Jay-Z has voiced support for Lil Durk as the Chicago rapper makes a push for bond ahead of his next federal trial.
In an Oct. 12 letter to U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald, the hip-hop mogul praised Durk’s work ethic, faith and efforts to help young artists, Los Angeles Magazine and AllHipHop reported.
“I met Durk several years ago. He was kind, respectful and focused on his career. He approached his work with seriousness and discipline,” Jay-Z said in the letter.
“He was also genuinely curious about deepening his spirituality, and he spoke about faith as something he wanted to grow in, not something he wore for show,” the mogul added.
Related: Lil Durk’s Racketeering Trial Delayed by Nearly a Year
Jay-Z also pointed to the opportunities Durk created for others.
“What stood out most to me was how he used his success. Durk was signing young artists from his community to recording contracts and giving them a real path into a legitimate industry,” he said.
Durk’s attorneys submitted the letter as part of an Oct. 27 motion seeking the hip-hop star’s release. Other letters came from businessman Michael Rubin and J. Cole, who collaborated with Durk on the Grammy-winning single “All My Life.”
The filing also included a letter from Andrea Robinson, the mother of murder victim Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, saying “the family does not object to Lil Durk being released on bond if the court considers it appropriate.”
Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, has been in federal custody since he was arrested in October 2024.
Prosecutors accused him of financing an August 2022 attack on rival rapper Quando Rondo near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. Quando survived, but his cousin Lul Pab was killed in the execution-style shooting.
A federal jury acquitted Banks on all counts in his murder-for-hire trial on Sept. 11. He remains behind bars because additional charges were set aside for a separate trial.
That trial is scheduled to start in August 2027 and involves charges under the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering statute, known as VICAR. Prosecutors alleged Banks led a criminal enterprise connected to Only the Family (OTF), the Chicago hip-hop collective and record label he founded. Banks denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors are fighting his release, noting the rapper was arrested at Miami International Airport and was reportedly on his way to board an international flight.
Judge Fitzgerald is scheduled to consider the bond request at a Nov. 4 hearing in Los Angeles federal court.
The main image of Jay-Z and Lil Durk is courtesy of Shutterstock and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
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