Chicago rapper Lil Durk charged in murder-for-hire plot: court records

Chicago rapper and Englewood native Lil Durk, born Durk Banks, was arrested in Florida on Thursday in connection with an alleged murder-for-hire plot, according to Broward County Sheriff’s Office records.

Banks, 32, was being held in the Broward County Jail early Friday, records show, but the exact nature of the charges was unclear. A representative for Lil Durk could not be reached Friday morning.

Banks was arrested the same day that federal prosecutors in California announced charges against five other men, all with ties to Chicago gangs, in the attempted murder of Georgia rapper Quando Rondo, born Tyquian Terrel Bowman. That shooting, carried out at a Los Angeles gas station in August 2022 and captured on surveillance video, ended the life of Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson.

Those charged in that indictment are: Kavon London Grant; Deandre Dontrell Wilson; Keith Jones; David Brian Lindsey; and Asa Houston.

Charges include conspiracy to commit murder for hire, committing murder for hire resulting in death, and use of a machine gun in a violent crime resulting in death. The most serious charge carries up to the death penalty if convicted.

The indictment alleges that the five have ties to “Only the Family,” also known as OTF, a hip-hop collective founded by King Von’s mentor Lil Durk. According to prosecutors, the flights and rental cars were paid for with credit cards linked to OTF.

OTF was founded by Lil Durk over a decade ago when the Chicago rap scene was gaining international attention. Federal prosecutors say the group primarily “produced and sold hip hop music” by Chicago artists.

FBG Duck, the Chicago rapper, was killed in a hail of gunfire on Oak Street in 2020, and his death led to the conviction of several men in a federal conspiracy trial last January. Earlier this month, FBG Duck’s mother filed a lawsuit alleging that Lil Durk, OTF, and King Von were also involved in the shooting. The lawsuit alleges that OTF operates as a criminal enterprise.

Lil Durk has been among Chicago’s most successful rappers since the genre first took hold. Also popularized by Chief Keef, G Herbo and other artists, Drill is characterized by hyperviolent lyrics that often revolve around (and sometimes worsen) feuds between gang factions.