What It Means to Be King

What It Means to Be King is the second studio album by American rapper King Von. It was posthumously released through Empire Distribution and Only the Family on March 4, 2022. The album features guest appearances from G Herbo, 21 Savage, Fivio Foreign, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Durk, Tee Grizzley, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Dreezy, Boss Top, DqFrmDaO, and OMB Peezy. Production was handled by Chopsquad DJ, Hitmaka, Tee Romano, Kid Hazel, Touch of Trent, DJ Bandz, DJ FMCT, Glaazer, Diego Ave, Bankroll Got It, TM88, ATL Jacob, Geraldo Liive, CGM Beats, John Lam, and Raw Equity. The album marks Von's first posthumous project and serves as the follow-up to his previous album, Welcome to O'Block (2020).

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
HipHopDX[3]
HotNewHipHop75%[4]
What It Means to Be King
Studio album by
King Von
ReleasedMarch 4, 2022 (2022-03-04)
Genre
Length48:51
Label
Producer
King Von chronology
Welcome to O'Block
(2020)		 What It Means to Be King
(2022)		 Grandson
(2023)
Singles from What It Means to Be King
  1. "Grandson for President"
    Released: April 29, 2020
  2. "Don't Play That"
    Released: February 4, 2022
  3. "War"
    Released: March 2, 2022

Background

On November 6, 2020, King Von died from being shot outside a hookah lounge in Atlanta, Georgia, exactly one week after the release of his previous album, Welcome to O'Block (2020).[5] The same day of his death, American rapper Pooh Shiesty released his single, "Back in Blood", which features Von's Only the Family label boss, fellow rapper Lil Durk. Von made his first posthumous cameo appearance in the music video for the song, which was released on January 2, 2021, in which the title of his album was revealed.[6]

Release and promotion

The lead single of the album, "Grandson for President", was released on April 29, 2020.[7] The second single, "Don't Play That", a collaboration with Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage, was released on February 4, 2022, exactly one month before the album.[8] The same day, Von's estate shared the title of the album and its release date.[9] On February 28, 2022, they shared the cover art of the album and put the album up on Apple Music for pre-order.[10] The third single, "War", was released on March 2, 2022.[11] The tracklist was revealed on Apple Music the following day. A music video for "Get It Done" with OMB Peezy was released on August 9, 2022, in honor of what would have been King Von's 28th birthday.[12][13]

Commercial performance

What It Means to Be King debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 59,000 album-equivalent units, 55,000 came from 79 million in streams, and 4,000 pure album sales.[14] The new album is the second top 10 for King Von, who first reached the top 10 with his debut studio album, Welcome to O’Block, which climbed from 13 to 5 (its peak) on the Nov. 21, 2020-dated chart, following news of his death.[14][15]

Track listing
What It Means to Be King track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Where I'm From"
Chopsquad DJ1:38
2."War"
  • Bennett
  • Jackson
Chopsquad DJ2:40
3."Facetime" (featuring G Herbo)
2:36
4."Don't Play That" (with 21 Savage)
Kid Hazel2:13
5."Straight to It" (featuring Fivio Foreign)
Chopsquad DJ2:58
6."Trust Nothing" (featuring Moneybagg Yo)
Chopsquad DJ3:05
7."Evil Twins" (with Lil Durk)
Touch of Trent1:55
8."Too Real"
  • Bennett
  • Devonte Richmond
  • Maliki Decampos
  • Gunnlaugur Sumarlidason
  • DJ Bandz
  • DJ FMCT
  • Glaazer
1:45
9."Rich Gangsta" (featuring Tee Grizzley)
  • Hitmaka
  • Diego Ave
  • Bankroll Got It
2:45
10."Mad"
  • Bennett
  • Jackson
Chopsquad DJ2:04
11."My Fault" (with A Boogie wit da Hoodie)
Chopsquad DJ3:11
12."Change My Life"
  • Bennett
  • Jackson
Chopsquad DJ2:40
13."Hard to Trust" (featuring Dreezy)
3:26
14."Get Back" (featuring Boss Top and DqFrmDaO)
  • Bennett
  • Tyree Davis
  • DqFrmDaO
  • Jackson
Chopsquad DJ2:40
15."Get It Done" (with OMB Peezy)
Chopsquad DJ2:44
16."Chase the Bag"
  • Bennett
  • Geraldo Mejia
  • CGM Beats
  • Geraldo Liive
  • CGM Beats
2:24
17."Go n Get Em" (featuring Boss Top)
  • Bennett
  • Davis
  • John Lam
Lam2:46
18."Grandson for President"
  • Bennett
  • Jackson
Chopsquad DJ2:17
19."Family Dedication Outro"
  • Bennett
  • Raw Equity
Raw Equity2:56
Total length:48:51

Note

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.

Samples

Charts

References
  1. "REVIEW - KING VON 'WHAT IT MEANS TO BE KING' DOESN'T ADVANCE OR HURT HIS LEGACY – IT JUST EXTENDS HIS CATALOG". hiphopdx. Apr 5, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  2. "What It Means to Be King Review by David Crone". AllMusic. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  3. "REVIEW - KING VON 'WHAT IT MEANS TO BE KING' DOESN'T ADVANCE OR HURT HIS LEGACY – IT JUST EXTENDS HIS CATALOG". HipHopDX. Apr 5, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  4. "King Von "What It Means To Be King" Review". HotNewHipHop. Mar 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  5. "Rapper King Von Shot and Killed in Atlanta, Video Shows Chaos". TMZ. November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  6. Aniftos, Rania (January 4, 2021). "Pooh Shiesty & Lil Durk Honor King Von in 'Back in Blood' Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  7. A., Aron (April 29, 2020). "King Von Drops Off "Grandson For President (Remix)"". HotNewHipHop.
  8. Espinoza, Joshua (February 4, 2022). "Stream King Von's Posthumous Track "Don't Play That" f/ 21 Savage Off Upcoming Album 'What It Means to Be King'". Complex. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  9. Brown, Preezy (February 4, 2022). "King Von's Estate Announces New 'What It Means To Be King' Album". Vibe. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  10. Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (February 28, 2022). "King Von's Team Reveals Cover Art For Posthumous 'What It Means To Be King' Album". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  11. Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (March 2, 2022). "Listen to King Von's New Posthumous Single "War"". Complex. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  12. Brad Callas. (2020-11-06). "King Von's Estate Shares "Get It Done" Video on Late Rapper's Birthday". Complex. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
  13. Ghassemitari, Shawn (9 August 2022). "King Von's Estate Releases "Get It Done" Music Video". Hypebeast. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
  14. "'Encanto' Makes It Nine Weeks Atop Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  15. "The Final First Week Numbers for King Von and DaBaby x YoungBoy Never Broke Again Projects Are In". Complex. March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  16. "Ultratop.be – King Von – What It Means to Be King" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  17. "King Von Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  18. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  19. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  20. "King Von Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  21. "King Von Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  22. "King Von Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  23. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
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