Lil Durk is under fire for the high prices of his “Free Durk” merchandise as he remains jailed on murder-for-hire charges. His team recently launched a collection of apparel, including T-shirts and hoodies, to show support for the rapper, who is being held without bail.
The clothing line features the slogan “Free Durk,” with T-shirts priced at $45 and hoodies retailing for $95. Fans were quick to criticize the pricing, accusing Durk’s team of exploiting supporters during his legal troubles.
One frustrated fan commented, “$95 for a made-in-China hoodie is crazy work.” Another quipped, “They should add an extra 10 years for these damn prices.” A harsher critique came from someone who remarked, “Nobody wants that. Keep him locked up.”
Lil Durk is currently detained in Los Angeles after pleading not guilty to murder-for-hire charges. While a bond hearing is scheduled for December 12, prosecutors strongly oppose his release, citing claims that the rapper attempted to flee the country before his arrest.
The charges against Durk initially included conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, stemming from an alleged plot that resulted in the death of Quando Rondo’s cousin. However, a superseding indictment filed on November 7 brought additional charges. These include the use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death and using, carrying, and discharging firearms, including a machine gun, in furtherance of a violent crime.
As Durk’s legal battle intensifies, the controversy over his merchandise adds another layer of scrutiny to the embattled rapper’s situation.
Lil Durk’s legal fight for his freedom has officially begun. Yesterday (November 14), the “All My Life” rapper was arraigned in Los Angeles federal court for the murder-for-hire plot of fellow rapper Quando Rondo and firearms charges he was hit with over the past several weeks.
According to USA Today, Lil Durk (real name Durk Davontay Banks) formally entered a plea of not guilty to the charges against him, which include one count of conspiracy, one count of using interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and one count of “using, carrying, and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.”
After news of Durk’s arrest was shared across online platforms, Rondo took to Instagram with a message (viewable here), seemingly for Durk. “We didn’t get into this music industry to make it just to stay caught up in this street sh*t,” he wrote. “We all have families and communities counting on us. It’s time to leave all that behind. We’ve already lost so much, and it’s heavy on my heart to forgive anyone I had issues with in the past. It’s all love from me. Praying for everyone.”
Durk’s trial has reportedly been scheduled for January 7, 2025. Although Durk maintains his innocence, if the Grammy Award winner is convicted of these charges, he could face up to life in prison.
Lil Durk made some important decisions on November 14. The rapper appeared in an L.A. federal court after being extradited from Florida. He decided to plead not guilty to the murder-for-hire charge he was slapped with three weeks prior. The rapper was subsequently relegated to Los Angeles’ Metropolitan Detention Center, where he will remain until December 12. USA Today reports that Lil Durk will appear before a judge that Thursday, in order to get a ruling on whether or not he will be granted bond.
Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire charge was the reason for his initial arrest. That said, the rapper actually has had two more charges filed against him since. On November 7, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California charged Lil Durk with “one count of use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death.” He was also charged with one count of “using, carrying and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.”
Prosecutors have requested that Lil Durk stay in custody pending his federal trial. According to the Chicago Tribune, the prosecution believe the rapper is a flight risk and a danger to the community. A similar plea was made by the prosecution in the ongoing Diddy trial. A statement released by the DoJ, also known as the U.S. Department of Justice, alleges that Lil Durk played a crucial role in the attempted murder of rapper Quando Rondo. “Bank and flight records,” the statement noted. “Show that an OTF member and close associate of [Durk] coordinated and paid for five co-conspirators to travel from Chicago to California on the day before the murder.”
Court documents obtained by DJ Akademiks show that Lil Durk is being represented by attorney Drew Findling. Findling previously represented rapper NBA YoungBoy during his federal weapons case earlier this year. The stakes are exponentially higher for Durk, however. If convicted of all three charges, the rapper will face a maximum sentence of life in prison. Durk’s trial is set to begin on January 7, 2025. United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald will preside over the case.
Lil Durk will face a long and complex legal battle in his alleged murder-for-hire case, one that continues to develop slowly but surely. Most recently, according to updated prison and court records, authorities reportedly transferred him to a Los Angeles federal prison from Miami, which is where he remained after his arrest in the Florida city. Now, the Chicago rapper awaits his first hearing or arraignment concerning federal law enforcement’s indictment against him and various other individuals. For those unaware, he faces accusations of monetarily assisting these individuals in attempting to murder rival Quando Rondo.
