What we know about suspected contract killing

Topline

Chicago rapper Lil Durk was arrested in Florida on murder-for-hire charges on Thursday, following the arrest of five men associated with Lil Durk's hip-hop collective Only The Family who were also charged with murder-for-hire Rapper Quando Rondo in retaliation for the murder of rapper King Von in 2020.

Important facts

Who is Lil Durk?

Lil Durk is a rapper from Chicago who founded the group Only The Family in 2010, with whom he has released six albums. King Von was a member of Only The Family before his assassination. Lil Durk had his breakthrough in the 2010s after signing with Def Jam Records and releasing the albums Remember My Name in 2015 and Lil Durk 2X in 2016. He later signed with Alamo Records and received his first Grammy nominations for “Laugh Now.” Cry Later,” a collaboration with Drake, in 2021. He reached the top of the Billboard 200 for the first time in 2022 with “7220” and released his biggest hit, “All My Life,” his Grammy-winning collaboration with J. Cole. in 2023.

Important background

King Von, whose real name is Dayvon Daquan Bennett, was shot and killed outside a hookah lounge in Atlanta in the early hours of November 6, 2020. Local police said King Von's group was involved in a dispute with another group led by Quando Rondo, and the “quarrel quickly escalated into gunfire” around 3:20 a.m., with six people shot and two killed. Surveillance footage released by TMZ appeared to show King Von Quando throwing punches at Rondo and his crew. Unnamed sources were quoted as saying that King Von's crew approached Quando Rondo while he was sleeping in his car. Two weeks after the shooting, Quando Rondo released a song called “End of Story” that appeared to address his role in the incident. He claimed the shooting was “self-defense” and rapped, “He never should have gotten his hands on me, look at the footage, that's all the proof.”

Surprising fact

Prior to his arrest, Lil Durk was promoting his upcoming album, Deep Thoughts, due out November 22nd. He released several new songs in October, including “Late Checkout,” which he released two weeks ago.

Further reading

Five in Chicago charged with contract killing in Los Angeles shooting in revenge for killing of rapper King Von (Chicago Tribune)

Quando Rondo talks about the fatal shooting of King Von in “End of Story” (Complex).