Key Takeaways
- Meek Mill called Lil Durk an "innocent kid from Chicago" and argued that America failed their generation, citing childhood memories of playing SEGA and watching The Lion King.
- The post split social media, with supporters backing Durk’s innocence and critics arguing that Meek’s nostalgia ignored Durk’s adulthood and personal accountability.
- Durk has pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy and murder-for-hire charges as his defense challenges witness OTF Jam’s testimony and prosecutors’ interpretation of his lyrics.
Meek Mill's latest defense of Lil Durk has left a lot of people scratching their heads.
On Friday (September 4), Meek took to X to show support for Durk amid the Chicago rapper's ongoing federal trial. In making his case, Meek pointed to the era Durk grew up in, referencing everything from SEGA to The Lion King while describing him as an "innocent kid from Chicago."
"Free Durk .... just an innocent kid from Chicago .... the real question is as an American, why was Durk brothers cousins and friends killed in the greatest country on earth? We used to play 'sega' draw art and watch lion king as kids .. yall failed us and blamed us for everything!" Meek wrote.
The argument immediately got people talking. While some agreed with his assessment, plenty of others weren't buying the childhood nostalgia as a reason to proclaim Durk's innocence.
"Yeah durk really is innocent ngl," one X user wrote in agreement, while another wondered why Meek didn't simply leave his message at showing support for Durk. "Could've ended it at 'Free durk,'" they wrote,
Another added: "Durk is a grown man, in his 30s. You know what kind of lifestyle he was living. Who is 'y’all'? And who is 'us' that were failed? Y’all create the music and help shape the culture. That’s what y’all push. Take some accountability for creating the America that you’re now complaining about."
Meek's comments arrive as Durk is fighting federal charges of conspiracy, murder-for-hire resulting in death, and using a firearm to commit a violent crime. Durk has pleaded not guilty.
This is not the first time Meek's commentary on the case has generated reactions online. Last week, the Philadelphia rapper took aim at prosecution witness OTF Jam, calling him "the definition of a heathen" and saying he wouldn't believe anything he said.
Meek's latest comments come during a pivotal stretch in Durk's trial. Prosecutors rested their case on Thursday (September 3), with the defense beginning to call its own witnesses the same day.
OTF Jam, whose real name is Kacey Hester, has emerged as a key prosecution witness. He testified that Durk allegedly said during a session at an Atlanta studio, "If muthafuckas catch Quando Rondo or Lul Timm, they gon' be straight. They ain't gotta worry about nothing."
During cross-examination, Hester also acknowledged that cooperating with prosecutors could amount to a "death sentence" under Black Disciples rules.
Durk's attorneys, meanwhile, have challenged the government's murder-for-hire theory. Defense attorney Marissa Goldberg argued during opening statements that prosecutors haven't produced evidence showing Durk paid anyone to carry out a killing. Fellow defense attorney Brian Steel similarly argued: "This is a murder-for-hire allegation where nobody gets paid."
On Friday, Durk's audio engineer took the stand as the two sides continued battling over how the rapper's music should be interpreted. Prosecutors have argued that some of his lyrics contained subliminal threats and references to retaliation.
Check out more reactions to Meek’s post below.
