Chicago’s streets have long been a battleground for rival crews, where blocks like O’Block—home to Lil Durk’s Only The Family (OTF) label—clash with Southside factions tied to the Black Disciples and Gangster Disciples.
Chicago’s rap scene just got a raw glimpse into the shadows of its own streets, with a local voice dropping bombshell details on why NBA YoungBoy’s United Center gig vanished overnight.
These tensions, simmering since the early 2010s drill era, turned personal and lethal when Baton Rouge’s NBA YoungBoy crossed paths with OTF’s rising star, the late King Von. What started as online jabs and track disses exploded into a cross-country war, claiming lives and landing heavyweights in court, all fueled by loyalty, revenge, and the raw edge of trap music.
The feud’s spark traces back to 2018, when Von, fresh off a prison bid and signed to Durk’s OTF, began mocking YoungBoy’s viral clips on social media.
Von called out what he saw as fake toughness in YoungBoy’s lyrics, posting videos like
"the f**k YoungBoy talking about on this song, bruh?"
It felt playful initially, but the Baton Rouge rapper fired back through subtle bars and posts, pulling in his circle. Whispers of deeper issues bubbled up too: rumors that Von and Durk linked with YoungBoy’s opps, like Florida’s Yoshi and Detroit’s Tee Grizzley, plus talk of Von’s flirtations with YoungBoy’s ex, Jania Jackson. By 2019, the shade had hardened into real beef, with both sides trading veiled threats on Instagram and in freestyles.
Things boiled over on November 6, 2020, outside an Atlanta hookah lounge.
In town for a show, Von spotted Quando Rondo—YoungBoy’s close protégé and Never Broke Again label signee—and swung first in a heated brawl. Gunfire erupted from Rondo’s crew, striking Von fatally at 26. Police reports pinned it on self-defense amid the chaos, but to OTF, it was straight murder.
YoungBoy, locked up on federal gun charges at the time, stayed silent publicly but let his camp defend Rondo, who later dropped “End of Story” defending the night and shading Von’s death. Laced with YoungBoy’s influence, that track poured gas on the fire, drawing Durk deeper into the fray as Von’s mentor and “big brother.”
YoungBoy’s involvement ramped up hard after his 2021 release. On his Colors mixtape, he unleashed “Bring the Hook,” spitting lines like “O’Block pack get rolled up” and “Atlanta boy get folded,” direct shots at O’Block and the circumstances of Von’s killing.
Durk hit back with “Ahhh Ha,” slamming YoungBoy as a “police ass” snitch fresh from the feds and dragging Jania into it, hinting at her ties to Von. The back-and-forth peaked in 2022 with YoungBoy’s explosive “I Hate YoungBoy,” a nine-minute barrage naming Durk, his fiancée India Royale, Von’s memory, Gucci Mane for collabing with Durk, and even 21 Savage. Durk’s crew, including Von’s sister Kayla B and Lil Reese, clapped back online, calling YoungBoy a house-arrest coward.
By then, the beef had spilled into the streets: Quando survived a 2022 California ambush that killed his cousin Lul Pab, with federal probes later tying it to Durk and five OTF affiliates in a murder-for-hire plot as payback for Von.
At its core, this isn’t just rap rivalry—it’s gang lore amplified by hits. OTF reps Black Disciples from Parkway Gardens (O’Block), locked in historic wars with GD sets on Chicago’s Southside, where YoungBoy reportedly tapped allies for his canceled United Center show. YoungBoy, never formally tied to one hood but repping Baton Rouge’s rough edges, got looped in through Rondo and his unfiltered disses, turning a Chi-Town internal beef into a national saga.
Brief truces flickered, like a 2023 nod from DJ Akademiks that they squashed it, but bars kept flying, and the bodies piled up.
Today, the scars run deep with Durk facing life on those 2024 charges and YoungBoy touring post-pardon. Fans mourn the talent lost—Von’s storytelling grit versus YoungBoy’s relentless output—but the cycle warns how mics can mask loaded clips. In hip-hop’s deadliest chapter, one wrong link turned YoungBoy from outsider to enemy number one, proving that beefs don’t stay virtual when blocks are on the line.
