King Von Dead At 26

Cam Kirk

King Von Dead At 26

Cam Kirk

The ascendant Chicago rap star King Von has died. Complex reports that Von, born Dayvon Daquan Bennett, was shot last night outside an Atlanta nightclub. Fox 5 Atlanta reports that last night’s shootout involved two different groups of people firing at each other and two off-duty police officers also firing shots. At least two other people were also killed, and at least four were injured. Von was 26.

Von started his rap career in 2018. He’d been in jail for several years, awaiting trail on a murder charge, and he made his first impact with the 2018 track “Crazy Story,” a breathless narrative track about an attempted robbery and a shootout. Von had written the track while he was in jail. His storytelling acumen and crisp, precise rap style made him sound like a throwback to previous rap styles, even as he rose among the ranks of Chicago’s drill scene.

Chicago rap star Lil Durk, a childhood friend, signed Von to his OTF label. (Earlier this year, Von and Durk were both arrested in Atlanta, charged with crimes including attempted murder and aggravated assault.) Von released three albums in just over a year. The last of those albums, Welcome To O’Block, came out just a week ago. In his short time in the spotlight, Von collaborated with artists like Durk, Polo G, Fivio Foreign, Sada Baby, and Moneybagg Yo. He was an exciting voice on the rise, and his loss is deeply depressing.

Check out some of Von’s work below.

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