*Jay-Z and J. Cole are asking a federal judge to let Lil Durk await his next trial at home. Both sent letters to U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald ahead of Durk’s Nov. 4 bond hearing, Complex reports.
In September, a Los Angeles jury found Durk, born Durk Banks, not guilty across the board in his federal murder-for-hire case, as EURweb reported. Prosecutors had accused him of arranging the 2022 shooting of rapper Quando Rondo as payback for King Von’s 2020 death. Quando Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, died.
The defense insisted Durk had no hand in it and pinned the plot on his former assistant, Kavon Grant.
Despite the win, Durk remains jailed, as he has been since late 2024. He still faces a separate racketeering case, with trial now set for August 2027.
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Jay-Z leaned heavily on the verdict. “I also note that Durk recently stood trial in this District, and a jury found him not guilty,” he wrote. “That verdict deserves weight.”
He also praised Durk for opening music industry doors for young artists from his community.
“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,” Jay-Z wrote.
He acknowledged the gravity of the case, writing, “I do not minimize the seriousness of the charges Durk faces.” Still, he noted Durk “has now spent nearly two years in custody.”
Cole got to know Durk through REFORM Alliance, the criminal justice reform group. He described “a man who places tremendous importance on his family and his ability to make a positive impact on the lives of others.”
At a Cleveland juvenile detention center, Cole said, kids asked about Durk more than anyone. “They relate to his story and his struggle so much,” he wrote.
Robinson’s mother said her family does not object to bond, and a Sony Music lawyer said the label will guarantee up to $1 million.
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