King Von (born Dayvon Daquan Bennett on 9 August 1994) is an American rapper from Chicago. He was signed to Lil Durk’s record label Only the Family and Ghazi Shami’s Empire Distribution. He gained his nickname from the streets and was mainly known for his standout songs like “Problems”, “War Wit IS”, and “Crazy Story”, among others.
Before becoming a rapper, Von spent more than six years in prison as he faced charges such as murder and attempted murder. Following his release from jail, he took inspiration from rappers like Lil Wayne and gradually began his journey into the art. Von lost his life on 6 November 2020 at a nightclub during an altercation that ended in a shootout.
There is a popular saying, “Live by the gun, die by the gun”. It plays out in the 1993 film “Carlito’s Way”, which featured Al Pacino in the lead role as Carlito Brigante. A once notorious gangbanger who, upon return from jail, tries to lead a normal life devoid of violence. Tried as he did, Carlito still met an unpleasant end just as he almost made it out.
Von came out of prison and chose to seek a new path in rap music. Unfortunately, he had lived a life by the gun, and chances were that he would die by it. At just 26, Von bade the world farewell on that violent November day, ending a budding rap career that held so much promise.
We take a journey through King Von’s short life and times as we look to learn more about his origin and career while answering some of the most frequently asked questions about him. Firstly, here are ten facts about him.
10 interesting King Von facts
- King Von was raised by a single mother with whom he had a very close relationship. As of April 2020, he had bought her a car and was in the process of getting her a house.
- He lost his dad at an early age. While growing up, Von’s father spent a lot of time in and out of jail, and when he was around 11 years old, his father passed away.
- Von did a lot of reading during his time in jail. Talking with Billboard about his music, he said: “In jail, you don’t got nothing but memories in that b_tch. I was reading a lot of books in there. That’s probably where that sh_t came from.”
- Money was his greatest motivation, and his drive to make music was neither love for the art or the fame. He said he just wanted to make as much money as possible.
- Von played baseball in his high school days and once shared his experience about that, saying they always had to bring along a gun to the pitch.
- King Von grew up listening to hip-hop and says he was a big fan of Lil Wayne. He also lists Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane as two of the other artists he spent a lot of time listening to.
- Touring with Meek Mill was one of his best moments as he got the opportunity early in his career, and it changed his life.
- In 2020, King Von released an album titled “Levon James”, which is clearly a play on LeBron James name, who was his favourite Basketball player.
- King Von and fellow Chicago-based rapper G Herbo went to high school together at Hyde Park Academy.
- He had a net worth of $750,000 and his height is 5 feet 10 inches or 178 cm.
Related article: The trying life of Marisela Vallejos Felix, wife of assassinated Mexican singer, Chalino Sánchez.
King Von origins – where is King Von from
The rapper was born in Chicago, Illinois. He had six half-siblings from his father and three siblings from his mother, Taesha, who raised him. Not much is known about his educational background, but we found that Von attended the same high school as rapper G Herbo. He also played baseball during his time in high school.
Walter E. Bennett (dad)
King Von dad, Walter E. Bennett, known as Ada Park Silk, was in and out of his life due to his incarcerations. He was reportedly a legend in his hometown and was shot and killed when Von was 11. His uncle alleged that Walter died due to a gunshot wound inflicted by a sniper from a rival gang.
Bennett first met his dad when he was eight years old, and as a result of this, he only knew him for three years. Von paid tribute to his father in multiple songs, notably in the song “Exposing Me”. The rapper also eulogised him in an Instagram post, which he captioned thus: “Men this dude right here is the definition of #Real. He taught me so much when it came to the street sh_t choosing your circle wisely and most of all #Loyalty… #SILK ADA PARK FINEST… When it comes to being a real loyal standup N_gga it was him. I miss you Homie and the streets and most definitely your kids do too… Chicago haven’t been the same since you left and it would never be the same.”
King Von career (Wiki)
Not long after his release from jail, he kickstarted his rap career fully and was signed to his Lil Durk’s Only the Family label. King Von released his first song “Crazy Story” on 6 December 2018, and it became his breakout single. In May 2019, “Crazy Story 2.0” featuring Lil Durk was released, followed by a music video that peaked at number four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. On 13 September 2019, a third rendition of the single called “Crazy Story Pt. 3” dropped.
Listen to King Von first song “Crazy Story” here:
On 19 September 2019, Von released his 15-track mixtape, “Grandson, Vol. 1”. It debuted at number 75 on the Billboard 200 and number 27 on the Hip Hop/R&B albums chart. On 21 February 2020, Von released “Took Her to the O”, which became one of his most popular songs. It was included on his mixtape, “Levon James”, released on 6 March 2020, and the project peaked at number 63 on the Billboard 200.
Finally, after several mixtapes and singles, Von released his debut studio album on 30 October 2020. “Welcome to O’Block” is a 16-track album that features production from Chopsquad DJ, Hitmaka, and others.
