A new indictment against Lil Durk has nixed all references to his lyrics in the rapper’s murder-for-hire case. Federal prosecutors confirmed the lyrics were removed but said it would not affect their case against him.
“Defendant Banks has presented a false narrative that he is being prosecuted and detained because of his violent lyrics. This claim is, and has always been, baseless,” prosecutors wrote in a separate court filing Friday, per Billboard. “Just like every iteration of the indictment before it, the [new indictment] contains significant allegations that show defendant’s alleged role in the execution-style murder of [the victim] on a busy street corner in Los Angeles.” The indictment also included a new charge of stalking.
The rapper’s lawyer, Drew Findling, filed a response to the new indictment and claimed “it appears that the government has conceded” the “hotly contested” dispute over his music, according to the publication.
In October, Durk (born Durk Banks) was charged for the attempted murder of rival Quando Rondo, allegedly having ordered his own “OTF” crew to murder Rondo. While Rondo survived the September 2022 shooting at a Los Angeles gas station, his friend Lul Pab was killed in the crossfire.
Durk previously pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyers attempted to have the case dismissed in April, citing “false evidence” provided to a grand jury.
Prior to Friday’s new indictment deleting the lyrics, prosecutors said in a court filing that Durk was not being prosecuted “because of his lyrics,” but suggested his lyrics could be cited as evidence in their case against him.
“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,” Findling argued in a filing last month.
Earlier this week, the rapper claimed his lyrics were “being used against him” in the government’s murder-for-hire case against him. In a video statement posted on Instagram Wednesday, the artist accused the government of weaponizing his verse on Babyface Ray’s song “Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy.”
“Durk has always used music to tell stories, to express pain to heal — and yet those same lyrics are now being used against him. We refuse to stay silent as Black artists continue to be criminalized for their creativity. Rap is art,” Durk and his family stated in the post. “As a family, we are asking the public, the fans and the culture to stand with us. Stand for truth. Stand for fairness. Stand for The Voice.”