Lil Durk’s family has released a public statement alleging that prosecutors in his ongoing murder-for-hire case are using his rap lyrics as evidence against him—an approach they call unjust and dangerous.
The message, posted Tuesday (April 29) via the rapper’s official Instagram page, was featured in a video that strongly criticized the legal proceedings.
“The recent developments in Durk’s legal case have brought a harsh truth to light: the government presented false evidence to a grand jury to indict him,” the message read. “This isn’t justice. That’s a violation of the very system that’s supposed to protect all of us.”
The statement continued: “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. 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.”
Prosecutors are reportedly attempting to link lyrics from “Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy,” a track by Lil Durk and Babyface Ray, to the 2022 murder of Lul Pab. However, Durk’s attorney, Drew Findling, argues that the lyrics predate the January 2022 shooting and should not be admissible as evidence.
“The government told the grand jury that Mr. Banks, through specific lyrics in his music, celebrated and profited from a revenge murder that he had ordered,” Findling said. “That claim is demonstrably false. 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.”
The case has sparked growing concern among fans and artists alike over the legal system’s increasing reliance on rap lyrics in criminal trials — a trend many view as a threat to free expression and cultural creativity.
Source: Instagram
