Navigating the ethics of posthumous albums can be tricky. You can either carefully and tastefully complete a project that was already near completion, like Mac Miller’s Circles, or you can haphazardly compile any piece of recorded vocals, slap a generic beat on it, throw in some features and call it a day, like the bastardized collection of posthumous XXXTentacion records. King Von’s posthumous efforts, Welcome To O’Block and What It Means To Be King land in the first category. But with Grandson, his latest posthumous project, it’s clear that the well is beginning drying up.
It’s no secret Von lived a life surrounded by violence. Even new fans would be able to see that within seconds of his opening verse on “Don’t Miss.” Across the two-minute intro, Von raps about outsmarting those who oppose him, the weight of being blamed for people’s murders, and the paranoia that follows when your infamy grows. These three themes make up the bulk of the album’s topics, which is understandable given the time Von recorded them, though its lack of varied subject matter becomes repetitive.
King Von always sounds assertive in his raps, rarely leaving any room to question his ability to lead or inspire. “Phil Jackson” sounds like a cocaine-fueled attempt at asserting his dominance with Von referencing the titular coach and Shaq’s innate ability to score at his peak, while Polo G likens himself to Osama Bin Laden in his verse. The cockiness isn’t without humor, which toys with the idea that Von wasn’t as self-serious as his raps would imply.
As dour and violent as Von’s raps come off on Grandson, there are still sobering moments of introspection and essential context. He blames his coldness on growing up in the grimier sides of Chicago on “From The Hood” with Lil Durk. Despite Durk’s surface-level lyrics ( “Don’t take it personal / It hit different when you comin’ from the hood”), the passion with which he raps them shows a level of conviction he hasn’t demonstrated much on his own tracks in years. Von only appears for a single verse, indicating that the song was probably only half-ready by the time Durk got his hands on it, but perhaps the grief helped inspire his Chicago peer to tap back into his earnest side.
The moments of self-reflection are rare, with the only other weighty tracks coming near the finish line, though to mixed results. “Out Of The Streets” feebly attempts to show that Von wanted to escape his old life, but his autotuned vocals don’t play well with a beat that could be listed under an “inspirational” tag on YouTube. Moneybagg Yo and Hotboii tag along…for some reason, and neither of them adds anything interesting to an already awkward attempt at sincerity. Still, the penultimate song “When I Die” could serve as an apt conclusion to Von’s saga, even if it skims the surface of what his death would mean to him and his close ones.
It would be unfair to judge Grandson on the lack of depth, but its redundancy is unmistakable. Many of the tracks share a lyrical formula and most of the beats are passable, but Von’s charisma and thorny flows never leave room to grow bored. Think of his performances as Fast & Furious movies, albeit with a little extra bite. They don’t always offer the deepest insights, but rarely do they slow down to the point of walking away. It helps that additional voices chime in to round out the edges, but for the most part, Von does enough to keep the listener gripped by his vivid storytelling.
If King Von’s team is smart, they’ll know that Grandson marks the end of the road for the Chicago rapper’s music. Much like the album that preceded it, it can only do so much before it becomes apparent that these songs and ideas weren’t finished. Songs like “Jimmy,” “GangLand” and ‘Robberies” show that he had plenty left in the tank and their inclusion feels necessary, but they become depressing when you realize that this is it. Musically, it seems like we’ve seen all the sides of King Von, and any extra attempts would be milking it if this album is the best stuff left in the vault.
The album is hard and his true fans get excited when any new music of his drops. We know he gone but he still dropping hits and we still proud of him. We still listen to him everyday so it can’t be the end of the road. Did you say this about Tupac? Exactly, so I hope his family keeps dropping them jawns because I’m gonna keep enjoying them. End of the road 😒 you weird for that! LLVROY 🐐👑!
The album is hard and his true fans get excited when any new music of his drops. We know he gone but he still dropping hits and we still proud of him. We still listen to him everyday so it can’t be the end of the road. Did you say this about Tupac? Exactly, so I hope his family keeps dropping them jawns because I’m gonna keep enjoying them. End of the road 😒 you weird for that! LLVROY 🐐👑!
💯
He’s no Tupac babe. Sorry, but you tried! 🤣 🤣
Shitid dey bout neck n neck von more realer den pac bcuz ion think von wud of signed to a niggga n b his personal attack dog just to get out of jail
No pac talk about life von don’t just being in the streets
Von & PAC are two different ppl! Why compare them I love King Von better I’m from the streets and the hood he turns heads not saying 2Pac was bad but they both were from the streets times changed since pac and him & king Von didn’t live same life so
I agree with you this article is trash fr! This man still has fans and not bash 2Pac but to king Von is better sorry I like about two of pacs songs not to discredit him he’s a good artist but to me king Von is just better I’m a huge KING VON FAN!!!! So to me no one is better…. 🤷🏽♀️🙅🏽♀️
You can’t never compare 2pac wit kingVon! PAC is the greatest rapper ever in is time ,his music is still being sold,still being represented! The rap game now is very different than the PAC era,the music today is just about BEATS! u got a good beat u cool,alot of today music is garbage,I love Avon shit and a few more,but you can’t even play half these rappers music in my city Chicago,it will get you Killed! Now What That Says????
Lok, Von was real about what he lived I love 2pac, but we know he did his only in the movies and the became a gangster Von & chiraq life… 2pac wouldn’t survive
This dude had it and was going to be one of the best if not the best of this generation. Story telling is missed in the this rapper era and he delivers.
Whoever wrote this article clearly doesn’t know about his real fans and the way we love his music album was 5/5
Live by the sword die by the sword lull Tim took em out . Simple as that don’t look.all.that gangsta now. Rather be judge by 12 then carried by 6. Pac hands down
Whoever wrote this article clearly doesn’t know about his real fans and the way we love his music album was 5/5
I agree.
I gave the album 5/5
Don’t compare von to pac cause no one was better then pac if he was alive today he would still be number one period I give this album 2 outta 5 y’all mfs lame af get his dic out ya mouth
Don’t compare von to pac cause no one was better then pac if he was alive today he would still be number one period I give this album 2 outta 5 y’all mfs lame af get his dic out ya mouth
Pac music wasn’t that good. Pac was very confused repping west coast when he was a east Coast cat. Gtfoh with that shit
King Von has a remarkable ability to rap and tell stories that captivates the listener. People can’t handle the truth and Von raps his truth of his life. He gives an indepth view of the street gangster life and all of his music is 🔥
There is nooooo way that you think this album is garbage. Repetitive if you say so hahaha what is Future or Gunna ..both rats but that is what you call garbage! Long Live Von &&& if OTF still has music unreleased from the King. Please drop it …or just email me those bangers. I will still make his music relevant as long as I’m on earth Von is also. I know word for word is songs. That’s what gets me through a day of work or working out.
Fire
Yall think von gon run up on somebody and swing, try to fight somebody, yall crazy. ? “ get back gang they got my back still wont lack i got my strap.” Lil durk- “taking pics by von mural like lil bro wont come out and spin” that man somewhere living in peace. Same wit pac. His daughter even spoke out on that after collab with Alicia keys. He out there lurkin. Fo sho.💯🥷🏽
Jazzz king
Nah bro I love King Vons music heck I’d even blast it in the store if I could this article is wack and stop comparing 2Pac and Von bro they’re different people Vons fans will stick with him forever
Damn big bra rest easy Von
King von, since a youngin got hit with tragedy . Made a name for him self on the streets ,but through it all was growing as a person and giving back to youth, community. People change as they get older for the better, but we will never be able to witness his full potential,but see the impact from his legacy he left behind . Long Live Grandson.
Love & Respect, Billy’s