Jay-Z and J. Cole Write to Judge in Support of Lil Durk's Bail Request

Jay-Z and J. Cole have sent letters to a federal judge backing a request for bail from Lil Durk, the rapper whose legal name is Durk Banks. The letters were submitted on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, and Billboard obtained copies.

Lil Durk is not free. He was acquitted in September of murder-for-hire charges, but he remains in custody while he waits for a second trial. That trial, on a racketeering charge, is scheduled for August 2027. Racketeering is a federal offence that targets organised criminal activity, and this count is brought under the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Activity statute, usually called VICAR.

The September verdict came in Los Angeles, where the federal murder-for-hire trial lasted two weeks. The charge alleged a hit on rival rapper Quando Rondo, and it centred on the death of 24-year-old Saviay'a Robinson. CNN reported that the jury found Lil Durk not guilty, and that his co-defendant, Wilson, was also acquitted. Craig Harbaugh represented Wilson. Earlier, in February, Lil Durk and his lawyers had argued against the use of songs, lyrics and music videos as evidence, according to HotNewHipHop.

Prosecutors oppose his release on bail. A judge previously denied him bail after deciding he was a flight risk, meaning a court considered him likely to skip future court dates. His attorneys have now offered a bond package, which is the money or property a defendant puts up to guarantee he will return to court. Their offer includes all of his future royalties, his touring income, and his name, image and likeness rights, meaning the rights to commercial use of his name and appearance.

The letters from Jay-Z and J. Cole come as the case returns to court. A hearing to review the bond is set for Nov. 4, 2026. The two artists' link to Lil Durk is a 2023 track, "All My Life," on which J. Cole appeared with him. That song won a Grammy for best melodic rap performance and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, the chart that ranks the week's most popular songs in the United States.

For the music business, the bond offer raises a practical question. It puts future earnings from recordings and live shows on the table as security, a step that is rare in this kind of case. The judge will decide at the November hearing whether that package, and the letters, change the outcome. Until then, Lil Durk remains in custody.