Just eight months after winning a Grammy for "All My Life," Lil Durk was arrested in South Florida on federal murder-for-hire charges. His arrest occurred just hours after five associates from his Only the Family collective were taken into custody in connection with the murder of Saviay'a Robinson, a cousin of Quando Rondo.
Durk, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, is currently held in Broward County for the U.S. Marshals.
This incident adds to the ongoing saga involving Durk; Rondo; YoungBoy Never Broke Again—who signed Rondo to his Never Broke Again imprint in 2018; and King Von, who was signed to Durk’s OTF label. As King Von's profile rose with the success of the "Crazy Story" series in 2018 and 2019, he crossed paths with both Rondo and YoungBoy. (In fact, there’s Instagram footage showing Rondo and Von on friendlier terms years ago.) However, tensions escalated after an Instagram Live session where King Von dissed some of YoungBoy’s music. This sparked a series of social media exchanges, subs, and even photo opps involving respective exes.
The conflict reached a tragic point in 2020 when an altercation between Rondo's and Von’s camps resulted in multiple fatalities, including Von himself, who was just 26. Since then, speculation about this rivalry has proliferated, fueled by YouTube and Instagram pages, social media posts, surveillance videos, and more. Unfortunately, this has also led to the spread of misinformation, with bad actors uploading fake music leaks and creating fake conversations.
In light of these recent developments, we’ve put together a rough timeline outlining the relationship between Lil Durk, Quando Rondo, King Von, and others.
November 4, 2020: King Von declares that he has no beef with NBA YoungBoy
One of King Von’s last interviews came just four days before he was killed. He appeared on Akademik’s live stream, where he provided a quick update on the tension with YoungBoy. He downplayed any beef, saying, “They be saying that a lot. It’s like, we got the same issues and hoes, and you know how the internet will try to make it.” He concluded with, “But it ain’t nothing sincere, nothing that you should worry about.”
November 6, 2020: King Von is killed in altercation with Quando Rondo’s camp
On the fateful night of November 6th, King Von and his entourage got into an altercation with Quando Rondo and his crew at the Monaco hookah lounge in Atlanta, Georgia. The fight broke out around 2 AM and quickly escalated, resulting in shots being fired. Six people were shot, two of whom died from their wounds. One of the victims was Von, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries the following day at the age of 26. Surveillance footage of the incident went viral, capturing the moments when Von was hit.
“A physical altercation escalated into an exchange of gunfire between those groups,” Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Timothy Peek told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time. “Two police officers who were working at the lounge noticed the altercation and engaged some of the people involved. There was an exchange of gunfire with police as well.”
The day after the altercation, Timothy "Lul Tim" Leeks, who also suffered non-lethal gunshot injuries, was charged with Von's murder. At the time of his arrest, Atlanta police spokeswoman Marla Jean Rooker stated, “Mr. Leeks is in police custody at Grady Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment for a gunshot wound. The homicide of Bennett is closed with this arrest.”
November 20, 2020: Rondo puts out a song about the shooting
Only a couple of weeks after the incident, Rondo released a new track called “End of Story.” In the song, he addressed the altercation and some of the tension that had been building up for years. He raps:
“Blood on your brother on the ground, gon' pick your mans upDamn right we scrеaming self-defense, he shouldn't have never put his hands on meLook at the footage, that's all the evidence, see them pussy niggas shouldn't have ran up on meWho the fuck said that I was hidin’? I’m still ridin' ’round with them bands on meAnd to set the record straight, I ain't never had no show inside the A.”
This wasn’t the first time Von claimed self-defense. In a report to TMZ a week earlier, unnamed sources suggested that he was acting in self-defense, claiming that Rondo was taking a nap in a car when Von and his entourage approached, leading to an escalation.
November 28, 2020: Rondo's Shows Canceled
Tensions were still high a couple of weeks after the shooting when Rondo canceled a performance he was supposed to do in Macon, GA. He blamed the mayor and the local police for the cancellation. In fact, one of Rondo’s associates claimed that another Chicago rapper, 600 Breezy, put a request in to the local police.
This was the second show of Rondo's to be canceled, with another one in Brunswick also being axed due to his “legal situation.”
These events sparked rumors that Durk was buying tickets to Rondo's shows to intimidate him. (These rumors would never be solidified.)
December 8, 2020: Fake screenshots go viral
The rumors about Durk buying tickets aren’t the only unproven, unverifiable aspects. Screenshots started going viral, showing alleged direct messages between Quando and Durk.
In the messages, Quando is asking to talk things out with Durk. But the OTF leader isn’t interested.
Quando took to IG Stories to deny the screenshots, writing: “Don’t believe no internet shit. I ain’t DM’ing nobody,” and “And I don’t have a Facebook or Snapchat!”
March 27, 2021: Lul Tim is released from jail
Lul Tim was granted a $100,000 bond and released from jail after spending four months behind bars. Rondo was so overjoyed that he announced the news on his Instagram.
A couple of days later, during an Instagram Live session, Chicago rapper and King Von’s friend Lil Reese was asked how he felt about Tim’s release. “We gon’ roll his ass up real soon,” Lil Reese said during the session.
