Lil Derik has shared a fresh EP, titled Red Dragon. From the South Side of St. Louis, Lil Derik moves between two worlds. By day he’s a substitute teacher and basketball coach. By night he’s one of the city’s sharpest independent hip-hop voices. Raised on the words of Rakim, 2Pac, OutKast, and Wayne, he started rapping in high school and formed the collective “More Than Music” with his closest friends.
After graduating and heading to Mizzou, he created Huey vs. Riley: The Mixtape in 2018, a release that quietly became a local cult classic. In the years since, he’s built an impressive body of work with five solo albums, four collaborations, thirteen EPs, and countless singles, all leading to his 2025 studio album Enter The Dragon, released on his twenty-seventh birthday.
The project opened doors. Festivals, co-headlining shows, a Connect The Dots freestyle, and a spot in the 2025 St. Louis Freshmen Class all followed. Now, with momentum at his back, Lil Derik begins the next chapter, starting with Red Dragon, a three-track EP crafted alongside UK producer Brey10.
Lil Derik weaves together potent, poetic lines filled with hard-earned introspection, resting them gently in Brey10’s warm and textured soundscape. His lyricism feels lived-in and honest, soulful without trying to be and focused without ever feeling forced, with a butter-smooth flow that glides across every beat he touches.
The EP opens with “Buick Lesabre,” carried by laid-back, silky loops that feel like a slow drive through familiar streets. Derik’s verses move with a graceful ease, blending memory, reflection, and calm confidence into something intimate and effortless.
“Fall In Love” follows and widens the world of the project. Expansive sampling and organic grooves create a vibrant backdrop for Derik’s raw and engaging flow. He shifts between vulnerability and swagger with natural rhythm, making it one of the project’s standout moments.
The EP closes with “Til Death Do Us Part,” a cathartic finale built on rising, evocative instrumentation. Here, Derik sharpens his pen, offering pensive lines that linger long after the track fades. It is a closer that reaffirms his voice, his craft, and the emotional clarity he brings to every release.
Together, the three tracks form a vivid and soulful snapshot of where Lil Derik stands today: grounded, expressive, and fully locked into his artistry.
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ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 