Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk’s history with Chicago’s Black Disciples gang has resurfaced as he faces legal challenges related to an alleged murder-for-hire plot.
The rapper, whose real name is Durk Derrick Banks, was arrested on October 24 in California alongside five members of his OTF (Only The Family) collective.
According to federal prosecutors, Durk is accused of orchestrating a retaliation attack targeting rival rapper Quando Rondo in August 2022.
The incident, as documented by NPR, tragically resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, though Rondo himself survived the shooting.
As details of Durk’s past come to light, it has emerged that he joined the Black Disciples in 2009 after dropping out of high school in Chicago.
Raised in the city’s Englewood neighborhood, Durk encountered street gang influences from an early age. At 17, he became a father, which motivated him to take his music career more seriously while also marking his association with Black Disciples, an extensive gang in Chicago.
His criminal record reportedly began in 2011 when he served time for possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number.
Lil Durk's legal struggles continued, notably following the murder of his close friend and collaborator, King Von, in 2020, and his brother, DThang, in 2021. Recently, the mother of another late rapper, FBG Duck, LaSheena Weekly, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Durk.
The lawsuit alleges Durk’s record label and distribution companies profited from violent content, emphasizing that “reality rap, violence, controversy, beefs and notoriety were good for driving increased record sales, streams and views.”
The 2020 shooting outside a Dolce & Gabanna store, which took FBG Duck’s life, also injured bystanders, including Duck’s girlfriend, Cashae Williams, and Davon Brinson, both of whom are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Durk’s alleged plans to flee the country were also noted in the recent complaint, with prosecutors claiming that Durk had flights booked to Dubai, Switzerland, and a private jet to Italy at the time of his arrest.
Currently detained in Florida’s Broward County Jail without bail, Durk awaits a court date, which has yet to be set. The Dinizulu Law Group, representing the FBG Duck case, sees this as a step “one step closer to justice,” according to a statement released by Complex.
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