King Von is a rap artist from Chicago who died in November 2020. It was just beginning to attract significant attention from listeners online. Many fans of the genre knew the artist thanks to tracks with Lil durk, Sada Baby and YNW Melly. The musician worked in the direction of drill. Despite a minor popularity during his lifetime, he was signed to two labels - Only the Family (founded by Lil Durk) and Empire Distribution.
What is known about King Von's childhood and youth?
The artist was born on August 9, 1994. His real name is Davon Daquan Bennett. King spent his childhood and youth in the criminal areas of Chicago. He lived in the southern neighborhood of Parkway Gardens, also known as O'Block. His childhood friends were the very popular rappers Lil Durk and Chief keef.
Like other Chicago rappers, Davon had a rebellious nature and was involved in street gangs. In the city, he was not always known as King Von. For a long time he had the pseudonym Grandson (translated from English means "Grandson"). It was a reference to David Barksdale, the founder of one of the largest Black Disciples groups.
King Von was a member of the Black Disciples for some time. When he first went to prison at age 16, many people who knew Barksdale said that the aspiring performer reminded them of the leader of the gang. They had a similar demeanor on the street and character, so the guy was nicknamed "Grandson".
Almost nothing is known about Davon's family. The father went to prison even before the birth of his son, a little later after his release he died. King Von met him for the first time at the age of 7. The artist had two older brothers and a younger sister who is popular on social media under the name Kayla B. He dated rap artist Asian Doll and became the father of two children. Bennett also had a nephew named Grand Babii.
Musical career of Davon Bennett
Until 2014, although King Von was interested in rap, he was not going to become a performer. After being falsely accused of murder and proven innocent, Davon decided to get into rap. Lil Durk often helped him write the first tracks. A little later, the artist worked with the OTF label.
The first "breakthrough" on the big stage was King's single Crazy Story, released in December 2018. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork praised Davon's storytelling, especially the elements that made the story stand out. In May 2019, King Von released the second part of Crazy Story 2.0, recorded with Lil Durk. He later released another music video. This song peaked at number 4 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
In June, another single Like That with Lil Durk was released. Then in September 2019, the artist released his debut 15-track mixtape Grandson, Vol. 1. Lil Durk took part in the recording of several tracks. King Von's first major effort debuted at number 75 on the Billboard 200. It also peaked at number 27 on the Hip Hop/R&B Songs Airplay chart.
In March 2020, the artist released another mixtape, Levon James. It was produced by Chopsquad DJ. In some songs you can hear: Lil Durk, G Herbo, YNW Melly, NLE Choppa, Tee Grizzley, etc. This work took 40th position on the Billboard 200 chart.
Literally a week before his death, the debut studio album Welcome to O'Block was released. The artist told the listeners the message: “If you do something and keep doing it, you will achieve high results. Everything will only get better. This is a project that I have really worked on a lot." 6 of the 16 tracks on the record are singles that King Von released throughout 2020.
King Von's legal troubles and move to Atlanta
The first time the performer was arrested and imprisoned in 2012. The reason was the illegal possession and use of firearms. In 2014, he was charged with a shooting that left one dead and two injured. However, Davon was able to prove his innocence and remain at large.
To get out of trouble with the law and start a quiet life, King Von moved to Atlanta. Despite this, many of his popular songs paid homage to his native Chicago. The artist was worried that he could no longer spend time in his hometown of Chicago. He was homesick but comfortable in Atlanta.
In an interview, the performer voiced his position: “I like Atlanta because I can live there without any problems. In addition, there are more rappers here. But I still love Chicago more. There are still many people close to me, but it is dangerous to return. The Chicago PD is watching me closely and there are people who don't like me."
In June 2019, King Von and Lil Durk were arrested for their involvement in a shooting on the streets of Atlanta. The prosecution claimed that two rappers tried to rob the man and shot him dead. According to Davon, he was protecting a friend and was not involved in the murder. The hearing took place in a Fulton County courtroom, and the perpetrators remained at large.
Death of Davon Bennett
On November 6, 2020, King Von was with his friends in one of the clubs in Atlanta. Around 3:20 a.m., a quarrel broke out near the building between two groups of men, which quickly escalated into a shootout. Two policemen on duty tried to end the conflict with additional fire.
Davon received several gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. He underwent surgery, but after a short period of time he died. At the time of his death, the performer was 26 years old.
According to law enforcement agencies in Atlanta, two people died. In addition, four people were injured. One of them was taken into custody for the murder of a young artist. The suspect was later identified as Timothy Leek, a 22-year-old man. On November 15, 2020, King Von was buried in his hometown of Chicago.