April 14, 2021: Quando gives an in-depth interview about November 6.
Quando gave his first in-depth interview about November 6 to Angela Yee. During the expansive discussion, he talked extensively about the night, claiming that he was asleep when the confrontation started.
“In my mind, I’m just thinking regular, like you would think. I’m about to let these people walk past me. I’m not about to try and go through these people or nothing like that,” he said. “I’m thinking these were some regular individuals. … So I’m letting this group come by. Next thing you know, a nigga hit me. Boom, bow. I lie to you not. It’s like I had an out-of-body experience.”
He also said he didn’t have any previous tension with Von and didn’t realize that was him until the altercation happened:
“I don’t know where none of that came from,” Quando said. “I never in life had words with them. Ever! I did not know that was him. I swear. This is all...I did not know this was him until the next day.”
August 20, 2022: Quando Rondo's cousin was killed in a shooting allegedly orchestrated by Lil Durk.
Quando was driving through West Hollywood in a Cadillac Escalade with his sister and cousin Saviay’a Robinson, when gunmen opened fire. Robinson was struck and died from his injuries.
According to an indictment revealed this week, a co-conspirator from OTF—presumed to be Durk—reportedly offered money for Quando Rondo’s assassination.
California authorities allege that five men—Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey, and Asa Houston—attempted to carry out a murder-for-hire plot in retaliation for the shooting of Von.
The indictment alleges that they used a credit card associated with OTF to purchase plane tickets to fly to California on August 18, 2022. The indictment claims that Grant took a private plane from Miami to LA to oversee the attempted hit.
May 8th, 2023: Akademiks Claims Durk and YoungBoy End Their Beef
During a livestream last spring, DJ Akademiks announced that Durk and YoungBoy have put their feud behind them. “That beef is squashed. You ain’t hear?” Akademiks said. “I’m serious. Durk and YoungBoy don’t have beef no more.”
Durk seemed to confirm this by liking a tweet with the information. However, when approached by a TMZ reporter shortly after, he took a more evasive stance.
“What beef?” Durk said after being asked about Youngboy.
“Oh, so there’s no beef?” the reporter pressed.
“Beef with who?” the rapper responded, before giving a shoutout to collaborator Morgan Wallen
August 20, 2023: Charges Against Lul Tim Dropped
Lul Tim has had all murder charges against him dropped. His lawyer, Noah Pines, announced the news in a statement: “The case against Mr. Leeks was dismissed prior to ever being indicted.” This means Leeks is now cleared of the murder charge and will not face trial.”
Following the dismissal of the charges, Lul Tim released a video for his new song, "Left a Stain," in which he references "beating" the case. The video also features him having his house arrest ankle monitor removed.
At the time, we spoke to a lawyer Syed Haseeb Hussain about what might have happened. He told us:
“When prosecutors decide to drop charges, it's not to say that they are convinced of the defendant's innocence, rather that there is not enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to convict…there are reports that prosecutors believe this to be a case of self-defense, and thus reportedly decided to drop the charges.”
October 10, 2024: FBG Duck's Estate Files Civil Lawsuit Against Lil Durk and Others
The estate of FBG Duck, a rapper who had tensions with King Von, filed a civil lawsuit against Lil Durk, King Von’s estate, and OTF. The lawsuit alleges that Lil Durk and OTF operated as a criminal enterprise, orchestrating a campaign of intimidation and placing a bounty on Duck’s life. It claims that OTF’s leadership used their platform to eliminate rivals in a bid to control Chicago’s rap scene.
The defendants also include several major record labels, including Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Empire Distribution, accused of promoting and profiting from violent behavior by signing artists with known gang affiliations.
“It has been a long and painful journey fighting for justice for my son, Carlton, also known as FBG Duck. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and the life that was taken from him,” said Duck’s mother, Lasheena Weekly, in a statement. “But today, we are one step closer to justice. It has been a long road, but there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel. My son deserved better, and so do his children.”
Following the indictment, the estate issued the another statement: “Despite repeated warnings and numerous violent incidents, record labels Alamo Records, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Empire Distribution Inc., and Universal Music Group Recordings Inc. d/b/a Interscope Records chose to fuel, finance, and develop brands with Lil Durk, OTF, and King Von, undeterred by overwhelming evidence of violent criminal activity.”
October 24, 2024: Lil Durk is arrested
Hours after Durk's arrest, federal prosecutors unsealed the charges against the rap star. In the filing, Durk is referred to as "Banks," and it alleges that he ran OTF as a criminal organization, even putting a bounty on Rondo.
“Banks placed a monetary bounty on an individual with whom he was feuding, identified as T.B.,” with those initials referring to Rondo’s real name, Tyquian Bowman. “Banks ordered T.B.’s murder, and the hitmen used Banks and OTF-related finances to carry it out.”
Even more startling, the indictment alleges that Durk was attempting to flee the country at the time. Prosecutors claim that following the OTF arrests, Durk booked flights to Dubai and Switzerland, and then arranged a private jet to Italy. He was arrested while heading to the airport.