Born Dayvon Daquan Bennett on 9 August 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, American rapper, songwriter and storyteller King Von passed away at 26 on 6 November 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Through his catchy melodies and larger-than-life tales, Von’s music swept through not only the US but also London and other cities worldwide. As the online obituary highlights, Von’s ability to turn his ghetto stories and melodies into personal narratives has made him one of the most popular rap artists to have emerged from the Chicago drill music school.
His life was so short that his breath was taken from him in November 2020, but his beat and vibe permeate the genre, and his art will live on! Having taken his place in the history books in the first official biography of the star, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at his life, mission, rise to fame, how hip-hop chose to recognize him, his life and his legacy, the challenges he faced, and ultimately, how he became the phenomenon that is the impact he continues to make on the hip-hop world.
Early Life and Upbringing in O’Block
King Von was born and raised at the Parkway Gardens housing projects, a neighbourhood informally known as O’Block and located on Chicago’s South Side. Embedded in a war-torn, impoverished and oppressed community further characterized by a complete absence of significant opportunities, O’Block was predominantly occupied by those from a lower socio-economic status – a harsh reality that greatly informed Von’s ethos and penetrated his artistry in a most impactful way—dubbed one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the city over the years, growing up in O’Block adjusted Von’s mindset to that of a man well before his teen years. The area was not only widely known for its extensive gang ties but, perhaps more interestingly, also for housing and birthing many budding stars on the rap scene, with a decent amount of them (including Von) utilizing music to escape the streets.
Von’s father, Walter Bennett, was primarily gone from his life due to time spent behind bars, and he was shot and killed when Von was only 11 years old. The death of his father was a significant loss for him, and the wound never seemed to heal. Von would continually speak about his father when interviewed, and his father’s death was also a constant theme in his music, wherein he referenced it to motivate himself to provide for his family. Having been raised by his mother, Taesha, and growing up with five siblings, Von was quickly made aware of what life in O’Block was about poverty, loss, and gang violence would again become subjects in his music.
Von already had a history of youthful transgressions. Since he was a teenager, he’d practised street life with an enthusiasm that eventually got him inducted into the Chicago street gang the Black Disciples, an early South Side branch of the broader Crip organization. Von’s gang affiliation would become essential to his persona and art: he rapped about the neighbourhood and came from it. His adoption by the street world was part of his story, and forming that bond eventually landed him in ‘the Benito’, a detention centre on Chicago’s West Side. Von was academically gifted, and his friends saw writing as his ticket out of his community. But his comfort in street life made him hard to rein in.
Legal Troubles and Incarceration
Beginning around when Von was 16, Von’s life was marked by various legal troubles that began to pick up over the years. In 2016, he was arrested six times: he was first arrested at age 16, and at different points throughout the next couple of years, he spent a good chunk of his life in jail.
This is the friend Von would carry with him from that moment to the stage. It would shape his art. To listen to Von’s songs, such as ‘How It Go’, which documents prison and the suffering it caused him. He missed two years and was convinced that music would liberate him from the life of violence and imprisonment that had characterized much of his youth.
The Transition to Music and Breakthrough with ‘Crazy Story’
He was released from jail after being acquitted but took the decision right then to start making music full-time. His friend and fellow Chicago rapper Lil Durk told him that he needed to rap about his experiences, and he guided Von to the rap game. Durk signed Von to his Only The Family (OTF) label in 2018.
He got his first record deal in December 2018 with the release of his debut single, ‘Crazy Story’. The agitprop track was an instant hit, racking millions of YouTube views and streams the week after its release. ‘Crazy Story’ is an unblinking first-person narrative of an incident on a street corner, told with raw and compelling authenticity. Von’s storytelling sets him apart from his contemporaries in the drill scene because his verses are a window into his reality and a peek into the life he has been forced to lead.
The song was so popular that two more versions (‘Crazy Story 2.0’ and ‘Crazy Story 3.0’) were released, culminating in a remix featuring Chicago’s rapper Lil Durk, officially getting Von called out on the rise. ‘Crazy Story 3.0’ was a surefire street hit, earning Von buzz in the broader rap world and winning him fans who appreciated his candid style.
‘Grandson, Vol. 1’ and The Rise of a Star
Riding on the buzz he’d generated with ‘Crazy Story’, King Von released his debut mixtape, Grandson, Vol. 1, in September 2019. The title pays homage to Von’s relationship with David Barksdale, a.k.a King David, the reputed founder of the Chicago Black Disciples gang. Invoking King David in this way bridges both his street past and his musical present.
With Grandson, Vol. 1, Von proved his pen prowess, headlined by tracks ‘Took Her to the O’ and ‘War With Us’, which inject narratives into his songs to conjure a cinematic feel. The mixtape debuted at No. 75 on the Billboard 200 chart, a promising foundation for any up-and-coming artist. Von garnered tremendous success with his ability to rap about the topics that plagued his inner life – and those that deadened the conscious minds of many in his hometown.
Levon James and Continued Success
In 2020, Levon James, King Von’s second mixtape, proved to be a turning point, both artistically and commercially. The album went to No. 63 on the Billboard 200 and featured tracks that gave critics like Pitchfork and The 405 a new appreciation for Von’s lyricism and emotional engagement. ‘3 A.M.’ is a hard song and wordly: ‘I’m back on my crazy thug shit,’ Von raps.
