Rapper Lil Durk Charged Again With Gun Violation

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A rapper associated with Chief Keef, the teen who's made news for his music and arrests, was arrested again for a gun violation early Wednesday in the South Side Englewood neighborhood.

Durk D. Banks, 20, of the 2000 block of North 18th Avenue in Melrose Park, was charged with one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, according to Chicago Police.

Officers responded to the 7200 block of South Green Street about 3 a.m. for a report of a person with a gun, police said. They saw Banks with a handgun and arrested him without incident.

Banks was convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in 2012 and sentenced to one year in prison, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was released on parole on July 27, 2012, and was expected to complete the parole term on July 27.

Banks performs under the name Lil Durk and is signed to Def Jam records. He was scheduled to perform in Jamaica, N.Y., on Friday night, according to his Twitter account.

Lil Durk has performed with South Side rappers Chief Keef, Lil Reese and other members of the Keef-owned record label Glory Boyz Entertainment.

Chief Keef, 17, whose real name is Keith Cozart, was convicted of pointing a gun at a Chicago Police officer and later sentenced to juvenile detention for violating his parole when he shot guns for a video interview for music website Pitchfork.

Last month, Cozart was arrested in a hotel outside Atlanta, Ga., on marijuana charges, and later in the week was ticketed for speeding after police stopped him driving 110 mph on the Edens Expressway (I-94) in suburban Northfield.

Banks is expected to appear for a bond hearing Thursday.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)