The family of rapper Lil Durk has spoken out against the government, accusing it of using fake evidence to secure his recent indictment. Posted through Twitter, the message has caused a lot of panic among fans and fellow artists…and with good reason.
Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Derrick Banks, was taken into custody in November 2024 on murder-for-hire charges in connection with a 2022 shooting in Los Angeles. That shooting left Lul Pab, a relative of the rapper Quando Rondo, dead. Prosecutors say Durk planned the hit as a "well-planned act of revenge" for the loss of his close friend and frequent musical collaborator, King Von, who was slain in 2020. But according to his family, there's much more to the story, and it's not what the government tells the public.
In a video statement that quickly spread online, Durk's family was blunt: "Recent developments in Durk's legal case have exposed a harsh reality: The government manipulated evidence to indict him by fooling the grand jury."
That's a heavy claim, and it comes with an even graver implication: that the system supposed to hold the scales of justice is being weaponized against one of hip-hop's most powerful voices.
"This is not justice," the family said plainly. "That's not just pitting us against one another, that's violating the very system that's supposed to protect all of us."
But what particularly troubles Durk's devotees is the suggestion that his lyrics, which are emotional and raw snapshots of a lived experience, are being contorted into something darker. The statement addressed this explicitly: "Durk has always turned to music as a way to express himself and make sense of the trials he's faced, to tell the stories of the streets, to share the sound of pain, to find healing and yet, these same lyrics are now being used by the state against him."
The issue of rap lyrics being used in criminal trials is hot, with many artists, legal experts, and activist organizations warning that it's a dangerous and biased practice.
Durk's family went the further step of demanding solidarity and support across the broader culture. "We will not remain foolishly silent, as Black artists are hounded down again and again by a predominantly white society that will never admit their own failings due to their own misguided and racially prejudiced way of thinking," they added. "Rap is art. As a family we're calling on the public, we're calling on the fans, we're calling on the culture. Stand for truth, Stand for fairness, Stand for The Voice."
Whether you're a die-hard Durk fan or someone who believes in equal treatment under the law, this situation has implications far beyond the courtroom. Lil Durk's fight is no longer his alone but a battle over the intersection of justice, art, and identity in America.
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