Vakill

Last updated
Vakill
Birth nameDonald Mason
BornMarch 21, 1975 (1975-03-21) (age 49)
Origin Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Years active1991–present
LabelsMolemen Records

Donald Mason, also known as Vakill (Born in March 21, 1975) is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. [1] Vakill is known through his association with Chicago Hip Hop collective The Molemen, and has released three studio albums.

Contents

Early years

Raised on the South side of Chicago on 119th Street, Vakill was involved in Hip Hop at as early as eight years old, originally focusing on the break dancing element of the culture. In the '80s, Vakill began focusing rhyming, and found inspiration from respected lyricists such as Kool G Rap, Pharoahe Monch and Nas. In 1991, he met a high school classmate named Ed Zamudio at a local weekly event called Terrordome. Zamudio, later known as Panik, and Vakill, along with producers Memo and PNS formed the Molemen. [1]

Recording history

Vakill debuted as a solo artist in 1995, with the release of a cassette titled Who's Afraid?. He remained on the local scene throughout the late '90s, making numerous collaborations, and releasing a number of singles, most notably 1996's "Keep the Fame", a collaboration with veteran emcee Percee P and future Chicago Hip Hop star Rhymefest. In following years, Vakill contributed tracks to subsequent releases by the Molemen, with "Finyl Thought" appearing on the 1997 EP Below the Ground, "Know the Bidness" appearing on the 1998 EP Buried Alive, "Urban Legend" appearing on the 2001 album Chicago City Limits, Vol. 1, and "The Equinox" and "Face Down" appearing on the 2001 album Ritual of the Molemen. 2001 saw the release of a Vakill compilation titled Kill Em All, featuring all the tracks from Who's Afraid?, as well as a number of songs and freestyles recorded throughout the '90s. [2]

The emcee released his long-awaited debut album, The Darkest Cloud , in 2003 on Molemen Records. [3] The album was produced by Molemen members Panik and Memo, DJ Contakt and Mixx Massacre, and featured the single "End of Days". While acclaimed, the album did not reach past rap's underground scene, and failed to produce a significant amount of sales. [4] The rapper returned three years later with his second album, Worst Fears Confirmed , released in early 2006. The album featured production from the Molemen, as well as appearances from acclaimed lyricists Ras Kass and Royce Da 5'9". In 2011 he released his third studio album The Armor of God. [5]

Discography

Album information
The Darkest Cloud
  • Released: May 5, 2003
  • Label: Molemen Records
  • Singles: "End of Days"/"Sickplicity"/"The Creed"
Worst Fears Confirmed
  • Released: January 31, 2006
  • Label: Molemen Records
Armor of God
  • Released: June 14, 2011
  • Label: Molemen Records

EPs/Singles

Appears on

Related Research Articles

First Words was a Canadian hip hop group, consisting of Halifax beatmaker Jorun Bombay, DJ STV and emcees Above and Sean One. The group released two albums and an EP, as well as contributing tracks to several hiphop compilations, and was active from 2004 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rah Digga</span> American rapper

Rashia Tashan Fisher, known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, Dirty Harriet (2000), peaked in the top-20 of the Billboard 200, and she released her second album, Classic, in 2010. She starred in the horror film Thirteen Ghosts (2001) as Maggie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tragedy Khadafi</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1971)

Percy Lee Chapman, known by his stage name Tragedy Khadafi, is an American rapper and record producer. Chapman hails from the Queensbridge Housing Projects in Queens, New York City, and helped spawn other hip hop artists such as Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga, Nas. He is documented to be the first to use the phrase "illmatic" in 1988 on a record called "The Rebel", from the Marley Marl album In Control, Volume 1, which was an inspiration and influence on fellow New York rapper Nas.

Nahshid Sulaiman, better known by his stage name One Be Lo, is an alternative hip hop artist from Pontiac, Michigan. He is well respected for being one half of the rap duo Binary Star, and has released a number of well-received solo albums. He is a member of Massive Monkees, a world-champion B-boy crew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Syze</span> American rapper

David Albaladejo is an underground rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Puerto Rican descent. He is a member of the underground hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs (AOTP), having featured on all their studio albums. He is known for his frequent collaboration with AOTP members; OuterSpace. Outside of rap, Albaladejo works as a member of a trade union which has inspired the names of many of his studio albums.

Brendon Patrick Whitney, better known by his stage name Alias, was an American producer and rapper from Hollis, Maine. He was a co-founder of the indie hip hop record label Anticon.

