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Lil Durk has entered a not guilty plea in his murder-for-hire case in California this week, setting the stage for an upcoming trial that has been set for the top of next year. Lil Durk is accused of ordering members of his OTF (Only The Family) collective to carry out a revenge killing in response to the shooting death of King Von.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Lil Durk, 32, was in a Los Angeles court on Thursday (November 14) for his arraignment in connection to the death of a family member of rival Quando Rondo. One of Rondo’s associates shot and killed Dayvon “King Von” Bennett in 2020 during an altercation in Atlanta, Ga.
Durk was initially arrested three weeks ago near a Miami airport where he was allegedly attempting to leave the country on a flight bound for Italy and according to reports, Durk was booked for three international flights on private airplanes.
The Tribune adds in its reporting that Durk is being held in a federal prison in California and prosecutors want him to remain jailed until his trial, which is set for January 7, 2025. The prosecutors in the case are stating that Durk is a potential flight risk and a danger to the community.
Lil Durk is accused of allegedly putting five OTF members on the task of taking out Quando Rondo after rapper Timothy “Lul Tim” Leeks shot and killed King Von. Charges against Lul Tim were later dropped according to Georgia’s “stand-your-ground” laws.
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Lil Durk and his ongoing legal woes that led to his arrest are mounting after new information provided additional details connected to an alleged murder-for-hire plot. With the Chicago rapper already facing serious charges, two additional charges were handed down as Lil Durk awaits his fate.
In a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California last Friday (November 8), it was revealed that Lil Durk, 32, will face two additional charges connected to the brazen 2022 shooting at the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles.
From the Justice Department’s public relations hub:
Durk Banks, 32, a.k.a. “Lil Durk,” “Blood,” and “Mustafa Abdul Malak,” of Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of use of 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.
The indictment adds two felony charges against Banks, who previously was charged via criminal complaint in this case.
The four-count superseding indictment, returned late Thursday, adds Banks as the lead defendant to a previous indictment returned October 17 and charging the following defendants in connection with the August 2022 murder:
The other defendants named in the press release were Kavon London Grant, 28, a.k.a. “Cuz” and “Vonnie,” of Atlanta, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, 33, a.k.a. “DeDe,” of Chicago, Keith Jones, 33, a.k.a. “Flacka,” of Gary, Indiana; David Brian Lindsey, 33, a.k.a. “Browneyez,” of Addison, Illinois; and Asa Houston, 36, a.k.a. “Boogie,” of Chicago.
Lil Durk was arrested while reportedly looking to leave the country on October 17 near Miami International Airport. He was ordered jailed without bond until his transfer to Los Angeles for arraignment. He was charged in the 2022 shooting death of rival Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, aka Lul Pab, in retaliation for the 2020 death of King Von in Atlanta.
Durk and his co-defendants have not entered any pleas.
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Lil Durk, one of the more successful rappers to emerge from Chicago’s Drill scene, was arrested late last week in Florida and subsequently charged with murder for hire. In the days since Lil Durk’s arrest, details surrounding the case have emerged and what was revealed was shocking.
Lil Durk, real name Durk Devontay Banks, was arrested on October 24 by the U.S. Marshals Service while he was en route to board a plane that was heading to Italy. Local Miami outlet WSVN obtained a copy of the 11-page criminal complaint that lays out all of the details and allegations of the murder-for-hire plot that targeted rival rapper Quando Rondo but resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin, Lul Pab.
With Durk singled out as the mastermind of the murder plot, the criminal complaint goes into greater detail about how the investigation developed and ensnared not only the rapper but also members of his Only The Family (OTF) collective.
According to the authorities, Lil Durk is allegedly the designated leader of OTF, which they say operated as a gang and carried out violent acts under his command. The complaint points back to the murder of Dayvon “King Von” Bennett, who was shot and killed on November 6, 2020, by an affiliate of Quando Rondo after an altercation went left.
