King Von might be gone but his work lives on. In the bone-chilling video for “Wayne’s Story” — shot before Von’s death — the late Chicago rapper details a mutually destructive cycle of violence that has even more weight, considering how he died himself. The song, which comes from Von’s final album, Welcome To O’Block, finds Von telling the story of “Shorty,” a young friend from the block, and his downward spiral into a life of crime. Unfortunately, the first one to pay the price is Shorty’s cousin, who dies as a result of his actions.
The true tragedy, both of the song and of Von’s life, is that neither Von nor his semi-fictional subject can see how they contribute to their own destruction. Or maybe they can, but they both feel stuck as if there’s no other choice. Shorty’s story is yet to be concluded by the end of the video but in real life, there is no “to be continued…” for Von.
In the weeks since his death in Atlanta, Von has been memorialized, both by the actions of his peers and admirers and by musical appearances with collaborators like Fivio Foreign. His album, Welcome To O’Block, re-entered the Billboard 200 and charted within the top 10.
Watch the “Wayne’s Story” video above.