Deacon the Villain
Deacon the Villain | |
---|---|
Birth name | Willis Garnett Polk II[1] |
Also known as | Deacon Da Villain |
Born | May 21, 1979 |
Origin | Versailles, Kentucky |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | |
Years active | 2000-present |
Labels |
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Willis Garnett Polk II, better known by his stage name Deacon the Villain, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer from Versailles, Kentucky.[2][3] He is a founding member of the hip hop group CunninLynguists.[4] Deacon has produced for the likes of KRS-One,[5] King Tee, and J-Ro from Tha Liks, among others. Deacon the Villain has been featured in notable journalism sources such as XXL,[6] Pop Matters,[7] HipHopDX,[8] and Exclaim!,[9] among others.
History
[edit]Deacon is a lifelong friend of the activist Shaun King; they both attended Woodford County High School in Versailles, Kentucky, and were roommates at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.[10][11][12]
In 1999, Deacon the Villain and Kno met at Club Kaya in Atlanta, Georgia at an event for the now defunct Blaze Magazine that included various members of Atlanta's own Dungeon Family.[13] They had talked online previously through an emcee named Jugga the Bully, who appeared at an open mic called Underground Live at Morehouse college campus, which was held by Deacon.[14] At the time, Kno was in the group The Continuum, and Deacon was in the group ILLSTAR.[15] Afterwards, the two disbanded from their former groups and created CunninLynguists. The two also founded a production duo named A Piece Of Strange.
Around 2004, Deacon formed the group Kynfolk with Natti. The two got along so well that Deacon and Kno invited Natti to join CunninLynguists.[16]
Deacon released his first full-length project not in CunninLynguists with JustMe, named Tragedy & Dope.[17] The same year, he released Niggaz With Latitude (N.W.L.) with Sheisty Khrist, another Kentucky emcee.[18]
In 2015, he released his first solo album Peace or Power.[19] The album is self-produced and guest appearances include Tonedeff, Kno and Homeboy Sandman, among others.[20]
Personal life
[edit]Willis Polk II's hip hop alias comes from the fact that his father is a Christian Pastor. Growing up, he was raised in a baptist family and has stayed Christian. Members of his family have featured on multiple albums of his, such as his mother singing on A Piece of Strange or various family members providing vocals for his first solo album in 2015, Peace or Power.[21][22]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
- Peace or Power (2015)
Collaborative albums
- Tragedy & Dope (2010) (with JustMe)
- Niggaz With Latitude (N.W.L.) (2010) (with Sheisty Khrist)
Guest appearances
- Mark J - "My Peoples" from City Of Pain (2003)
- Tonedeff - "" from Underscore (2003)
- W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. - "Sprinkle Of God" from Rise Of An Empire (2005)
- Inverse - "Til The End (C.A.L.I.)" from So Far (The Collection) (2008)
- Substantial - "Resurrection Of The House Party" from Sacrifice (2008)
- Rubix Funktion - "Just Think" from Presenterar 16 Beatar (2009)
- Jise One - "Burst Through The Door" from Chronicles 2 (2009)
- Kno - "Spread Your Wings" and "They Told Me" from Death Is Silent (2010)
- Natti - "Still Motion", "All I Need", "Late Night Cruise", "Filthy Hard", "G.O.R. (Gods of Rap)" and "Allegiance" from Still Motion (2013)
- Looptroop Rockers - "Naked Swedes" from Naked Swedes (2014)
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "A BETTER PLACE". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ "Clever wordsmiths". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "CunninLynguists | Songs | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ Inc, BandPage. "CunninLynguists - BandPage". BandPage. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ Michael, John (2008) "Cunninlynguists - Extraordinary Gentlemen", Sixshot.com, January 1, 2008, retrieved 2010-04-12
- ^ "CunninLynguists Look Back on 'A Piece of Strange' Album 10 Years Later - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "CunninLynguists, Alliteration, and a Strange Journey". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "CunninLynguists' Deacon The Villain Joins Revalation For "Born To Win"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "CunninLynguists Dirty Acres". Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King responds to attacks and questions about his race". 19 August 2015.
- ^ "BlackLivesMatter organizer & Oprah scholarship recipient accused of being white on false premises".
- ^ Bentley, Rosalind. "Shaun King says he hasn't lied about his race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ "Artist Interview: The CunninLynguists". wers.org. 27 March 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007.
- ^ "RapReview Feature for December 13, 2005 - CunninLynguists Interview". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ "Interview: Deacon the Villain of CunninLynguists - Sound of Boston - Boston Music Blog". Sound of Boston - Boston Music Blog. 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ "Cunninlynguists new projects | HipHopDX". hiphopdx.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ Niemyjski, Josh (2011-06-17). "JustMe & Deacon the Villain "Tragedy & Dope" album review - Sphereofhiphop.com". Sphereofhiphop.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "Niggaz With Latitude (NWL) - Deacon The Villain & Sheisty Khrist | Discography | QN5 Music". qn5.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ Shake. "Stream Deacon the Villain's Debut Solo Album, 'Peace Or Power'". 2DOPEBOYZ. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "CunninLynguists' Deacon the Villain goes solo on 'Peace or Power'". NationalSuntimes. 2015-10-03. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "CunninLynguists Look Back on 'A Piece of Strange' Album 10 Years Later - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ "Deacon The Villain* - Peace Or Power". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-03-07.