This alleged hit, per federal prosecutors, supposedly led to the death of Quando Rondo’s cousin Lul Pab. As far as other updates in the Lil Durk case, we don’t have much to work with in this pre-trial process. However, we do know that Smurk’s family and loved ones continue to support each other and advocate for his life while he remains behind bars. His longtime partner India Royale recently posted a picture of all his children, reminding fans of what’s at stake in this complicated case.
In addition, it seems like this alleged murder-for-hire case in federal court will also pose some hefty challenges and controversies when it comes to the precedent and image it sets about the rap world. Lil Durk’s rap lyrics appeared in the indictment against him, something that will likely spark up a lot of fiery debate. More than ever, many within and outside of the culture believe that artistic expressions should not be used as evidence against the person expressing them. Sadly, we seem no closer to finding a surefire and broad solution to the issue. Still, we’ve yet to see with certainty how this will apply in this case.
For these heavy charges, Lil Durk faces life in prison, and previous reports even suggested that the death penalty could be a sentence. But we don’t have solid confirmation on any of that, and it’s far too early to tell for sure. As such, we’ll just have to wait for more court developments out of Los Angeles. The Voice is reportedly in good spirits, so everyone’s curious about what will go down soon.
While Lil Durk is currently behind bars for his alleged murder-for-hire case, his longtime partner India Royale is trying to keep the family united, hopeful, supportive, and supported. She recently took to her Instagram Story to share a picture of all of Smurk’s children, who were there to support his son Angelo winning a trophy at a football game. “My Babies [heart-eyes emoji] Congratulations Angelo! You did!” India wrote on her social media post. Many fans in the comments section under the Instagram post below lamented the family’s tough situation, but they commended her for holding things down and staying strong amid the struggle.
What’s more is that India Royale showed her support for Lil Durk in ways that she didn’t even need to go through, such as attending a court hearing in his case. A lot of people don’t have this luxury or don’t have people in their corner to advocate for them and physically show their camaraderie. Even though we still don’t have a lot of info on the case’s development or current matters, this heartens folks who feel for what the family is going through. Hopefully this support and unity continues regardless of the outcome of justice.
Before this whole arrest, Lil Durk and India Royale often dedicated a lot of time to being there for their children and celebrating them online. For example, the Chicago rapper and his kids matched outfits for a very wholesome Father’s Day celebration, for which India was also present. Amid a lot of conflicting narratives and optics, it’s important to distinguish the positive elements from the negatives. Sadly, both things can be true, but it’s needless to speculate without a full court and jury trial that goes over evidence.
As such, all we can do as fans is continue to wish Lil Durk and India Royale’s family well amid a whirlwind of challenges. For those wondering about the latest updates in the federal case, the indictment against him contained song lyrics, which is a controversial aspect of the criminal relationship with artistry in hip-hop these days. Hopefully the actual case eschews misconstruing art for evidence and focuses on the actual facts that will determine justice.
Late last month, Chicago drill rap pioneer Lil Durk was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after five other men were allegedly connected to the death of Durk’s rap rival Quando Rondo’s cousin. Today, a new slate of charges was filed against the Windy City rapper, according to Los Angeles’ Fox affiliate.
Durk’s charges now include one count of “use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death,” and another of “using, carrying, and discharging firearms… in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.” Durk is accused by federal authorities of ordering the murder of Quando Rondo (real name Tyquian Bowman) in retaliation for the Atlanta rapper’s supposed involvement in the death of Durk’s friend and protégé King Von in 2020 — an attempt that ultimately failed but resulted in the death of his cousin after an alleged ambush at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. The attackers allegedly fired at least 18 rounds at the target vehicle, killing Durk’s cousin instead. Despite Durk allegedly telling the assailants to take steps to avoid implicating him, one of them used Durk’s credit card to book the hotel room where they stayed ahead of the attack.
Durk was arrested at Miami International Airport and was reportedly booked for multiple international flights. He was jailed in Broward County and will be transferred to Los Angeles for his arraignment, where he will enter a plea.
The case against Lil Durk for alleged murder-for-hire just got some incredibly raised stakes for the Chicago rapper. Moreover, a new federal indictment emerged against him this week, placing him as the main defendant and subjecting him to new charges. These include one count of conspiracy, one count of using interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and one count of wielding and using firearms during a violent crime. With these new charges, Smurk could face life in prison if convicted, and so could the other five codefendants listed in this new federal grand jury indictment. He reportedly remains in a Miami cell awaiting transfer to Los Angeles.
