Deacon the Villain
Birth nameWillis Garnett Polk II[1]
Also known asDeacon Da Villain
Born (1979-05-21) May 21, 1979
OriginVersailles, Kentucky
Genres
Occupation(s)
Years active2000-present
Labels

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

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

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

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)

References

  1. ↑ "A BETTER PLACE". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Clever wordsmiths". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  3. ↑ "CunninLynguists | Songs | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  4. ↑ Inc, BandPage. "CunninLynguists - BandPage". BandPage. Retrieved 2017-03-05. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ↑ Michael, John (2008) "Cunninlynguists - Extraordinary Gentlemen", Sixshot.com, January 1, 2008, retrieved 2010-04-12
  6. ↑ "CunninLynguists Look Back on 'A Piece of Strange' Album 10 Years Later - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  7. ↑ "CunninLynguists, Alliteration, and a Strange Journey". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  8. ↑ "CunninLynguists' Deacon The Villain Joins Revalation For "Born To Win"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  9. ↑ "CunninLynguists Dirty Acres". Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  10. ↑ "Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King responds to attacks and questions about his race". 19 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "BlackLivesMatter organizer & Oprah scholarship recipient accused of being white on false premises".
  12. ↑ Bentley, Rosalind. "Shaun King says he hasn't lied about his race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  13. ↑ "Artist Interview: The CunninLynguists". wers.org. 27 March 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007.
  14. ↑ "RapReview Feature for December 13, 2005 - CunninLynguists Interview". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ "Cunninlynguists new projects | HipHopDX". hiphopdx.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  17. ↑ Niemyjski, Josh (2011-06-17). "JustMe & Deacon the Villain "Tragedy & Dope" album review - Sphereofhiphop.com". Sphereofhiphop.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  18. ↑ "Niggaz With Latitude (NWL) - Deacon The Villain & Sheisty Khrist | Discography | QN5 Music". qn5.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  19. ↑ Shake. "Stream Deacon the Villain's Debut Solo Album, 'Peace Or Power'". 2DOPEBOYZ. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  20. ↑ "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.
  21. ↑ "CunninLynguists Look Back on 'A Piece of Strange' Album 10 Years Later - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  22. ↑ "Deacon The Villain* - Peace Or Power". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
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