King Von
O’Block drill storyteller signed to Lil Durk’s Only the Family, known for the “Crazy Story” series and vivid street narratives, who was killed in Atlanta in November 2020 at 26.
O’Block origins
Dayvon Daquan Bennett was born on August 9, 1994, in Chicago and grew up in the Parkway Garden Homes complex on the South Side, the area known locally as O’Block. After his release from jail in December 2017, his longtime associate Lil Durk signed him to the Only the Family label, and his releases were distributed through Empire.
Storytelling breakthrough
Von’s narrative style broke through with “Crazy Story,” released on December 6, 2018. Its sequel “Crazy Story 2.0,” featuring Lil Durk, followed in May 2019, and a third installment arrived that September. His debut mixtape “Grandson, Vol. 1” (September 2019) peaked at No. 53 on the Billboard 200. “Took Her to the O,” released in February 2020, became his first solo Hot 100 entry and was later certified triple platinum, as was “Crazy Story.” The mixtape “Levon James” (March 2020) reached No. 40.
Welcome to O’Block and death
His debut studio album “Welcome to O’Block” was released on October 30, 2020, with guests including Polo G, Lil Durk, Moneybagg Yo, Dreezy and Fivio Foreign. One week later, on November 6, 2020, Bennett was fatally shot in Atlanta following an altercation outside a hookah lounge. He was 26. The album later climbed to a No. 5 peak on the Billboard 200.
Posthumous releases
Two posthumous albums followed: “What It Means to Be King” (March 2022), which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and “Grandson” (July 2023), which reached No. 14. Von is widely cited as one of Chicago drill’s most distinctive narrators, and collaborators have included 21 Savage, G Herbo and Moneybagg Yo.
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