Of course, the reactions to Lil Durk’s arrest and this subsequent indictment vary from staunch condemnation to outraged support, and both options got their fair share of pushback online. For example, Adam22 released a rap song titled “Free Durk” in support of his innocence, which elicited mocking and concerned reactions for a few different reasons. First off, it’s a podcaster making a rap song, which never flies over the best with much of hip-hop’s audience, especially someone with the platform that Adam has. Then, there are folks that expressed their discomfort with trivializing this serious matter and not waiting for more evidence, trial development, and deliberation.
Not only could Lil Durk face life in prison if a conviction occurs, but some reports allege he could also face the death penalty. Take that information with a grain of salt, though, as neither the prosecution nor other sources clarified any of this. Other speculative comments, though, paint more of an understandable picture. According to an alleged source who reportedly spoke to TMZ, he plans to plead not guilty in this case.
In addition, the alleged source also reportedly told the outlet that Lil Durk finds himself in “great spirits” while in a Miami prison. Apparently, his number one complaint so far is prison food, but we still have yet to hear any of this from a confirmable source. We’ll see what other legal updates emerge in the coming days and weeks about this alleged murder-for-hire case.
Lil Durk reportedly received new federal charges in his alleged murder-for-hire case late Thursday night (November 7) via a new superseding federal grand jury indictment. For those unaware, authorities arrested him for allegedly conspiring to murder rival Quando Rondo in retaliation for the murder of King VOn, and for allegedly contributing to the murder of Rondo’s cousin Lul Pab in Los Angeles. The Justice Department announced today (Friday, November 8) that they issued this new indictment against the Chicago rapper following the criminal complaint-based indictment from October. He is the lead defendant in this new indictment, which reportedly hit him with two new felony charges.
As for the charges against Lil Durk, the superseding federal grand jury indictment lists the following alleged crimes: one count of conspiracy, one count of using interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire that resulted in loss of life, and one count of the alleged use, carry, and discharge of firearms and a machine gun, plus possession of these guns to further a violent crime that resulted in death. In addition, the new indictment charged various other individuals in alleged connection with the August 2022 murder of Lul Pab in Los Angeles.
Oct 4, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Rapper and singer Lil Durk gestures during halftime of the game between the Chicago Fire and Inter Miami CF at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images
Furthermore, these individuals that federal authorities charged in the Lil Durk case are 28-year-old Kavon London Grant (“Vonnie” or “Cuz” of Atlanta, Georgia), 33-year-old Deandre Dontrell Wilson (“DeDe” of Chicago, Illinois), 33-year-old Keith Jones (“Flacka” of Gary, Indiana), 33-year-old David Brian Lindsey (“Browneyez” of Addison, Illinois), and 36-year-old Asa Houston (“Boogie” of Chicago, Illinois). All six defendants will presumably attend Los Angeles court to make their pleas. As for Smurk himself, he reportedly awaits transfer to L.A. without bond from a Miami prison cell, the city where federal authorities arrested him after learning of his alleged travel plans.
Allegedly, the men responsible for attempting to carry out the alleged hit on Quando Rondo and for the murder of Lul Pab used finances from Lil Durk and his OTF collective and record label. This allegedly included funds for flights, ski masks, hotel room bookings, and more. In this complicated case, we still have little information as to how it will progress and when we will see a trial.
Lil Durk is planning to enter a not-guilty plea and will battle his murder-for-hire federal charge. According to TMZ, Durk’s plans come as he is held at a Federal Detention Center in Miami.
Durk is reportedly getting along with staff and inmates at the center in Miami. The rapper is described as “super charming” and “agreeable.”
Lil Durk’s father supports his son, appearing at the rapper’s first hearing in Miami. CBS News captured Durk’s dad walking with Durk’s attorney, Alex Ubieta. Durk’s next hearing will be in the Central District of California.
Additionally, Durk’s son, Zayden Banks, released a statement on Instagram.
“I want to take a moment to stand up for my dad, Durk Banks,” the statement reads. “He has always dedicated his life to uplifting others and giving back to our community through his nonprofit organization, Neighborhood Heroes. Beyond that, he is a great father who has always supported and loved our family unconditionally.”
Federal authorities arrested Lil Durk in Broward County, Florida. According to ABC Chicago, the rapper born Durk Banks was arrested by U.S. Marshals. He has no bond.
