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Lil Durk, a prominent figure in Chicago drill music, is seeking the dismissal of murder-for-hire charges brought against him last year. His legal counsel filed a motion on Friday, arguing that the federal authorities provided misleading evidence to a grand jury. Specifically, they highlighted the use of lyrics from a song he wrote, which were presented as evidence despite being composed six months prior to the alleged incident.
The charges stem from an incident where Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, was accused of orchestrating an attempt on the life of his rival, Quando Rondo. Although Rondo survived the violent encounter, his associate, Lul Pab, was killed during the exchange of gunfire. Durk has maintained his innocence, entering a not guilty plea. The prosecution pointed to lines from Durk’s verse on the track “Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy” by Babyface Ray as indicative of his intent, suggesting he was speaking about committing an act of revenge. Notably, this song was released in December 2022, postdating the shooting by three months.
In his verse, Durk raps about receiving information about a location, which law enforcement has interpreted as a reference to the violent episode. The lyrics include: “Told me they got an addy (go, go)/ Got location (go, go)/ Green light (go, go, go, go, go).”
However, in the legal motion, Durk’s attorneys argue that the song was actually recorded in January 2022 and have provided sworn statements from the music producers involved to support this timeline.
According to David Findling, Durk’s lawyer, the assertion that the lyrics glorified a murder plot is unfounded. He stated, “The government told the grand jury that Mr. Banks, through specific lyrics in his music, celebrated and profited from a revenge murder that he had ordered… Unless the government is prosecuting Banks on a theory of extra-sensory prescience, the lyrics could not have soundly informed the grand jury’s finding of probable cause.”
The prosecution further claims that the lyrics reference a video clip wherein Rondo reacts to discovering Lul Pab’s body, expressing anguish with the phrase “No, no.” However, Durk’s legal team counters that the audio from this specific video was not utilized in the song, asserting that any such audio comes from external edits not connected to their client.
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Findling emphasized that Durk had no role in creating the fan-made videos referenced by the prosecution, stating, “Mr. Banks did not create these videos, and the government has failed to show any nexus between these manufactured video clips and Mr. Banks. The internet users who posted the videos… are apparent ‘fan pages’ maintained by people with no affiliation to Mr. Banks.”
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www.rollingstone.com