There is no need to list out the many reasons why 2020 has been one of the worst years we have had to live through, but one vital part has been the deaths that have occurred this year. Specifically, there have been many deaths of young artists in the rap community. Joining the list is the late Chicago rapper King Von. I heard about the awful news on Friday morning and was absolutely devastated. His latest album Welcome to O’Block is one of my favorite albums of the year. Von was an active gang member who told many stories of violent run-ins, which made for endless quality content in his music. Chicago drill music was bolstered by King Von’s contribution, and he and Lil Durk were becoming some of my favorite artists to listen to. I am hoping that Durk can carry on the legacy of King Von as a fellow Chicago drill artist and close friend.
Welcome to O’Block was the first thing I had heard from King Von, and as mentioned previously, I enjoyed practically the entire thing. “Ain’t See It Coming” and “All These N****s” are two incredibly hard-hitting songs off of this album. “Ain’t See It Coming” is about King Von being surprised about his quick growth to fame in the rap community. He had always known that he was special, but to be where he was always seemed like just a dream to him. With all the terrifying stories he has told in his songs, this song is a perfect representation of King Von’s appreciation for reaching success in his desired career. This is one of my favorite songs as it has a very exciting piano beat that is very dark, accentuating Von’s extremely confident sound. The Moneybagg Yo verse was also a good addition to the song as he helped extend the length of the song and reinforce the notion of battling adversity to achieve success. As far as “All These N****s” goes, this was a single that had me very excited for the album. This upbeat track features Lil Durk who goes back and forth with King Von as they boast about their reputation and past in Chicago. It is pretty short and to the point, but is a quintessential Chicago drill song with the hard hitting snares and consistent hi hat rolls to go along with the ominous melody.
My favorite aspect about King Von was that he was so versatile. Some songs that took me by surprise on Welcome to O’Block were “Demon”, “Why He Told” and “How it Go”. The singing on “Demon” and “How it Go” displayed Von’s near-mastering of autotune when it comes to melodic singing. This is still something that Lil Durk was working on as he struggled to make choruses that were as catchy as King Von’s. The potential for him in this area was through the roof as this was only his third studio album in two years. “Why He Told” is one of the sadder songs on the album as the production features a somber piano loop and Von raps about his friends turning on him. Similar to how 21 Savage showed a side to him that was not strictly boasting about gang violence, Von was able to talk about how he has been disrespected in the past and how that has affected him.
I loved how King Von was far from one-dimensional (like many rappers are today) and I am devastated that he had to leave us so early. He had many more stories to tell, and far more popularity to gain. I am excited to listen to the rest of his discography. Rest in peace King Von.
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