King Von Biography: Age, Net Worth, Family, Height, Children, Music Career, Cause Of Death

Dayvon Daquan Bennett (August 9, 1994 – November 6, 2020), known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper and gangster from Chicago, Illinois. He is widely considered one of the most preeminent figures of the drill genre.

Bennett garnered acclaim for singles “Crazy Story” and “Took Her to the O”, which reached the forty-fourth position of the Billboard Hot 100, and for the studio album Welcome to O’Block (2020), which placed fifth on the Billboard 200.

He was signed to Lil Durk’s record label Only the Family and Empire Distribution.

On November 6, 2020, Bennett was shot and killed at age 26.

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Early Life

Bennett was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 9, 1994. His father, Walter E. Bennett, had six half-siblings, while his mother, Taesha, had three siblings.

Growing up, he was primarily raised by his mother in the Parkway Garden Homes in the Woodlawn area of South Side Chicago, also known as “O-Block”.

Due to his father’s frequent incarcerations, his relationship with him was inconsistent. Tragically, when Von was 11 years old, his father was killed by an unknown assailant. Von later honored his father in several songs.

King Von played a significant role in the emergence of drill music, thanks to his association with Chief Keef and Lil Durk.

However, he faced numerous incarcerations for serious criminal charges throughout the 2010s, which earned him recognition in Chicago’s drill scene even before he started recording music.

At the age of 16, Bennett was sent to juvenile detention in January 2011 for armed robbery. During his time there, he obtained his GED.

Upon his release, he briefly attended classes at South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois, before ultimately dropping out.

In July 2014, Bennett faced charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with a shooting that resulted in one fatality and two injuries. However, he was acquitted in December 2017.

Career

Following his release from jail in December 2017, rapper Von was signed to Lil Durk’s Only the Family label. Von then proceeded to release a series of singles, starting with “Beat Dat Body” featuring THF Zoo on June 17, 2018.

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He also appeared on the album “Lil Durk Presents: Only The Family Involved” and was featured on the song “Problems” with an accompanying music video.

Von continued his solo releases with “War With Us” on October 18, 2018, and his breakout single “Crazy Story” on December 6, 2018, which reached number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In January 2019, Von collaborated with Memo600 on the remix of “Exposing Me”, where they both addressed feuds and altercations with neighboring neighborhoods.

This led to a response from FBG Duck and Rooga, who dropped their own remix of the song in February 2019.

The success of the remixes prompted other artists in the United States and Europe to create their own versions.

On February 14, 2019, Von made an appearance in rapper Asian Doll’s music video for her track “Grandson”, which was dedicated to him.

In May 2019, Von released “Crazy Story 2.0” featuring Lil Durk, along with a music video. The song peaked at number four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

On September 13, 2019, Von released a third rendition of the single titled “Crazy Story, Pt. 3”.

Additionally, on July 9, 2019, Lil Durk and King Von collaborated on the single “Like That”.

On September 2, 2019, Von released his single “What It’s Like” as the lead single for his upcoming mixtape album, which was announced in September 2019.

The mixtape, titled Grandson, Vol. 1, was released a few weeks later on September 19, 2019. It consists of 13 tracks and is executively produced by Chopsquad DJ.

The mixtape features three collaborations, including “Twin Nem” and the Remix of “Crazy Story” with Chicago artist Lil Durk, as well as a collaboration with Chicago artist and OTF affiliate Booka600 on the track “Jet”.

Additionally, the mixtape includes the tracks “Crazy Story”, “Crazy Story, Pt. 3”, and his second single “War With Us” which was released on October 18, 2018.

Upon its release, Grandson, Vol. 1 debuted at number 75 on the Billboard 200 chart and later peaked at number 53. It also reached number 27 on the Hip Hop/R&B albums chart and number 9 on the Independent album chart.

On November 16, 2019, Von unveiled his single “2 A.M.” along with a corresponding music video that was also released on the same day.

Following that, on November 29, 2019, Von released his single “Rollin” featuring YNW Melly, accompanied by a music video.

He later dropped “Took Her to the O” on February 21, 2020, along with a music video, which turned out to be his most successful single.

Both “Took Her to the O” and “Rollin” were later included in his second mixtape, Levon James, which was released on March 6, 2020. The mixtape debuted at number 63 on the Billboard 200 and eventually peaked at number 40.

Levon James consists of 16 tracks and was released through Only the Family Entertainment/Empire. It was executively produced by Chopsquad DJ and features verses from NLE Choppa, Tee Grizzley, G Herbo, Lil Durk, YNW Melly, Booka600, and Yungeen Ace.

Coinciding with the album release date on March 6, 2020, an official video for “On Yo Ass” was released. The song is a collaboration with Chicago artist G Herbo and was produced by Chopsquad DJ.

Later, on March 20, 2020, an official video for the song “Trust Issues” was released.

