Kanye West brought out a staggering list of special guests at his second Chicago homecoming concert last night (Friday, September 4). But in another timeline, the city could've had another hometown superstar grace the stage: Lil Durk. He's currently in the middle of his murder-for-hire trial, and Ye showed support for his "Jonah" collaborator during the show.
In a clip caught by Cousin Tino on Twitter, the production team played a voice message from The Voice thanking Ye while the Yeezy mogul was onstage. Then, he played Durk's J. Cole collab "All My Life," which is slightly ironic given Kanye West's past criticisms of Cole. But clearly, some things are bigger than petty animosity.
"Free Durk, free Durk," Ye remarked when production cut the song off, as caught by yzyupdates on Twitter. It was one of many Chicago-centric moments during the show, including guest appearances from Chief Keef, Common, Lupe Fiasco, and more.
Kanye West's support of Lil Durk has been evident throughout the murder-for-hire trial and Smurk's overall case. Authorities arrested him back in October of 2024. Ye pulled up to the trial in Los Angeles and reportedly helped cover Durk's legal bills, according to DJ Akademiks.
Kanye West Supports Lil Durk
Ye and Durk's collabs over the years showed their chemistry, such as the aforementioned "Jonah" off 2021's Donda. They also linked up on the track "Hot S**t" with Cardi B and the Ty Dolla $ign collab "VULTURES," the title track from Ye and Ty's first collaborative album.
As for Lil Durk's murder-for-hire trial's latest updates, both the defense and the prosecution rested their cases earlier this week. This means closing arguments will take place next week, followed by jury deliberation. As such, the case is about to come to a close, and there are a lot of debates and discussions concerning predictions of its outcome.
In any case, Ye and many other artists are showing their support for Durk. This will lead to controversial conversations, but that's the reality of high-profile cases like these. We will see if Kanye speaks out about this legal matter or anything else related to his two Chicago concerts.
