lil durk
Lil Durk, a US rapper, was arrested for a murder-for-hire scheme.
The celebrity, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, was arrested Thursday night in Broward County, Florida, according to police documents obtained by US media. He is currently being held without bail.
The arrest was made a day after it was announced that five members of Banks' hip-hop group, Only The Family (OTF), had been accused in Chicago in relation to a gunshot that murdered rival rapper Quando Rondo's cousin in 2022.
Since 2019, Lil Durk has had six albums in the top five of the US Billboard chart. He has also worked on successful tracks with well-known artists including Drake and J Cole.
Rap violence
The Chicago native, 33, has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. In February, All My Life, starring J Cole, won the award for best melodic rap performance.
The core of the city's drill rap culture is OTF, which Lil Durk formed in 2010.
According to US media, authorities claim the five men charged on Wednesday planned the 2022 shooting in Los Angeles as direct revenge for the 2020 killing of up-and-coming rapper King Von, who was signed to OTF.
A companion of The charges against Quando Rondo for the murder of King Von were later withdrawn. Quando Rondo was not charged or taken into custody.
The latest accusation against the five individuals claims that an unidentified co-conspirator offered "money and lucrative music opportunities with OTF" to anyone involved in Quando Rondo's murder, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The accused individuals are accused of shooting at a car carrying Quando Rondo, his sister, and his cousin Saviay'a Robinson in 2022.
Robinson passed away, but Quando Rondo and his sister were unhurt.
The mother of another Chicago rapper, FBG Duck, allegedly sued Lil Durk, OTF, and King Von earlier this month, alleging they were complicit in the 2020 shooting death of her son.
Following a non-fatal shooting in Atlanta in 2019, Lil Durk had charges, including attempted murder, dropped two years ago.
Lil Durk's reps have been approached by the BBC for comment.