Lil Durk remains locked up in Los Angeles facing federal murder-for-hire charges, but that’s not stopping him from building OTF into something bigger than ever.
Over 410 days in custody since his October 2024 arrest, the Chicago rapper’s legal battle continues with his trial now scheduled for August 25, 2026, yet his team is moving forward with a major restructuring that signals confidence in what’s coming next.
Cedrick “SB” Earsery, who’s been running operations behind the scenes as COO, just got promoted to CEO of Only The Family, and he’s making it clear this isn’t a holding pattern while Durk fights his case.
Earsery’s been with Durk since they were coming up on Chicago’s South Side, and he’s got the resume to back up the promotion.
He negotiated Durk’s 2012 Def Jam deal, spent time as VP of A&R at Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group, and brokered the OTF x Sony AWAL distribution deal in 2024.
Last year he spearheaded the rollout of Durk’s Deep Thoughts album and founded NuKool Multimedia Creative Collective, so this move makes sense for someone who’s been the real engine behind the label’s growth.
“Only The Family has always been rooted in exactly that, family. Everything we’ve built, every door we’ve opened, stems from that foundation. My mission as CEO is to bring it back to its truest form: creating hope and real opportunity for young people in inner cities and beyond, showing them that no matter where you come from, your path doesn’t have to define your ceiling,” Earsery said in a statement.
The expansion goes way beyond just music now. OTF is moving into artist management and development, sports partnerships, philanthropy, and television and film production, which means the label’s footprint is about to get a lot wider.
What makes this move significant is the timing and the message it sends.
Earsery’s not just keeping the lights on while Durk’s away, he’s actively restarting the roster and building infrastructure that’ll be ready when Durk comes home.
“The name says it all, Only The Family. That’s not just branding, that’s our blueprint. I want to return this collective to what it was always set out to be: a place rooted in purpose, where young people can see something different for themselves and have the infrastructure to pursue it,” he added.
OTF was founded in 2010 on the South Side and has launched some of Hip-Hop’s most compelling voices over the years.
The collective’s always been about more than just signing artists, it’s been about creating real opportunity in communities that don’t always get that chance.
With Earsery at the helm and Durk’s legal situation still unfolding, the label’s making a statement that the movement continues regardless of what’s happening in the courtroom.