"Demon" is a song by American rapper King Von. It was released on October 31, 2020, as an extract from Von's debut studio album Welcome to O'Block from 2020.^[1] The song was certified gold plaque by Recording Industry Association of America on June 3, 2022.^[2]

Composition

"Demon" is an emotional and melodic song, in which Bennett details with a storytelling his pre-fame life, pays tribute to his crew, and carrying the responsibility of representing his block everywhere he goes.^[3][4] The lyrics portray the transformation of Bennett into a hardened individual, described as a "demon" due to his experiences, throughout the verse, Bennett reflects on the harsh realities of his environment and the lack of trust among peers. He narrates instances where individuals he thought were loyal turned out to be unreliable. He references witnessing the killing of his friend Whitey and the shock that it still brings him. This traumatic event is implied to have contributed to his transformation into a darker, more ruthless persona. He also describes how despite being questioned by the police, he remained silent, suggesting a code of silence within his circles. The song has a melodic hook, in which King Von emphasizes the authenticity of his emotions and actions, expressing that when he says he loves someone, he truly means it.^[5][6][7]

The instrumental was produced by the artist’s frequent collaborator Chopsquad DJ^[3]

Music video

The music video was released on August 9, 2021, on what would’ve been Von’s 27th birthday. It is the fourth video extracted from Welcome to O'Block studio album, was directed by DrewFilmedIt and Joan Pabon and was premiered by BET.^[8][9][10] The visual was entirely ideated by Von himself, in fact the video ends after the conclusion of the song with a recording by Bennett describing in detail his vision for the video. The video depicts many of the situations Von depicts in the lyrics with the scenes revolving around Von who comes out of a liquor store after hearing some gunshots, following which he sees his longtime friend Whitey (also known as White White) on the ground lifeless, the police ask questions to Von himself who says nothing, the shots then alternate with a frontal plan of Von himself who is represented with demon eyes, and another scene where Von is in a room full of felons, all apparently dangerous, with marks on the face and with important physical prowess, but at the proposal of Von himself for these people to take his shoes they refuse, as if to metaphorically admit that they cannot do what Von has done in his life in the streets.^{[3][11][12][13][14][15]}

Charts

Certifications

References