The song features Florida rapper Yungeen Ace and showcases a different side of Von’s gangsta persona.

On April 6, 2020, Bennett released an official music video for “3 A.M.” on YouTube.

This was followed by the release of his single “Grandson For President” on April 29, 2020, which later became a single for the album What It Means to Be King.

He closely followed the single release with a music video for “Broke Opps,” another track from the Levon James album. The final video from the project was for the song “Down Me,” featuring Chicago rapper Lil Durk.

However, Durk did not make an appearance in the video, which was directed by CrownSoHeavy.

In 2020, King Von embarked on a project that would later become his debut studio album.

He kicked off the album’s promotion by releasing the lead single, “Why He Told,” along with a music video on July 27, 2020.

Shortly after, he followed up with another single titled “All These Niggas,” featuring Lil Durk. Unfortunately, King Von couldn’t appear in the music video for this single due to legal reasons.

However, it still managed to amass an impressive 24 million views on YouTube within two months. On August 26, 2020, he released yet another single called “How It Go,” accompanied by a music video.

On October 9, 2020, King Von released “I Am What I Am,” featuring Fivio Foreign, along with a music video. Two weeks later, he dropped “Gleesh Place” along with another music video on his official channel.

This release served as a teaser for his highly anticipated album, Welcome to O’Block, which was officially released on October 30, 2020.

The album consists of 16 tracks and features production from notable names such as Chopsquad DJ, Tay Keith, Wheezy, and Hitmaka. It also includes collaborations with artists like Prince Dre, Lil Durk, Dreezy, and Moneybagg Yo.

One of the standout tracks on the album is the Polo G collaboration, “The Code,” which was accompanied by a music video.

Welcome to O’Block achieved significant success, reaching number 5 on the Billboard US Top 200 albums chart, as well as claiming the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip Hop albums and Top Independents albums charts.

Additionally, it peaked at 12th place on the Top 100 Canadian albums chart.

In an interview with Complex, King Von shared his vision for the project and highlighted the key differences between this album and his previous work, Levon James.

He emphasized the importance of consistency and growth, stating, “If you’re doing something and keep doing it, you’re gonna get better results. Everything better. It is the one for real, I’ve been working hard.”

In another interview with Uproxx, he expressed his desire to dedicate the album to his neighborhood and the people who have faced struggles there.

He died one week after the album was released. After his death, the music videos for “Wayne’s Story”, “Armed & Dangerous”, “Mine Too”, and “Demon” were released.

Personal Life

Bennett had a fluctuating relationship with Texas rapper Asian Doll, but they were reportedly not together at the time of his passing. He was a father to three children – one son and two daughters.

His cousin, Calboy, is also involved in the music industry.

Legal matters

In April 2014, Bennett was questioned by authorities as a person of interest in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Gangster Disciples member Gakirah “K.I.” Barnes.

However, due to inconsistencies in witness statements, the police were unable to press charges against him.

On July 24, 2014, Bennett was arrested in connection with a shooting that occurred in May 2014, resulting in the death of Malcolm Stuckey and the injury of two other individuals.

He faced charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The incident took place in Englewood, Chicago. Bennett was acquitted in December 2017.

In May 2019, Bennett and Lil Durk were taken into custody in relation to a shooting in Atlanta.

They appeared in court for a probable cause hearing, where prosecutors alleged that the two rappers robbed and shot Alexander Witherspoon outside a popular drive-in on February 5, 2019.

After spending time in jail, Durk was released on a $250,000 bond, while Von was released on a $300,000 bond. The charges against Durk were eventually dismissed in October 2022.

Death

On November 6, 2020, at approximately 2:15 a.m., Bennett and his group were involved in a confrontation with Quando Rondo’s group outside the Monaco hookah lounge in Atlanta, Georgia.

The altercation quickly escalated into gunfire, resulting in Bennett being shot multiple times.

He was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and unfortunately passed away later that day. He was 26 years old.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, two individuals lost their lives and six others were injured.

One of the wounded individuals was taken into police custody for the murder of King Von while receiving treatment for a gunshot wound.

The suspect, identified as Timothy Leeks, 22 years old, is a rapper known as Lul Timm and is associated with Quando Rondo.

In August 2023, charges against Leeks were dropped under Georgia’s “stand-your-ground” law.

On November 14, 2020, King Von was laid to rest in Chicago, Illinois.

In remembrance, Bennett was honored during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in the In Memoriam montage.

In August 2021, artist Chris Devins painted a mural depicting King Von on a large wall outside a local corner store overlooking Martin Luther King Drive in the Parkway Gardens complex, where Von grew up.

The mural portrays Bennett wearing a backward baseball cap and a silver chain with the inscription “O’Block,” representing his affiliation with the Black Disciples faction in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

The mural sparked controversy among Chicago residents, with some arguing that it could attract gang-related crime to the area and glorify gang violence.