Lil Durk is heading into the first major arguments of his federal trial while a fake bald mugshot of the rapper continues making the rounds across social media. The viral mugshot shows the Chicago rapper, whose legal name is Durk Banks, appearing bald and dressed in what looks like jail clothing. However, the image is not an authentic booking photo, and sources with direct knowledge told TMZ that the picture circulating online is bogus. According to those close to Durk, he currently has a short haircut and is not bald as depicted in the image.
The timing has helped push the image back into the conversation. The fake photo is circulating as the Lil Durk trial moves into opening statements in downtown Los Angeles, bringing renewed attention to a federal case that has kept the Grammy-winning artist behind bars since 2024.
During a July pretrial hearing, Los Angeles Magazine reported that Durk appeared in court with a fresh short haircut while sitting with his defense team and co-defendants. The publication’s description came more than a month before the fake bald image began circulating widely.
While the Lil Durk mugshot may be generating social media attention, the much more serious development is unfolding inside federal court.
Jury selection in the Lil Durk trial took place over two days last week before a panel of 16 people, including four alternates, was selected Friday. Opening statements were scheduled for Monday, August 24, before U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald.
Durk has pleaded not guilty to the charges being tried in connection with the alleged 2022 plot. Prosecutors accuse him of ordering and financing an effort to kill rapper Quando Rondo, whose legal name is Tyquian Bowman, after the November 2020 death of Durk’s close friend and fellow rapper King Von, whose legal name was Dayvon Bennett.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, federal investigators allege that several members and associates of Durk’s Only the Family collective tracked Bowman in Los Angeles on August 19, 2022. Prosecutors allege the group eventually opened fire on Bowman’s vehicle near the Beverly Center. Bowman survived the shooting. His cousin Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab, was fatally shot during the attack.
Federal authorities allege Durk ordered the attack and that OTF-related money was used to finance travel and expenses connected to the alleged plot. Those claims remain allegations, and Durk has denied wrongdoing.
The government’s original case has also changed significantly on the road to trial. In July, Judge Fitzgerald granted a defense request to separate newly added racketeering-related allegations from the Los Angeles case being tried now. The judge questioned prosecutors about why the newer allegations needed to be tried alongside the murder for hire case before ultimately ordering them separated.
That ruling narrowed what jurors will be asked to consider during this phase of the Lil Durk trial, but another major courtroom battle remains: how prosecutors will use Durk’s music. Judge Fitzgerald ruled that prosecutors may introduce certain lyrics as evidence as they attempt to establish motive and intent. Portions of songs including “Pissed Me Off,” “Ahhh Ha” and “Who Want Smoke??” have been cleared for use during the proceedings.
The defense has pushed back against efforts to treat Durk’s creative work as proof of criminal conduct. That debate was already visible during jury selection. Prospective jurors were questioned about their views of rap music and whether violent themes or lyrics could affect their ability to evaluate the case impartially.
That issue could become one of the most closely watched aspects of the trial. The use of rap lyrics in criminal prosecutions has generated years of debate over whether artistic expression can be unfairly interpreted as autobiography or evidence of real-world conduct. In Durk’s case, jurors will be asked to separate the government’s allegations and evidence from assumptions about the music and culture surrounding the defendant.
What’s most important is that as the federal trial is unfolding in Los Angeles, Durk’s legal team will need to prove that his lyrics are just a means of creative expression, and not a full-on confession.