The complaint states that Durk placed a bounty on Rondo around the time of Von’s passing. Durk reportedly worked alongside fellow suspects Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey, and Asa Houston, who all discovered that Rondo was housed at a Los Angeles hotel around August 18, 2022.
Grant used a card owned by Durk which was connected to the OTF record label operations, booking flights to California and obtaining rental cars. Durk wrote in a text exchange with Grant to not book any flights for anyone connected to the rapper. Durk and Grant flew into Los Angeles before the August 19, 2022 shooting of Lul Pab with Rondo being the chief target. The other suspects flew commercial from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Grant, Wilson, Jones, Lindsey, and Houston were arrested before Durk, which tipped the OTF honcho off to book a pair of international flights to Dubai and Switzerland, but Durk never appeared for those flights. The attempted flight to Italy from Miami is when the U.S. Marshals Service tracked Durk down and brought him in for booking.
In a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California via the Justice.gov website, authorities have placed their sights squarely on Durk and his co-defendants.
From Justice.gov:
“Mr. Banks is charged with orchestrating a cold-blooded murder that resulted in the death of a rival’s family member,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Not only that, the shooting occurred in the open, at a gas station at a busy intersection, endangering many others in the area. Violent gun crime of this sort is devastating to our community and we will have zero-tolerance for those who perpetrate such callous acts of violence.”
“The apprehension of Mr. Banks as he attempted to leave the United States is once again proof that the FBI and our extraordinary partners at the Los Angeles Police Department have a long reach” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “No excuse can justify this violent act and let me be clear: While you’re going about your life, thinking you ‘got away with it,’ the FBI is piecing together the facts that will serve as your undoing.”
Lil Durk will have a pre-detention hearing but the date has not been set.
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Source: Broward County / Broward Sheriff’s Office
Lil Durk has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a murder-for-hire plot. After getting pinched in Florida, he is being held without bail.
TMZ reports that the Chicago rapper and several members of his Only The Family (OTF) crew were charged in the murder of rapper Quando Rondo’s cousin. On Thursday (Oct. 24) night, Durk was picked up by the feds and locked up at the Broward County Jail. Bail was not granted.
Per the Chicago Tribune, the members of OTF have been 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.
The OTF members were arrested for their involvement in a shooting that occurred in August 2022 in Los Angeles that left Quando Rondo’s cousin dead. But the kicker is that the indictment claims that the flights and rental cars that five men were provided with were paid for with a credit card connected to Durk’s record label, Only The Family Records. On August 19, 2022, Quando Rondo and crew were at a gas station in Los Angeles when shots rang out. While Quando wasn’t injured, his cousin Saviay’a Robinson, 24, was fatally shot.
Per the Feds, the 2022 shooting was in retaliation to the murder of King Von in 2020. In November 2020, the up and coming Chicago rapper was shot and killed outside of hookah lounge in Atlanta after a reported skirmish with Quando Rondo’s entourage. Flash forward to August 2023, and Lul Timm, born Timothy Leeks, the shooter who reportedly killed Von, saw the felony murder charges against him dropped.
Since Von’s death, Durk had directed his ire at Quando Rondo, reportedly buying out all tickets to a show to spite the rapper. But murder for hire, allegedly, is a whole other level of spite. Rondo has always maintained the shooting was self-defense.
This story is developing.
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Kanye West is positioning himself to release new music to the masses via a collaborative effort with Ty Dolla $ign, and he’s also looking to get back to signing artists. According to a new report, Kanye West is allegedly looking to buy out the remaining years of Lil Durk‘s contract after the pair recently performed together.
As reported by TMZ, Ye, Lil Durk, and Bump J recently performed at Blu Dhabi, sharing the Chicago producer’s newest track “Vultures” presumably from the upcoming collaboration album with Ty Dolla $ign. Sources close to the outlet say that Ye is in talks to buy out Durk’s contract with Alamo Records, which is helmed by 300 Records co-founder, Todd Moscowitz.
