Remembered as a legend in his native Chicago and beyond, King Von had many stories left to tell. Today, Von’s estate shares “War,” a new single from the upcoming album, What It Means To Be King. Produced by Von’s regular collaborator Chopsquad DJ, who provides hyperactive piano arpeggios and insistent 808s, the song is a master class in dynamism, as Von works the frayed edges of his voice to passionately convey the life or death stakes of his words. Displaying a raw nerve emotion and putting his all into each vividly-realized bar, Von recalls his life as a teenager in O-Block, combining his soldier’s mentality with his desire to make something bigger of himself.
“War” arrives shortly after Von’s estate revealed the cover art for What It Means To Be King. Evoking the iconic artwork of Von’s debut album Welcome To O’Block, the album’s cover features the proud O-Block native’s intense stare and the album’s title written out in the artist’s own handwriting. Currently available for pre-order/pre-save, What It Means To Be King arrives on March 4th via Only The Family / EMPIRE.
The upcoming album is home to “Don’t Play That” ft. 21 Savage, a banger that is already one of the late artist’s most successful singles to date. “Don’t Play That” was an immediate success, generating 1.4M+ Apple Music streams, 1.2M+ Spotify streams, and 1.1M+ YouTube streams in just the first 24 hours of its February 4th release. Since then, “Don’t Play That” has racked up tens of millions of streams, including 15+ million on Spotify and 6 million on its animated video, and debuted at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Von’s highest-ever chart position. The song currently sits at #86 on the Hot 100 and at #25 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.
What It Means To Be King puts an exclamation point on Von’s legacy, confirming his status as the best storyteller of his generation. A worthy follow-up to Von’s GOLD-certified debut Welcome To O’Block, the upcoming album is a bittersweet treat for fans, and a moment of closure for those who loved him most.
Long Live King Von.
Buy/Stream “War”: http://music.empi.re/
Pre-order What It Means To Be King: http://music.empi.re/
Watch “Don’t Play That” ft. 21 Savage: https://youtu.be/
Buy/Stream “Don’t Play That” ft. 21 Savage: https://music.empi.re/
© 2022, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
