In November 2020, the Chicago rapper King Von was shot to death outside an Atlanta nightclub. He was 26, and his career was just taking off; his album Welcome To O’Block came out just one week before his death. Von had a fearsome reputation, and before his rap career took form, he’d spent years in jail, awaiting trial on a murder charge. Since Von’s death, his life has taken on mythic proportions; an hours-long YouTube documentary referred to him as “rap’s first serial killer.” But Von was also an expert rap storyteller, and his story gives his art an uncomfortable charge. King Von’s new posthumous album is a whole lot to process.

Today, the posthumous King Von album Grandson arrives. Plenty of Von verses have come out since his death; his childhood friend and frequent collaborator Lil Durk has released a bunch of Von collaborations. Grandson was assembled by Von’s friends and collaborators, and it doesn’t sound like a cobbled-together posthumous album. The record includes features from rappers like Durk, Polo G, Moneybagg Yo, G Herbo, 42 Dugg, and Tee Grizzley, but the clear focus is on Von. These tracks don’t sound like outtakes; they sound like Von, on the verge of a career explosion, rapping his ass off. Stream the album below.

Grandson is out now on Only The Family Entertainment/EMPIRE.