With Levon James, via the mixtape, Von showed us that his art would keep evolving along the trajectory he’d launched himself, all while still rooted in the dusty, street-brain soundscape that had garnered him the accolades in the first place. Von now collaborated with titans of Drill: Lil
Durk, G Herbo and more. Von had become one of the ranks in his ascent into the upper echelons of the hyphy subgenre of Drill. With Levon James, it looked like the mixtaping stops and the cupboard that held the games ran totally dry. But how could this be? It meant that Von would have to genuinely commit to the other route. Career-wise, it looked like Von had struck the elusive balance between more commercial music and still have the ears of the underground space that had built him such a large following, to begin with. Von’s star would fly higher and higher. He’d start to see rooms with more bodies and reap the perks of having more eyes and ears on his work.
Personal Life: Physical Stats, Relationships, and Family
A little over 5 ft 9in (175 cm) and around 165 lbs (75 kg), King Von was a solidly built man who was always causing a disturbance onstage. To some viewers, he would come across as hypermasculine, his appearance and demeanour elevating his music videos and public appearances.
King Von dated a fellow rapper named Asian Doll (or Asian Da Brat as she’s also known). They were a well-known couple in the rap world whose relationship was constantly shared on social media. Von and Asian Doll had recorded a few tracks together; their relationship was well known to many fans, and although the couple became involved in various disputes throughout their relationship, they were bonded and, after his death, Asian Doll paid extensive tributes to Von, including recollections of the tragic incident that took his life, and memorial posts to him across her social media feeds.
Despite his often bleak circumstances, family was a central part of Von’s life. Von had five siblings and remained close with his mother, Taesha, throughout his life. Taesha was central to Von’s early life, and their bond remained strong from childhood into adulthood. Von himself repeatedly alluded to the struggles that his family faced, and it’s clear that his pursuit of a flourishing career was motivated, at least in part, by his desire to support his family.
Social Media Presence and Fan Engagement
King Von’s rise to fame also occurred in an era when social media emerged as a new vehicle for artists to develop deeper connections with their audiences. Von was active on Instagram and Twitter accounts, providing regular status reports about himself, his music, and his thoughts on the day’s news. His fans followed him closely and reciprocated by blasting his tracks and product-placing his merch on their feeds. It’s a statement of how close Von’s fans felt to him that they picked up his use of ‘real’ and ran with it.
His death hasn’t wholly extinguished King Von’s media accounts; his career and legacy live on through his continued mentions by fans and other rappers on his social media sites. Here are some of his official social media profiles:
The Tragic Death of King Von
On 6 November 2020, King Von drove to Atlanta, Georgia, to do a butter-smooth feature with the up-and-coming rapper Quando Rondo. Following their recording session, the two groups left the studio together and arrived at their respective cars. A dispute unfolded between members of both parties, resulting in shots being exchanged. Von sustained over five gunshot wounds before succumbing to his injuries inside a nearby hospital, where he was taken following the shooting. He was 26.
Von’s death stunned the music scene in the US as fans and fellow artists alike mourned a multitalented young man who had just begun to show what he was capable of. Lil Durk, Von’s close friend and mentor, poured his heart out in several songs honouring the memory of his lost friend. Vote analytics l.
Legacy and Posthumous Influence
Although his career was short-lived, King Von has cast a long shadow on Chicago music. In his verse delivery, he exhibited the knack for vivid, often gruesome storytelling that has defined Drill since its inception. He refined it to have greater depth and emotional nuance than many of his peers, creating deeply personal music with broad appeal. The qualities that made him among Chicago’s most promising drill talents were displayed vividly throughout his posthumous album Welcome to O’Block, released a week before his death.
Since his death, people have only heard his music more; his fanbase has grown, and all his songs are becoming certified hits. They play ‘Took Her to the O’ and ‘Crazy Story’ at every barbeque. Von’s albums get streamed nonstop. He’s a muse to younger rappers.
Von’s story also provides a cautionary tale about the perils of street life and the pitfalls awaiting young men growing up in the crucible of violence. Some of the same cycles Von could have broken earlier in life remain inescapable for the next young man lost.
Conclusion
The life and career of the Chicago artist King Von were short, but his impact was undeniable. Born Dayvion Daquan Bennett in Chicago, Illinois, he developed his trade on the South Side in the O’Block area. He participated in the Chicago drill scene that became well-known in the 2010s and finally gained recognition as among the most critical voices in the genre. Before he was sadly killed days after the release of his debut album, Welcome to O’Block, he developed an eye for the world, told stories, and expressed raw emotion among the most popular rappers of the moment. Von’s honesty and passion are undeniable, from the release of his debut album’ Grandson, Vol 1′ in 2018 to his short life in the spotlight.
While his human essence was lost to senseless violence, his songs and those of his musical offspring live on. King Von’s is an inspirational story, one of triumph over hardship, natural talent and the enduring presence of art when lives are threatened. He, and the likes of his musical descendants, is remembered for more than who he was – but for the obstacles he endured, as well as how he, through song, personified those of us seeking to shed light on the plight and triumph of growing up in settings such as his.