- Rapper Lil Durk Arrested on Murder-for-Hire Charge
- Charges Linked to 2022 Shooting of Rival Rapper's Cousin
- Lil Durk Held Without Bail Amid OTF Gang Allegations
Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Durk has been arrested on a murder-for-hire charge, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. The rapper, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, was apprehended in Broward County, Florida, on Thursday night and is currently being held without bail.
The arrest follows reports that five individuals associated with Banks’ hip-hop collective, Only The Family (OTF), were charged in Chicago related to a shooting in 2022 that resulted in the death of the cousin of rival rapper Quando Rondo.
Lil Durk, who has seen six albums reach the top five of the US Billboard charts since 2019, is known for collaborations with prominent artists such as Drake and J. Cole. The 33-year-old Chicago native has received four Grammy nominations, winning the award for Best Melodic Rap Performance in February for his song “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole.
OTF, founded by Lil Durk in 2010, plays a significant role in Chicago’s drill rap scene. Officials allege that the five men charged this week organized the 2022 shooting in Los Angeles as retaliation for the 2020 death of rapper King Von, who was signed to OTF. A friend of Quando Rondo was previously charged with King Von’s murder, but those charges were later dropped. It is important to note that Quando Rondo himself has not been arrested or charged in connection with these incidents.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the recent indictment against the five men includes allegations that an unnamed co-conspirator offered “money and lucrative music opportunities with OTF” to individuals willing to participate in the killing of Quando Rondo. In 2022, some of the accused reportedly fired shots at a vehicle carrying Quando Rondo, his sister, and his cousin Saviay’a Robinson, resulting in Robinson’s death, while both Quando Rondo and his sister were unharmed.
Additionally, earlier this month, the mother of another Chicago rapper, FBG Duck, filed a lawsuit claiming that Lil Durk, OTF, and King Von were involved in Duck’s murder in 2020. Notably, two years ago, charges including attempted murder against Lil Durk were dropped following a non-fatal shooting in Atlanta in 2019.
The BBC has reached out to Lil Durk’s representatives for further comment.
