Deacon the Villain

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.

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

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
See also: CunninLynguists 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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