Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's campaign fund received a $150,000 donation from a company controlled by Chicago-born rapper, Lil Durk, a reputed street gang member, felon and Grammy-award nominee, according to public records.
Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Derrick Banks, grew up in the Englewood neighborhood, where he reportedly dropped out of high school to join the 300 faction of the Black Disciples street gang.
In 2011, Banks gained popularity in the Chicago-born "trap music" scene along with fellow rapper and Black Disciple member Keith Cozart, better known as Chief Keef.
In 2014, Banks pleaded guilty to one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one count of felony possession of a firearm related to a 2013 arrest in Chicago, according to news reports.
In 2019, Banks, now a Georgia resident, was charges with attempted murder in Atlanta. Those charges were dropped in October 2022.
Mayor Johnson's campaign fund, Friends of Brandon Johnson, reported receiving the six-figure donation from Lil Durk's Nevada-based touring company, The Voice Touring LLC, on June 23, according to Illinois campaign finance reports.
On May 8, BET reported that Banks, 31, had a sit down meeting with Johnson, who won Chicago's mayoral runoff election in April. A photo of the meeting was posted on Instagram. Banks posted a message on the social media site saying that the chat with Johnson was about "saving kids lives."
Banks also reportedly attended Mayor Johnson's swearing in ceremony on May 15.
In April, Banks, who was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2020, donated $350,000 to create a scholarship for Chicago kids to attend Howard University, a Historic Black University.
Photos of Lil Durk and Brandon Johnson's meeting were posted to InstaGram.
See a video of Johnson and Durk hugging HERE.
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