King Von’s Posthumous Album ‘What It Means To Be King’ Becomes His Highest Charting Project

King Von‘s posthumous album What It Means To Be King dropped on Mar. 4. The 19-track project debuted in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 rankings. The album landed at #2 with 59,000 equivalent album units.

The achievement marks King Von’s second Top 10 entry following 2020’s Welcome to O’Block reaching no. 5 in the wake of his death. Of the 59,000 first-week units, 55,000 came from nearly 80 million on-demand streams. The album was distributed by Lil Durk’s Only The Family label and Empire.

What it meant to be King Von

King expands upon the vision laid out in Welcome To O’Block, showing how Von shaped his sound. The Chicago rapper’s personality and charisma seeps through every bar, reminding us of the qualities that made him one of the hottest young stars before his passing.

With features from artists such as Lil Durk, Moneybagg Yo, Fivio Foreign and 21 Savage, the album contains a mix of emotions highlighted by Von’s voice. It’s the events of Von’s past that produced some of his more memorable moments on wax, however.

King Von performs in concert during the “PTSD” tour at The Tabernacle on March 11, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

The first half of the project calls on a sense of familiarity. Some features, such as Moneybagg Yo on ‘Trust Nothing,” act as a safety net for the rawness found in Welcome to O’Block. The list of guests eventually leads to “Evil Twin” with Lil Durk.

The song highlights the chemistry the two artists shared, reminding us of the loss that Durk faced in November 2020. It also shows Von’s ability to connect with home-bred talent on a musical level.

At its core, What It Means To Be King remains rooted in King Von’s affinity for the southside of Chicago and O’Block in particular. The solo tracks show the scars that defined the artist behind them, offering a glimpse into the dark side of Chicago.

The album captures Von’s raw conviction and urgency in each bar. His storytelling was one of his strongest attributes as an artist until his death. In the center of his music lies an exploration of the circumstances he was born into.

Written by Olan Bryant