Jay-Z and J. Cole Urge Judge to Release Lil Durk on Bail After Murder-for-Hire Acquittal

Lil Durk is getting support from two of rap’s biggest names as he fights to get out of jail following his acquittal on murder-for-hire charges.

Jay-Z and J. Cole both submitted letters to a federal judge on Tuesday (Oct. 27), obtained by Billboard, supporting Durk’s motion for bail. The Chicago rapper (Durk Banks) was found not guilty last month of taking out a hit on rival rapper Quando Rondo, but he remains in custody while awaiting a second racketeering trial.

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In his letter, Jay-Z says he found Durk to be “kind, respectful and focused on his career” when they met several years earlier. “What stood out most to me was how he used his success,” writes Jay-Z. “Durk was signing young artists from his community to recording contracts and giving them a real path into a legitimate industry. Many of us come from neighborhoods where the options are limited and the risks are high. Durk understood that, and he worked to help others find a way out of those conditions rather than leaving them behind.”

“Release would allow [Durk] to support his family and continue the work in his community that I saw firsthand,” adds Jay-Z.

J. Cole’s letter focuses on his collaboration with Durk on the hit 2023 track “All My Life,” which earned a Grammy for best melodic rap performance and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. J. Cole notes that “All My Life” has a message of peace and growth, which Durk advocated for despite the elder rapper’s initial reluctance.

“It speaks to the vision of Durk to mature and realize the impact his art could have, and then to be willing to fight for the chance to make that impact a positive one, even if it meant going against the instincts of an artist he respects and looks up to,” writes J. Cole.

Durk was denied bail earlier in the case after being deemed a flight risk. Durk’s attorneys say his acquittal has changed these circumstances, and they’re willing to put up collateral that includes all his future royalties, touring income and name, image and likeness rights.

“Mr. Banks offers to the court a bond package that includes his future earnings, ensuring that that should he violate his bond, he and his family would remain penniless going forward,” write defense lawyers. Brian Steel and Drew Findling. “Mr. Banks, who following the time period surrounding these charges radically transformed his life, should be released on a bond.”

A hearing to review Durk’s bond is set for Nov. 4. A rep for the prosecution, which opposes Durk’s release, declined to comment on the motion Tuesday.

Durk was acquitted of murder-for-hire in September following a two-week trial, in which prosecutors accused him of putting a bounty on Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 killing of his close friend and collaborator King Von. Rondo was shot at a Los Angeles gas station in 2022 and survived, but his cousin Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab, was killed in the crossfire.

Durk remains subject to one more criminal count under the federal Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Activity (VICAR) statute, which broadly criminalizes gang violence. That charge is scheduled for a second trial in August 2027, though Durk’s lawyers have suggested that they’ll likely try to get it tossed out under double jeopardy rules. “The caselaw might very well foreclose a second trial altogether,” write the defense attorneys in Tuesday’s bail motion.