Molemen is an American hip hop record production team from Chicago, Illinois. It consists of Panik, Memo, and PNS. The group organized Chicago Rocks, an annual hip hop showcase.

<i>The Darkest Cloud</i> 2003 studio album by Vakill

The Darkest Cloud is the debut studio album by Chicago rapper Vakill, released May 5, 2003, on Molemen Records. The album came eight years after the rapper's 1995 debut EP Who's Afraid?.

<i>Worst Fears Confirmed</i> 2006 studio album by Vakill

Worst Fears Confirmed is the second album by Chicago rapper Vakill, released January 31, 2006 on Molemen Records. The album comes three years after the rapper's 2003 debut The Darkest Cloud. Like his debut, Worst Fears Confirmed was widely acclaimed by many sources. Allmusic reviewer Jason Ankeny gave the album a 4½ star rating, calling it a "Chicago hip-hop masterpiece" with "dazzling lyrical intelligence".

<i>Kill Em All</i> (album) 2001 compilation album by Vakill

Kill 'Em All is a compilation album by Vakill. The album contains tracks encompassing Vakill's rap career from 1990 to 2001.

<i>All Fates Have Changed</i> 2005 studio album by Jus Allah

All Fates Have Changed is the debut solo studio album by American underground rapper Jus Allah. It was released on May 10, 2005 via Babygrande Records. Production was handled by Agallah, Zach Johnson, NME-REK, Slipwax, Kingston, Ray Fernandes, Virtuoso, Mr. Burns and Panik, with Chuck Wilson serving as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Bomshot, Evil Dead, Agallah, Chief Kamachi, GZA, Lord Jamar, Shabazz the Disciple, T-Ruckus and Virtuoso. The album spawned two singles: "Pool of Blood" b/w "Hell Razors" and "G-O-D" b/w "Supreme".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kohndo</span> French rapper

Kohndo is a French rapper and producer born on June 17, 1975, in Saint-Cloud, a suburb of Paris. Kohndo is known as one of the best lyricist in french rap. He gained recognition as a rapper during the 1990s as a part of the influential rap group, La Cliqua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zontanoi Nekroi</span> Greek rap group

Zontanoi Nekroi is a Greek rap group formed in 1997. The members are Taki Tsan, Midenistis, Katahthonios, Ypohthonios, and Harmanis.

Adam Arnone, better known by his stage name Adeem, is an American rapper from Keene, New Hampshire. He is best known for his work in the hip hop group Glue and for winning the Scribble Jam Emcee Battle in 1998 and 2001. He is also the owner of ECHO FINCH, a creative agency and music label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M-Dot</span> American rapper

Michael Januario better known by his stage name M-Dot is an American rapper and producer. Before becoming a rap musician, Januario played college basketball at BHCC, MCLA and Fitchburg State.

Jakki Rubin,, better known by his stage name Jakki tha Motamouth, is an American rapper from Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of MHz Legacy. He was part of the group The Weathermen. Originally released in 2004, his first solo album, God vs. Satan, was re-released in 2005. He's best known for his punchlines and excellent storytelling ability.

<i>In Death Reborn</i> 2014 studio album by Army of the Pharaohs

In Death Reborn is the fourth studio album by the underground hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs. The album was released on April 22, 2014, via Vinnie Paz's independent record label, Enemy Soil. The album features members Vinnie Paz, Apathy, Blacastan, Block McCloud, Celph Titled, Crypt The Warchild, Demoz, Des Devious, Doap Nixon, Esoteric, King Magnetic, King Syze, Planetary, Reef the Lost Cauze and Zilla, with a guest appearance by Lawrence Arnell. The only member who did not appear on the album was Jus Allah, also affiliated with Jedi Mind Tricks; it was later confirmed that Allah had left both groups.

Capital D, also known as Cap D, is an underground rapper and lawyer from Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his solo work, his collaboration with Tony Fields as the duo "All Natural," and for founding the label All Natural Records, on which all his music has been released.

Enrique DaSilva, better known by his stage name Breez Evahflowin, is a rapper based in New York. He is a founding member of the Stronghold rap collective. He was crowned the national grand champion of the Blaze Battle competition in 1999 sponsored by HBO and was 5 week battle champion on Yo! MTV Raps.

Terry Parker, known professionally as MC Juice, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.

References

  1. 1 2 "Vakill | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  2. ↑ "Vakill - Kill'em All". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  3. ↑ "Vakill - The Darkest Cloud". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Vakill :: The Darkest Cloud :: Molemen Records". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  5. ↑ "Vakill - Armor Of God". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.