"I ain't no rapper, I'm a street n***a, we got different goals" (“Crazy Story").
King Von, also known as Dayvon Bennett, is a popular Chicago rapper who raps about his life and what he has gone through while living on the South Side of Chicago. Throughout all of his songs, he speaks about “street life," romance, and his mentality through storytelling. This is what made King Von different; his songs were all forms of storytelling, and people admired that. In the song "Demon,” he talks about his mental struggles from growing up around gang life and how they made him who he is today.
Being on the south side of Chicago, I have seen how gangs affect young people firsthand. There are so many reasons young people get wrapped up in gang life: some are already being exposed because of family, coping mechanisms, normalization, and the glorification of street life. Once you are in the cycle, it becomes difficult to break.
People also become accustomed to gangs and violence overall because it is talked about so much. Every other rapper talks about it in their songs; whether it is true or not, people are so used to it that there is no shock factor. In the song "Whats Next," King Von says, “He got a longer sentence / I think they gave him 28 / he would rather talk than listen / b***h was the only one that told / they killed the other witness." This refers to an altercation in 2014 when Von and his friend Michael Wade (also known as Big Mike) stumbled across 19-year-old Malcolm Stuckey and his friend as they were walking out of a party in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Mike allegedly shot one man in the foot, and Von shot the other in the face, breaking his jaw. Some think this happened because they believe that was a member of the rival gang; others say that Von just was not right in his head. Once this case went to court, Mike agreed to testify against Von in court and then changed his mind. This is exactly what Von rapped about how Michael was sentenced to 28 years and how the “other witness” was dead, assuming this is about Stuckey himself. Ultimately, Mike was sentenced to 28 years for aggravated battery with a firearm, and Von was acquitted of all charges.
Although acquitted of his charges, this was not his only run-in with law enforcement. His first time serving time was at 16 years old for armed robbery. Over time, his reputation on the streets got scarier. Another rapper who goes by NLE Choppa said in an interview, “If he wanted you out of there, he’d go do it himself on feet, by himself” (Off the Record). Von was not scared of anyone, but everyone was afraid of him because of how many he allegedly killed. Some even say he was “rap’s first serial killer,” which some may not agree with.
A serial killer is someone who commits two or more murders in separate events, usually with a behavior pattern and no apparent motive. When examining King Von's songs and social media, it appears as though he glorifies violence and takes pride in his involvement in killings. He allegedly played a role in 11 killings and took pride when people referred to him as a serial killer. He rapped about most of the crimes he committed: in “Exposing Me” he says, "I was just tryna survive, I had to kill a couple of n****s / I'm like, 'F**k it, we gon' make it' / Put a .40 on him, ain't no fakin." This quote can help illustrate the type of mindset he said and the mindset many others have when they are in his position. His criminal activities were well-known, but he had a way of avoiding serious consequences, which allowed him to serve little to no time.
Even though not all rappers are killers, they do rap about other crimes. This is nothing new. We have seen it with Biggie Smalls in 1994 in "Gimme the Loot," which, although not based on a true crime event, has always been talked about. Older rappers have acknowledged their crimes from the past in their music now. One is Jay-Z, in “Rap Game/ Crack Game” he says, "I sold drugs to the common folk / That was my way of keeping it afloat." Jay-Z did serve some time for crimes he committed but did change his ways. Crime is often talked about in music to the point that some people don’t even acknowledge that it is still a crime.
Young men and women often become involved in gangs and street life due to the influence of their family or friends. When Von moved and started attending Hyde Park Academy, he was identified as a Black Disciple. He became embroiled in fights with rivals at school, and from there, his involvement in violence escalated, eventually shaping him into the killer he became known as.
In 2018, according to the Chicago Tribune, about 33,000 juveniles over the last two decades were labeled as gang members. Although now there are more resources for teens to stay out of gang life, many are still falling into the cycle. This is happening from hanging around the wrong people or even resources not being available to them. According to Illinois Policy, Chicago's homicide victims last year were predominantly young, with 111 people between the ages of 0 to 19 and 175 people between the ages of 20 to 29.
King Von was a product of his environment. His story helps highlight a large issue on the South Side of Chicago. It shows how many young people cannot break the cycle of gang life because of their environment. Although there are programs such as “After School Matters” aiming to help young adults stay off the streets, the homicide rates among young people are still high, which just means we need to create more resources for teens. This could help combat so many teens falling into the system.
