Lil Durk's legal team reportedly argued the government wants to "throw rocks and then hide its hands" by suppressing Durk's narrative.
Lil Durk's legal team reportedly argued the government wants to "throw rocks and then hide its hands" by suppressing Durk's narrative.
Lil Durk now faces four superseding indictments in connection with his murder for hire case, highlighting the seriousness of the accusations against him. Despite the difficult legal road ahead, the rapper and his attorneys continue challenging anything they feel could damage his right to a fair trial.
Grouchy Greg Watkins reported exclusively for AllHipHop that Durk’s attorneys recently submitted documents opposing the prosecution’s proposed gag order. If Judge Michael Fitzgerald approves the request, defense attorneys would be prevented from publicly discussing the evidence, witnesses, or the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the case.
The Chicago artist’s lawyers reportedly argued that prosecutors have already presented their side of the story through public announcements. They cited the multiple indictments and news releases issued by the United States Justice Department as examples. “The government should not be permitted to throw rocks and then hide its hands,” Smurk’s attorneys reportedly wrote.
Durk’s defense also believes there is no reason for the judge to impose a federal gag order. “Counsel for both parties are ethical and professional. The Court should deny the government’s motion as unnecessary and unripe,” they added.
Oct 4, 2023, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Rapper and singer Lil Durk performs during halftime of the Chicago Fire game against Inter Miami CF at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr, USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect.
Prosecutors are seeking the order to reduce the possible influence of courthouse remarks, posts from Durk’s Instagram account, and interviews involving his attorneys. They argue that these public statements could affect the selection of an unbiased jury, which is currently scheduled to start on August 20.
Meanwhile, Lil Durk’s defense attorneys accused the prosecution of placing publicity focused claims inside the indictments. Their examples reportedly included a music video that has not been released, allegations involving a vehicle being followed, and images showing masked men carrying firearms. His lawyers argued that jurors may never hear some of those claims, even though they have already shaped public opinion. “It would be unfair to hamstring the defense in a way that the government has not limited itself,” they reportedly wrote.
As another option, Durk’s attorneys suggested that Judge Fitzgerald could restrict any order to remarks about witnesses, personal attacks, and evidence already ruled inadmissible. Arguments concerning the request will be heard on Thursday, August 13. Jury selection is then expected to begin on August 20, after Durk has spent almost 22 months in custody.
Hozier originally featured on the track on her latest album ‘Forever Is A Feeling’
Lucy Dacus welcomed her Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker onto the stage for a performance of ‘Bullseye’ at Outside Lands over the weekend.
The pair performed the song from Dacus’ latest solo record, ‘Forever Is A Feeling’, during her appearance at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Before Baker came onto the stage, Dacus told the audience: “I wanna invite my best friend to the stage. Would Julien Baker please join?”
Dacus played acoustic guitar as the pair sang the song together. Footage of the moment can be watched below.
Hozier appears on the recorded version of ‘Bullseye’ and performed it with Dacus in New York earlier this year. In June 2024, Hozier invited Dacus to join him for ‘I, Carrion (Icarian)’ during another New York City concert.
Elsewhere in her Outside Lands performance, Dacus included the Boygenius song ‘True Blue’ alongside material from her solo catalogue.
Dacus confirmed her romantic relationship with Baker last year, also revealing that their relationship partly influenced her latest album.
She later admitted that she felt “uncomfortable” when people treated her relationship with Baker “like a Marvel Universe”.
Speaking at the time, Dacus explained that she regularly creates songs “so I can send them to people or so I can hear them myself”. She continued: “in a way, that’s the bit that makes me feel uncomfortable. The lore of it all – people treating our lives like a Marvel Universe.
“But then again, what is lore if not the story?,” she added. “Some parts of my story I keep for myself but this is the story that defines my life. So what am I gonna do?”
Meanwhile, Dacus invited The Killers singer Brandon Flowers to join her for a rendition of Jim Croce’s ‘Time In A Bottle’ at Newport Folk Festival last month.
Hayley Williams also appeared during the set to perform ‘Bullseye’, while Madi Diaz joined Dacus for ‘Heavy Metal’.
Earlier at the festival, Dacus appeared as a guest during Williams’ own set. The Paramore singer also welcomed Jack Antonoff, Jenny Lewis, Remi Wolf, Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman and Joy Oladokun.
Her performance with Flowers followed Dacus joining The Killers for ‘Read My Mind’ at Osheaga Festival in Montreal last August.
Earlier this year, Dacus also performed with Chappell Roan, covering the Magnetic Fields song ‘The Book of Love’ during Mustafa’s benefit concert for Sudan and Palestine in Los Angeles.
The rapper previously shouted out the Colombian star on "New Bestie."
Drake once said he wanted a G like Karolina, and he has now joined her on a record. Karol G released her latest album, No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, on Friday, Aug. 7. The project includes a warm weather collaboration with the rapper that revisits lyrics from one of his own MAID OF HONOUR tracks.
Arriving as the fourth song on the album, “Ahí” brings the Latin superstar and Drizzy together over an infectious, twisting hook. The pair exchange verses about developing feelings for somebody who is not prepared for a relationship. Near the conclusion, Drake raps, “I want a Latina, I want a Latina/ I want a face just like Karolina/ And I want a waist just like Karolina … I’m not a drug dealer, my money’s way cleaner.”
Those lyrics directly reference “New Bestie,” Drake’s flirtatious MAID OF HONOUR song released in May, which also mentions the Colombian star. On that recording, he rhymed, “Yeah, I want a Latina, I want a Latina/ I want a G like Karolina.”
