Brian Steel crowned ‘the real GOAT’ after Lil Durk acquittal

Thousands of Lil Durk fans showered praise on his lawyer Brian Steel after the Grammy-nominated rap artist was acquitted of all charges in a federal murder-for-hire case accusing him of orchestrating the revenge killing of a man shot dead in a daytime ambush in Los Angeles four years ago.

"Who's this Brian Steel, you the real GOAT," said a fan on X after the verdict was announced.

"Brian Steel is GOAT" started trending on X after the rapper's fans started rejoicing over his acquittal.

One fan wrote, "Brian Steel has to be the coldest lawyer in hip hop history. Brian Steel's résumé in less than 2 years: Young Thug walked home with a plea deal, Diddy had RICO charges reduced to minor charges, and now Lil Durk had his charges dismissed."

Defense lawyers ⁠have asserted that Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, had nothing to do with the plot, maintaining that it was a former personal assistant who ordered the hit to impress his boss, the Los Angeles City News Service reported in its account of the trial.

The ⁠ex-assistant and ​two other Banks associates originally indicted with the rapper reached plea ​deals in the case and testified for the prosecution, according to CNS.

Lil Durk's acquittal set off a celebration by the rap artist's supporters outside the ​downtown Los Angeles federal courthouse where the trial was held.

Brian Steel is a prominent Atlanta-based criminal defense and appellate attorney who has gained widespread praise, especially in hip-hop circles, for successfully representing high-profile rappers in major cases that carried the risk of decades or life in prison.