The track “Vultures” was released on November 22 featuring Ye, $ign, Bump J, but Lil Durk was noticeably absent. However, the track was released again the following day with Durk’s feature intact. A lyric from Ye addresses his past antisemitic comments in a colorful and vulgar fashion.
Moscowitz, according to sources, refused to clear Durk’s appearance on a Ye track which sparked talks of the contract buyout. Durk and Ye have a good working relationship, dating back to the single “Hot Sh*t” track with Cardi B back in 2022. Durk also appeared on the track “Jonah” from Ye’s Donda album.
A release date for Ye’s latest collection of music, tentatively titled ¥$, has yet to be announced.
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A Lil Durk concert ended in chaos after fans in attendance resorted to looting the venue following reports of an active shooter on the premises.
According to Digital Music News, Durk’s show in Chicago Saturday night (Aug. 12) ended up making noise for all the wrong reasons after police received a call saying there was an active shooter at the United Center. What was actually happening was that fans were making a fast dash to the exits while others were robbing merchandise from the show before making a break for it. How or why the looting begun is anyone’s guess, but when police arrived they found no signs of anyone discharging a firearm.
Digital Music Reports:
Although authorities arrived at the United Center looking for the shooter, Chicago PD confirmed the call was a false alarm, with no injuries or arrests made. That said, another report stated that a 20-year-old woman claimed to have been stabbed after getting into an argument with three other concertgoers, but this has yet to be corroborated.
The United Center released a statement that the venue was working with authorities to investigate the looting incidents following the Lil Durk concert.
“It became apparent for all involved that ending the show early was in everyone’s best interest as the safety of our guests and employees is a priority,” said the United Center in its statement. “We are thankful that initial incident reports were false and that guests exited the facility safely.”
Following the incident, Durk took to his IG page to address the situation stating, “Don’t believe the hype, we bigger (than) big; thank you, Chicago,” Durk wrote in the caption. “Till next time, and who all stole the merchandise, tag me so I can repost y’all crazy a**.”
Yeah, should be interesting to see if anyone tags Durk on a post showcasing the merchandise they lifted from his show. Y’all know police be scrolling through social media.
Check out a clip of the chaos below, and let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments section below.
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You just might see Lil Durk back on the VladTV couch. DJ Vlad has apologized to the rapper after DJ Akademiks explained why the MC had an issue with him.
As spotted on HipHopDX, the media mogul interviewed DJ Akademiks and in the conversation the two discussed a variety of topics including AK’s recent interview with Lil Durk. On his 7220 album, The Voice took a jab at Vlad saying “I don’t f**k with Vlad.” AK went on to explain how it all unfolded.
“[Lil Durk] said the reason is: ‘I did an interview with Vlad and there was a part of the interview I mentioned the upcoming birth of my child,’” Akademiks said. “And that was with India and he apparently had asked you to take it out. And you said, ‘I got you, I’ll take it out.’ Interview comes out and that part wasn’t taken out. A lot of people could take that really sensitive too.”
Vlad went to confirm the story and offered some context of how things went left. “I asked my staff to take it out and when you have a bigger company and there’s multiple layers,” he began. “Along the way, something got mixed up and this part came out. As soon as I found out it was not taken out, we took it down right away.” He then went on to issue a formal apology.
“I am still the president of the company and I want to personally apologize to Durk and India. I know when it comes to children this is a very important thing and it’s a permanent thing” he said. “Announcing the birth or the gender of your child is very important and by us doing that took away from the grandeur of the whole thing. So I’m sorry. I’m very sorry that this happened.”
You can see the clip below.
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Lil Durk isn’t shy when it comes to discussing street politics. He made it clear he thinks Gunna told on Young Thug.
As spotted on HipHopDX the Chicago, Illinois native recently paid a visit to DJ Akademiks’ Off The Record podcast. As his first sit down with the controversial media personality the two discussed his career, future plans and more. During the chat Durkio was asked on Young Thug’s ongoing RICO trial and ultimately drew a line in the sand regarding the plea deal Gunna took.
