King Von was an up-and-comer in the hip-hop community who made great strides. Hailing from Chicago’s O’Block neighborhood, he overcame numerous hardships to reach great success in music.
He made music that blended hard nihilism with humor and empathy; an engaging storyteller and artist he left us far too soon.
His Life and Career
Dayvon Bennett, more popularly known by his stage name King Von, was one of a select group of Chicago rappers to rise from crime-riddled neighborhoods and make an impactful statement with their music. These young artists provided cathartic songs without auto-tune that detailed vivid narratives similar to Speaker Knockerz and G Herbo.
Although he occasionally broke the law, he was also widely recognized for his charitable acts. His music showed this many-sided persona.
Von made his debut when Lil Durk invited him into his Only the Family collective in 2018. His debut single was 2018’s “Crazy Story”, followed by Welcome to O-Block in 2020 and multiple projects from Durk such as Love Songs 4 The Streets 2 and Family Over Everything where Von was featured prominently.
His Music
King Von’s rap style was defined by his bold demeanor. His music often included provocative lyrics that inspired many of his fans, and demonstrated his profound understanding of hip hop culture reflected through his lyrics.
As well as his music, he was also an exceptional performer. His shows were always engaging and energetic; furthermore, he was a member of Chicago’s Black Disciples gang; this affiliation would often feature in his lyrics.
King von autopsy, though murdered at such a young age, left an enormous musical legacy behind him. His posthumous album What It Means to Be King quickly rose to the top of the charts after its release; featuring guest appearances by artists such as 42 Dugg, Lil Durk and Polo G – an indication of just how popular King Von was within the public and drill rap community alike. His fans will miss him greatly.
His Releases
Following XXTentacion’s death, his legacy lives on through posthumous releases by rappers like King Von. Lil Durk took notice of King Von’s fluid storytelling in 2020 and signed him to his Only the Family record label to release Grandson Vol 1. This project quickly rose up the charts.
Just a year after releasing Welcome to O’Block, late rapper King Von and Empire tragically passed away in November 2020, seemingly on the cusp of becoming one of rap’s top tier talents. Two years after his passing away, his estate and Empire released What It Means to Be King as posthumous release and this year saw Grandson released with its cover featuring an image of King Von’s son on its cover – and since its June release of its single “Heartless,” featuring Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley as part of its promotional push boosting the project considerably.
His Death
The South Side is both notorious and iconic American city, known for its violent culture that celebrates violence through gangster lifestyle. King Von, real name Dayvon Bennett, was an emerging rapper known for visceral storytelling whose raps depicted both reality and fantasies of gangster life in Chicago’s South Side.
On November 6, 2020, a 26-year-old was shot and killed during an altercation outside Monaco Hookah Lounge in Atlanta. Sources told TMZ that an argument between two groups of men escalated to shots being fired; Atlanta police officers responded but no officers were injured as a result of this shooting incident.
He was on the cusp of becoming a star, with his debut album Welcome to O’Block released just one week before his death. It provided a cinematic depiction of his origin story that would help people understand his experience growing up in O’Blocks.