King Von, also known as Dayvon Bennett, is a popular Chicago rapper who raps about his life and what he has gone through while living on the South Side of Chicago. Throughout all of his songs, he speaks about “street life," romance, and his mentality through storytelling. This is what made King Von different; his songs were all forms of storytelling, and people admired that. In the song "Demon,” he talks about his mental struggles from growing up around gang life and how they made him who he is today.
Being on the south side of Chicago, I have seen how gangs affect young people firsthand. There are so many reasons young people get wrapped up in gang life: some are already being exposed because of family, coping mechanisms, normalization, and the glorification of street life. Once you are in the cycle, it becomes difficult to break.
People also become accustomed to gangs and violence overall because it is talked about so much. Every other rapper talks about it in their songs; whether it is true or not, people are so used to it that there is no shock factor. In the song "Whats Next," King Von says, “He got a longer sentence / I think they gave him 28 / he would rather talk than listen / b***h was the only one that told / they killed the other witness." This refers to an altercation in 2014 when Von and his friend Michael Wade (also known as Big Mike) stumbled across 19-year-old Malcolm Stuckey and his friend as they were walking out of a party in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Mike allegedly shot one man in the foot, and Von shot the other in the face, breaking his jaw. Some think this happened because they believe that was a member of the rival gang; others say that Von just was not right in his head. Once this case went to court, Mike agreed to testify against Von in court and then changed his mind. This is exactly what Von rapped about how Michael was sentenced to 28 years and how the “other witness” was dead, assuming this is about Stuckey himself. Ultimately, Mike was sentenced to 28 years for aggravated battery with a firearm, and Von was acquitted of all charges.
Although acquitted of his charges, this was not his only run-in with law enforcement. His first time serving time was at 16 years old for armed robbery. Over time, his reputation on the streets got scarier. Another rapper who goes by NLE Choppa said in an interview, “If he wanted you out of there, he’d go do it himself on feet, by himself” (Off the Record). Von was not scared of anyone, but everyone was afraid of him because of how many he allegedly killed. Some even say he was “rap’s first serial killer,” which some may not agree with.
A serial killer is someone who commits two or more murders in separate events, usually with a behavior pattern and no apparent motive. When examining King Von's songs and social media, it appears as though he glorifies violence and takes pride in his involvement in killings. He allegedly played a role in 11 killings and took pride when people referred to him as a serial killer. He rapped about most of the crimes he committed: in “Exposing Me” he says, "I was just tryna survive, I had to kill a couple of n****s / I'm like, 'F**k it, we gon' make it' / Put a .40 on him, ain't no fakin." This quote can help illustrate the type of mindset he said and the mindset many others have when they are in his position. His criminal activities were well-known, but he had a way of avoiding serious consequences, which allowed him to serve little to no time.
Even though not all rappers are killers, they do rap about other crimes. This is nothing new. We have seen it with Biggie Smalls in 1994 in "Gimme the Loot," which, although not based on a true crime event, has always been talked about. Older rappers have acknowledged their crimes from the past in their music now. One is Jay-Z, in “Rap Game/ Crack Game” he says, "I sold drugs to the common folk / That was my way of keeping it afloat." Jay-Z did serve some time for crimes he committed but did change his ways. Crime is often talked about in music to the point that some people don’t even acknowledge that it is still a crime.
Young men and women often become involved in gangs and street life due to the influence of their family or friends. When Von moved and started attending Hyde Park Academy, he was identified as a Black Disciple. He became embroiled in fights with rivals at school, and from there, his involvement in violence escalated, eventually shaping him into the killer he became known as.
In 2018, according to the Chicago Tribune, about 33,000 juveniles over the last two decades were labeled as gang members. Although now there are more resources for teens to stay out of gang life, many are still falling into the cycle. This is happening from hanging around the wrong people or even resources not being available to them. According to Illinois Policy, Chicago's homicide victims last year were predominantly young, with 111 people between the ages of 0 to 19 and 175 people between the ages of 20 to 29.
King Von was a product of his environment. His story helps highlight a large issue on the South Side of Chicago. It shows how many young people cannot break the cycle of gang life because of their environment. Although there are programs such as “After School Matters” aiming to help young adults stay off the streets, the homicide rates among young people are still high, which just means we need to create more resources for teens. This could help combat so many teens falling into the system.