“Now I don’t sit up here and play games, man,” Durk explained. “That man told. You should have went in there and kept your mouth closed.” He went on to express his love and respect for Young Thug before doubling down on his disdain for snitches. “If you a rat, you a rat,” he added. “If you rewind this clip a little bit, I looked into the camera and told you, if you a rat, I f***ing hate you. Because I love Thug.”
In May 2022 Gunna and several members of the YSL crew were charged on a 56-count racketeering RICO indictment. Gunna eventually pled out to one charge of racketeering and was sentenced to five years in prison but through his plea deal he got time served. According to the paperwork he declared YSL as a gang.
You can see the clip of Durk discussing Gunna below.
Photo:
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Over the weekend, the internet was buzzing with word that Lil Durk and J. Cole just gave us the song for the summer. And luckily for us, the cut came with a video that captured the vibe that we need going into the hot months of 2023.
In their visual to “All My Life,” Lil Durk and J. Cole kick it on the porch on a sunny day with a gang of kids who sing the hook as Cole and Durk break down the obstacles they overcame to get this far in life and have no plans of stopping anytime soon. It was a pretty dope feel good video.
Back in NYC, Jim Jones doesn’t seem like he’s done with the life just yet and for his clip to the Sen City and Dub Aura assisted “Gang,” the trio pull a jux and run up in a cap store to make off with whatever they got stashed in the back room.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from NBA YoungBoy, Bailey Zimmerman and Dermont Kennedy, Albee Al and more.
LIL DURK FT. J. COLE – “ALL MY LIFE”
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JIM JONES FT. SEN CITY & DUB AURA – “GANG”
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NBA YOUNGBOY, BAILEY ZIMMERMAN & DERMONT KENNEDY – “WON’T BACK DOWN”
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ALBEE AL – “WHAT YOU KNOW”
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JAY WORTHY & ROC MARCIANO – “WAKE UP”
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VICTORIA MONET FT. BUJU BANTON – “PARTY GIRLS”
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38 SPESH – “DARK & GRIM”
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BREEZYLYN FT. LOLA BROOKE & KALI – “BAD B*TCHES”
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Lil Durk is giving back through a new partnership with Amazon Music creating an endowment for students to receive scholarships to HBCUs, including Howard University.
The Chicago native announced last Friday (April 14th) that he has created the Durk Banks Endowment Fund in partnership with his Neighborhood Heroes 501(c)(3)non-profit group which he founded and Rotation, the HIp-Hop & R&B brand from Amazon Music. He let his fans know through social media. “I’m the voice this the part they don’t show, I appreciate all the kids who struggling to finish school and needed this blessing,” he wrote.
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The fund awarded a $50,000 scholarship to two students from Chicago who’re set to enroll in Howard University in Washington D.C. this fall. “I feel it’s my responsibility to reach back to the kids—especially those that are growing up in my community,” says the rapper in a press release. “These kids have to be our biggest investment as they’re our future leaders. They are destined for greatness and I’m encouraging others to join my team’s efforts to help pave their way.”
In addition to the scholarships, Lil Durk also donated $250,000 directly to Chicago-area students who are receiving Howard’s Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence (GRACE) Grant. This fund is to assist students with financial support to alleviate financial burdens so they can stay in school and graduate on time. “For me to boost them up and get them to the next level, it was like a no-brainer,” he stated in an interview with Billboard. “And this scholarship was a super-no-brainer for me. For me and my team, having my own scholarship is like a Grammy.”
The “Hellcats and Trackstars” artist also was the headliner for Howard’s Springfest over the past weekend and paid $100,000 towards a trip taken by 20 high school students from his hometown to visit the university. “We are incredibly grateful to be the recipients of such generous support from Lil Durk, the Neighborhood Heroes Foundation, and Amazon Music,” adds Cynthia Evers, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs at Howard University in the press release. “Not only did they lend their support to the premier event run by and for Howard University students, but they also left a lasting impression by offering a gift that will continue to benefit Howard students for a long time to come.”