fasho.

AllHipHop: What is it about Lil Darius that fans love?

Lil Darius: A lot of girls like me, no cocky s###. [laughs] They be f###### with my music. I think they like my punchlines, that’s how I try to rap though. 

AllHipHop: What inspires you the most?

Lil Darius: I get inspired when my fans show me love. When I get seen in public and they start going crazy, that’s what makes me go 10 times harder. Okay, somebody noticed me. When I be walking and nobody really knows what’s going on, that makes me go hard too because it’s someone else who needs to know who I am. I just wanna go hard. 

AllHipHop: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Lil Darius: 10 years, I’m trying to have a couple Grammys, Platinum records. Big mansion in LA and Beverly Hills. Tying to be super turnt, everybody in my circle. I’m trying to be able to put everybody on in 10 years. Everybody around me.

AllHipHop: Do you have a dream collab? 

Lil Darius: Lil Baby and Youngboy. 

AllHipHop: All on one track?

Lil Darius: I would like that, but I ain’t gon’ go for it like that. I’ll split it up, I just want both of them. I gotta get both of them features. Once I get them, it’s gon’ make me feel good. It’ll make me feel like I did something. 

AllHipHop: What’s it gonna take to get that? 

Lil Darius: Hard work. I gotta keep working hard, get them to notice me.