Federal prosecutors cite Lil Durk's lyrics in criminal case accusing him of ordering his OTF associates to kill rapper Quando Rondo in a 2022 shooting, claiming he tried to 'commercialize' the crime by 'rapping for his revenge' .
Two weeks after the Chicago rapper (Dark Banks) was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder for hire, prosecutors unsealed a new indictment Friday in the 2022 attack at a Los Angeles gas station that left Rondo (Tyquian Bowman) unharmed but saw friend Lul Pab (Savaya Robinson) was killed in the crossfire.
The updated indictment added two additional felony counts against Durk beyond the original conspiracy count, including another count of murder-for-hire and a firearms count. It also bolstered Durk's case with similar charges filed against several of his associates.
But most notably, the amended charges included a brand new allegation: that Durk had directly referenced the shooting in a 2022 song: “After the attempted murder of [Rondo] and his murder [Lul Pab]the defendant Banks attempted to commercialize [Lul Pab]His death by rapping about his revenge [Rondo].”
The feds allege that the lyrics to Durk's song — a track called “Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy” — make a direct reference to a news clip filmed shortly after the shooting in which Rondo is heard screaming “no, no!” after seeing Lul Pab's dead body.
“They told me they got an add (go, go)/ I got location (go, go)/ Green light (go, go, go, go, go),” Dark raps on the indictment's lyrics. “Look at the news and see your son/You're screaming,” “No, no” (pu–y).”
The use of rap music as evidence in criminal cases is controversial, as critics argue that it threatens free speech and can influence juries by tapping into racial bias. In recent years, the practice has drawn backlash from the music industry and led to efforts by lawmakers to stop it. But it has continued largely unabated, notably in the recent criminal case against Young Thug in Atlanta, in which prosecutors made extensive use of his music.
An attorney for Durk did not immediately return a request for comment.
Like the previous charges, the new indictment alleges that Durk's Only The Family was not just a highly publicized group of Chicago rappers, but a “hybrid organization” that also operated as a criminal gang to carry out violent acts “directed” by Durk.
Prosecutors say one of those acts was the attempted murder of Rondo in 2022, allegedly in retaliation for the 2020 killing of rapper King Von (Davon Bennett), Durk's close friend.
“Banks put out a reward for a person Banks was feuding with named TB,” referring to Rondo by his initials. “Banks ordered the assassination of TB and the killers used Banks and OTF-related financial assets to carry out the assassination.”
In addition to Durk, prosecutors have also charged several alleged OTF members — Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson and Asa Huston — as well as two other alleged Chicago gang members named Keith Jones and David Brian Lindsay.
If convicted of all three charges he now faces, Durk faces a possible life sentence.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/lil-durk-song-lyrics-new-charges-feds-say-rapping-about-revenge/
