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What's The 'King Von Anti-Piracy Screen' Meme? The 'Staring King Von' Photo That's Viral On TikTok Explained
Late Chicago rapper King Von is scaring TikTok at the moment with an anti-piracy screen that puts the "red" in "withered."
The King Von Anti-Piracy Screen was originally just called the "King Von Stare" when the reaction image first went viral earlier this year. It was used to portray serious anger about a minor transgression. Now, it's being used in a series of avant-garde edits that animate the still image, approaching creepypasta status.
But where did this King Von meme come from? Who was King Von anyway? Let's explain.
Who Was King Von?
King Von, also known as Dayvon Daquan Bennett, was a rapper from Chicago who came up in the original drill scene with others like Chief Keef and Lil Durk. Although he didn't have early, mainstream success like Keef, Von became a legend in the notorious O Block's history.
Many YouTubers and rap contemporaries have called King Von a demon and alleged that he was a real serial killer. Like earlier this year, a meme format about how King Von was moving in 2012 went viral, showing a compilation of interviewees speaking about Von like the anti-Christ.
King Von passed away at age 26 in November 2020. He's left behind a controversial legacy. In memes, the infamy of King Von is often subverted through irony, evident in the "stare" image macros that use unserious captions to oppose King Von's evilness.
Many of the memes play into the seemingly overblown descriptions of King Von often shared online in viral posts designed to engagement bait by saying the same, scary King Von facts that every person before has already stated.
Of course, this moves King Von closer to urban legend status and dehumanizes many of the people involved. Rap pundits like DJ Akademiks have been criticized en masse for their sensationalism of so-called "Chiraq," akin to the discourse concerning Von post-death.
@frmdao_otf6465 #chills #satan #nlechoppa #kingvon #interview #llkv #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – frmdao_otf6465
Where Does The 'King Von Stare' Meme Come From?
The image itself, of King Von staring into the camera, is from his posthumous music video "Demon." The moment of him staring is at the video's 1:58-minute mark. It was also used as the video's YouTube thumbnail.
The image was first used in memes in 2024, following viral TikTok slideshows shared in September. One of the first was posted by TikToker @beruoa who joked about rejecting a 2 man proposal from an unhinged homie.
Where Does The 'King Von Anti-Piracy Screen' Meme Come From?
Last Friday, a TikToker named @vision.vfx0 shared a video that animated the King Von Stare image. They made Von blink and his dreads flow in the wind. The video was reminiscent of fanmade manga edits that transform panels into moving short-form videos.
One of the top comments on the video called it the "King Von anti-piracy screen," riffing on the visuals of "anti-piracy" warnings seen before video games, movies and TV, like the famous "You Wouldn't Steal a Movie" PSA from the early 2000s.
Over the past week, TikTokers have been adding to the concept, like TikToker @keaton.fr who added parody government warnings to the King Von Anti-Piracy Screen, ultimately fulfilling the original commenter's vision.
@vision.vfx0 @fwdrane#kingvon #mangaa #animation #mangaanimation #filler #ae #aep #vision_vfx0 ♬ original sound – 𓁺
@keaton.fr #fyp all credit to @𓁺 @𓁺 ♬ original sound – Keaton
For the full history of King Von Anti-Piracy Screen, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.
