Lil Durk’s legal battle just hit another major hurdle, as a judge officially denied the Chicago rapper bail in his high-profile murder-for-hire case. Despite gaining some ground with the exclusion of his lyrics as evidence, Durk will remain behind bars until his trial begins.
During today’s (May 8) hearing, Durk appeared in court and reportedly smiled toward a crowd of about 20 supporters as the judge handed down the decision. His legal team pushed hard for his release on bond, arguing that much of the prosecution’s proposed evidence, like rap lyrics and posts from fan pages, shouldn’t be admissible. They also argued for the entire case to be thrown out.
Still, the court sided with prosecutors, leaving the OTF leader incarcerated while awaiting trial.
Prosecutors allege that Durk, born Durk Banks, orchestrated a 2022 shooting in Los Angeles that targeted his rival Quando Rondo. The incident resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin, Lul Pab, and is believed to have been in retaliation for the 2020 murder of King Von, Durk’s close friend and collaborator.
While the court did rule that Durk’s lyrics will not be used as evidence, a small victory for his legal team, the rest of the case remains intact. Prosecutors plan to move forward with other evidence they say ties Durk to the planning, financing, and facilitation of the shooting.
With the trial date set for October 14, there’s still a long legal road ahead. Durk and his attorneys continue to deny the allegations and criticize what they see as a broader issue: the criminal justice system targeting hip hop artists and using their art against them.
As one of the most visible artists in the genre today, Durk’s fight will be closely watched—not just by fans, but by the entire hip hop community.