Up-and-coming rapper King Von lost his life at the end of last week, so as the rest of the nation began to anticipate and eventually celebrate the Biden-Harris election victory, Von’s loved ones were at a tremendous loss.
Born Dayvon Daquan Bennett, Von hailed from Chicago, Illinois and was signed to Lil Durk‘s label Only The Family, known in the Hip Hop realm as OTF. To add to the chaos of Von’s untimely death, it appeared Durk found out his friend was killed via Instagram Live.
XXL recalls: “While Durk was on IG Live entertaining his fans by rapping along to Pooh Shiesty’s ‘Back in Blood’ featuring Lil Durk, fans began commenting messages like ‘Von just got shot’ and ‘King Von got shot.’ In the beginning of the clip, Durkio holds his phone above his head, showing off the men joining him in a moving vehicle. As the video continues, Durk seemingly realizes the message his fans are trying to convey and immediately ends the live session.”
See that moment in the clip below.
https://twitter.com/XXL/status/1324797861222064128?s=20
Love Global Grind? Get more! Join the Global Grind Newsletter
While there are still some missing details regarding what happened, it has been reported that two groups of men were arguing outside of Monaco Hookah Lounge in Atlanta during the wee hours of Friday morning. Gun fire was reportedly exchanged between the groups, at which point reports say police interrupted with gunfire of their own. Two men were killed, one of which were Von. “At this time, our investigators believe (King Von) was shot during the initial shootout between the two groups of males, prior to police responding and attempting to stop the shooting. Additionally, (King Von) was not located at the scene, but arrived at a hospital shortly after the shooting, via private vehicle,” a statement from Atlanta police said, according to CNN. Read the full report here.
Several artists have shared their condolences for the 26-year-old father, including Durk, Lil Yachty, and more. Timothy Leeks, an associate of rapper Quando Rondo, has been arrested for Von’s murder. “Timothy Leeks faces a felony murder charge in the death of Dayvon Bennett, also known as King Von. Leeks is in police custody at an Atlanta hospital, where he is being treated for a gunshot wound,”ABC7Chicago said on Sunday, November 8. Fans continue to speculate about Quando Rondo’s possible involvement. See the footage of the shooting here, but be warned, it’s graphic.
King Von loved Chicago and he made sure to continue to support his day-one friends when his music career started to take off. He was infamous for returning home with stacks of cash that he’d split with his homies and those in need in the community.
At the time of his death, his publicist said “He was a devoted father, a deeply loyal friend, and a man who took care of his people before himself.”
2. King Von was dating rapper Asian Doll at the time of his death.
Asian Doll and King Von met November 9, 2018. The up-and-coming rapper has been posting tributes to her late boyfriend ever since he passed. “Been through hell & back & I’ll do it ALL again over & over for centuries 🥺 Von you showed me I had a heart I finally found myself & was at peace with myself & everything we was going through I was holding that shit down cause we KNEW how the outcome it was gone be okayyyyyy I was gone ride til I died 💔….. ima lost soul somebody help me,” she wrote in one Instagram post.
3. Durk encouraged Von to rap so he could stay out of trouble.
Von was locked up for 3.5 years before going to trial and beating three charge , one for murder and two for attempted murder. “He got a whole story behind him. He from O-Block,” Durk explained during a 2018 Breakfast Club interview. “That’s my brother. Twin.” “I been with him his whole journey in jail,” Durk elaborates later, also revealing they grew up together. “And I ain’t gon’ lie, he ain’t never say nothing about rapping. When he got out, he just tried rapping and his first song went crazy.”
4. "Crazy Story" was King Von's breakout single.
Lil Durk later hopped on “Crazy Story 2.0.” Other fan favorite songs from Von include “Like That” featuring Durk,”Rollin” featuring YNW Melly, “Took Her To The O,” “All These N**gas,” and “I Am What I Am” featuring Fivio Foreign. Von had most recently dropped his debut studio album ‘Welcome To O’Block.’ Stream it here.
5. As mentioned, he was a dad.
He loved his daughter, True, and son, whom he affectionally called “Grandson Jr.” “Grandson” was one of Von’s nicknames. Another sweet photo here. May King Von rest in peace.