“New Bestie” remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week, reaching No. 72. Meanwhile, MAID OF HONOUR entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3. Drake also occupied the chart’s top two positions that week with ICEMAN and HABIBTI after surprising listeners by releasing all three albums on the same day earlier in the spring.
No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto also contains collaborations with Bruno Mars, Cigarettes After Sex member Greg Gonzalez and several other artists. The record arrives slightly more than a year after Karol released Tropicoqueta. That 2025 album ruled Top Latin Albums for two weeks, giving her one of four career No. 1 projects on the chart.
Rumors about a Drake and Karol collaboration had circulated for months. Charlamagne Tha God suggested in May that Karol appeared on ICEMAN. Her only presence ultimately came through Drake’s mention of her on “New Bestie,” but the two musicians later found another chance to work together and created “Ahí.”
Drake also showed his support for Karol in July by going to her Toronto concert, where he appeared on the venue’s Jumbotron.
Listen to “Ahí” featuring Karol G below.
T-Pain has explained why he decided to sell his complete music catalogue.
The father of three sold the rights to his work for $100 million (£74 million) 18 months ago. The Buy U a Drank singer said his wife, Amber Najm, and their children, daughter Lyriq and sons Muziq and Kaydnz, were his biggest consideration when making the choice.
Above everything else, he wanted to protect their financial future as the music business continues to change.
“I need everyone to understand something,” the singer and songwriter said during a Twitch livestream. “When streaming arrived, nobody approached us as artists and explained what was happening. Nobody asked, ‘We are preparing to place your music on streaming services, so what price would you like to set?’ Without warning or permission, our songs went from earning a dollar for every purchase to around 0.003 cents for each stream. None of us were consulted.”
He explained that the amount artists receive has continued to fall over the years, causing the value of his catalogue to become “smaller and smaller with time.”
“Do you honestly believe I would want to pass that uncertainty on to my children?” he asked. “After everything I have told you about my experiences in this industry, why would I place my children’s lives and their future in the hands of the music business?”
When T-Pain finalised the sale to HarbourView Equity in February last year, he said he was pleased that the company would “protect the lasting importance” of his music.
“This collection reflects many years of dedication, imagination and memorable experiences,” he said in a statement published on the company’s website. “I appreciate knowing it can continue growing and reaching more people. I have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.”
She played four 'Music, Fashion, Film' songs for 'Live At The BBC'
Charli XCX has filmed a stripped back performance at Maida Vale and discussed the inspiration behind her track ‘2007’.
The singer’s latest session and accompanying interview were recorded inside the famous London studios. The complete programme will become available through iPlayer at midday BST today, Wednesday, August 5.
Created for BBC Music, the performance includes four tracks from her newest album, ‘Music, Fashion, Film’. Charli played ‘I’m Afraid’, ‘SS26’, ‘Wink Wink’ and ‘No One Lasts Forever’.
Alongside the live performances, Charli joined Radio 1 presenter Jack Saunders to talk about the album and several individual songs. “This album is about process and my love for making things, the joy that comes with that, sometimes the difficulty that comes with that,” she explained.
Discussing ‘2007’, Charli told Saunders: “The song itself is about making TikToks, because it’s like everyone can be a star from their bedroom, which is sort of what I talk about in the song and I think that’s fabulous!
“Like it’s so Warholian in a way. You know everybody can kind of have this moment where they blow up on TikTok because they’ve done a cool dance or a really aesthetically pleasing video or whatever it may be, and I think that’s really fun and creative.”
Turning to her latest single ‘Wink Wink’, Charli said: “I think it’s actually about romantic relationships and, in the past, having maybe been a bit misunderstood by previous partners and having felt the pressure of wanting to become what they wanted me to be.”
She explained that her husband, The 1975 drummer George Daniel, “gets it and he gets me”. Charli described her marriage to Daniel as “a different thing” from her earlier romantic experiences.
“So this song, in a way, is kind of me talking to my previous partners being like, ‘Yeah, sure. I’m this perfect person now, wink wink’,” the singer continued. “Whereas in reality, who is perfect, you know? No one.”
During another part of the conversation, Charli said the opening song ‘Rock Music’ was “about that joy of getting to have fun making things with your friends”.
She continued: “Obviously I know there are some people who really think I’m just constantly living in an eye roll and being ironic all of the time, and I’m more than happy for people to feel that way.
“But actually [with] this song, it’s obviously like fun and funny, and there are funny elements about it, but when we were making it we were really connecting with each other, and actually the silliness in the song doesn’t necessarily mean that the song is not serious or real.”
NME gave ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ four stars and noted that Charli’s “mincing delivery on the chorus of ‘2007’ lends the song a self-aware preciousness”. The review concluded: “‘Music, Fashion, Film’ can feel fragmentary and fleeting, distracted by its imagined, hyper-contemporary audience. But its celebration of art – and its capacity to let you transcend your bounds for something new – feels urgent and timeless.”
All four performances from Maida Vale will also arrive on BBC Music’s YouTube channel at 11am BST. Charli XCX: Live At The BBC can be heard here.
Charli completed the recording shortly before Fontaines D.C. delivered the BBC’s final session at Maida Vale.
Last week, the singer presented her first complete headline concert of the ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ era during Lollapalooza in Chicago. She also appeared with Lorde for a joint performance of ‘Girl, So Confusing’.
Charli will make her first headline appearance at Reading & Leeds later this month. A North American arena tour with Underscores will follow in September, with remaining tickets available here.
In other developments, Charli has “begrudgingly” issued the ‘B-sides Edition’ of ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ through iTunes and released a companion film for the standard album. She has also named her five favourite Charli XCX songs, including the “ultimate party song” and another track that leaves her feeling “very sentimental”.
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