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.

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).

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.

The single "Don't Play That", which King Von had anticipated in October 2020 with an Instagram post,[8][9] was revealed to be a collaboration with Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage, produced by Kid Hazel, it was released on February 4, 2022.

[17][18][19][20][21] 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 from pure album sales.