According to reports, Durk’s murder-for-hire was targeting Georgia rapper Quando Rondo, who was involved in an altercation with King Von in 2020 outside a lounge in Atlanta. Rondo and Von engaged in a fistfight, leading to Rondo’s affiliate, Lul Tim, shooting and killing Von. Rondo would make light of the situation and highlight the death in his music.
The arrest of the award-winning rapper comes hours after five people were arrested in Chicago and federal charged in California for being contracted to kill Rondo. In the indictment, unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, was the arrest of Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey, and Asa Houston. They are charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, committing murder-for-hire involving a death, and use of a machine gun in a violent crime resulting in death. Penalties can reach as high as death if convicted.
The five arrested are associated with “Only the Family,” known in Hip-Hop as OTF. Durk leads the group, which holds Von as a member. Documents show the five were paid for their flights and rental cars with the OTF company’s credit cards. The five were apprehended in Chicago and taken to Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where they were remanded to custody before the case moved to Los Angeles.
According to The Chicago Tribune, someone part of OTF offered money and “lucrative music opportunities” in exchange for the murder of Quando Rondo. Rondo, his sister and cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, were in an Escalade in West Hollywood in August 2022 when they were shot at, resulting in the death of Robinson.
Authorities released security footage showing the OTF affiliates attempting to do the fit. The ATF team, led by Grant, ordered a hotel room, bringing several firearms, including one that was altered to be a fully automatic machine gun. Grant also rented two cars, a white BMW and a white Infiniti, to track and murder Rondo. Footage showed the cars trailing Rondo’s Escalade and three men shooting at Rondo and his family.
After the shooting, the defendants and the OTF co-conspirator ate a hamburger restaurant and discussed patment for the shooting. Four of the shooters returned to Chicago the next day.
This arrest comes after The Dinizulu Law Group filed a civil lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court seeking to hold rapper Lil Durk, OTF, and several other music companies accountable for the fatal shooting of Chicago rapper Carlton Weekly, known as FBG Duck, on August 4, 2020. Weekly was shot outside a Gold Coast retail store, and the lawsuit also represents two bystanders who were wounded but survived the attack.
The lawsuit, announced during a news conference by Attorney Yao Dinizulu, brings multiple charges, including wrongful death, civil conspiracy, negligence, and failure to render aid. The plaintiffs seek damages not only for Weekly’s death but also for the injuries suffered by bystanders Davon Brinson and Cashae Williams. The suit names additional defendants, including Alamo Records, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Universal Music Group Recordings Inc. (Interscope Records), and Empire Distribution Inc.
The lawsuit claims that these companies profited from the violent rivalry between OTF and FBG Duck by promoting “diss tracks” that escalated tensions. It accuses Lil Durk, the head of OTF, and other members of the group, including the late King Von, of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation and violence against FBG Duck, placing a $100,000 bounty on his life. OTF is described as a criminal enterprise that used music and social media to promote gang-related activity.
The suit also alleges misconduct by the City of Chicago, claiming police and emergency services failed to promptly aid FBG Duck, who lay alive for over 17 minutes without receiving medical attention. Dolce & Gabbana and its security firms are also named for negligence, accused of failing to take adequate safety measures.
This lawsuit follows the January conviction of six gang members in connection with FBG Duck’s death. Federal prosecutors linked the murder to a gang war fueled by social media and rap music.
Quando Rondo has released a new single and video, “Life Goes On.” The release comes after Lil Durk was arrested for the murder-for-hire that resulted in the murder of Rondo’s cousin.
After the release, Rondo dropped a message on Instagram, seemingly distancing himself from violence and looking to move on:
“We didn’t get into this music industry to make it just to stay caught up in street shit. We all have families and communities counting on us. It’s time to leave all that behind. We’ve already lost so much and it’s heavy on my heart to forgive anyone I had issues with in the past. It’s all love from me. Praying for everyone.”
In August, Quando Rondo, born Tyquian Bowman, pled guilty to a federal drug conspiracy charge involving several kilograms of marijuana.
According to WTOC, under the plea deal with federal prosecutors, Bowman admitted to willfully joining a plan to obtain and distribute more than a dozen kilograms of marijuana.
Bowman pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute. A judge accepted the plea during a hearing in federal court on Tuesday morning. Some jewelry obtained in the investigation will be returned to Bowman, who will remain out on bond until his sentencing.
“I really want to give an apology to the City of Savannah. I want to give an apology to my family, friends, loved ones, most of all to my daughters for taking all my family and all my loved ones through this stressful point,” said Bowman.
Bowman’s federal sentencing is set for Dec. 12th. He could face up to five years in prison.
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