Vakill
Encyclopedia
Vakill is an American
rapper from Chicago
, Illinois
. Vakill is known through his association with Chicago Hip Hop collective The Molemen
, and for his literate, witty, punch line
-filled lyricism and detailed story-telling.
, Pharoahe Monch
and Nas
. In 1991, the young emcee 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, soon formed the Molemen
, which would become one of the most prominent collectives in Chicago Hip Hop.
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 "Final 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.
The emcee released his long-awaited debut album, The Darkest Cloud
, in 2003 on Molemen Records. The album was produced by Molemen members Panik and Memo, DJ Contakt and Mixx Massacre, and featured the single "End of Days". The album's sharp lyrics and dark production made it a hit with underground fans, and gave the rapper the most exposure of his career. While acclaimed, the album did not reach past rap's underground scene, and failed to produce a significant amount of sales. 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". Reception for the album was overwhelmingly positive, with Allmusic and Prefix Magazine both giving the album a 4½ star rating. The album gave the rapper wider media exposure, leading to features in XXL Magazine
and on AllHipHop.com. Vakill was also featured in the Phat Tape section of the November 2006 issue of The Source Magazine
, and in its Off The Radar section in the July issue. Vakill is currently recording material for his third studio album, tentatively titled The Armor of God.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Vakill is known through his association with Chicago Hip Hop collective The Molemen
Molemen
Molemen is a trio of Hip Hop producers from Chicago, Illinois, consisting of Panik , Memo and PNS. The trio runs Molemen Records, which features a stable of affiliated artists, including Vakill, DJ Presyce, Scheme, Astonish, Decay, and Longshot...
, and for his literate, witty, punch line
Punch line
A punch line is the final part of a joke, comedy sketch, or profound statement, usually the word, sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to be funny or to provoke laughter or thought from listeners...
-filled lyricism and detailed story-telling.
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. So while the culture continually evolved through the '80s and the music began to take center stage, Vakill began focusing rhyming, and found inspiration from respected lyricists such as Kool G RapKool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson , better known by his stage names Kool G Rap , Kool G. Rap, and Giancana , is an American rapper, from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew...
, Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch is an American hip hop artist. He is known for his complex lyrics, complex delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.-Biography:...
and Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
. In 1991, the young emcee 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, soon formed the Molemen
Molemen
Molemen is a trio of Hip Hop producers from Chicago, Illinois, consisting of Panik , Memo and PNS. The trio runs Molemen Records, which features a stable of affiliated artists, including Vakill, DJ Presyce, Scheme, Astonish, Decay, and Longshot...
, which would become one of the most prominent collectives in Chicago Hip Hop.
Recording history
Vakill debuted as a solo artist in 1995, with the release of a cassetteCompact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
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
Percee P
Percee P is a hip hop artist from the Patterson Projects in The Bronx, New York City, United States. Percee P has been writing and performing since 1979, yet his debut album Perseverance was not released until September 18, 2007, produced entirely by Madlib.He was known in the underground for...
and future Chicago Hip Hop star Rhymefest
Rhymefest
Che Smith , known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", which won a Grammy at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced...
. In following years, Vakill contributed tracks to subsequent releases by the Molemen, with "Final 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.
The emcee released his long-awaited debut album, The Darkest Cloud
The Darkest Cloud
The Darkest Cloud is the debut album by Chicago rapper Vakill, released May 5, 2003 on Molemen Records []. The album came eight long years after the rapper's 1995 debut EP Who's Afraid? []. The album drew acclaim from underground fans and critics alike, due to its dark production and advanced...
, in 2003 on Molemen Records. The album was produced by Molemen members Panik and Memo, DJ Contakt and Mixx Massacre, and featured the single "End of Days". The album's sharp lyrics and dark production made it a hit with underground fans, and gave the rapper the most exposure of his career. While acclaimed, the album did not reach past rap's underground scene, and failed to produce a significant amount of sales. The rapper returned three years later with his second album, Worst Fears Confirmed
Worst Fears Confirmed
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...
, released in early 2006. The album featured production from the Molemen, as well as appearances from acclaimed lyricists Ras Kass
Ras Kass
John Austin IV, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is also a part of hip hop supergroup The HRSMN along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt...
and Royce Da 5'9". Reception for the album was overwhelmingly positive, with Allmusic and Prefix Magazine both giving the album a 4½ star rating. The album gave the rapper wider media exposure, leading to features in XXL Magazine
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
and on AllHipHop.com. Vakill was also featured in the Phat Tape section of the November 2006 issue of The Source Magazine
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
, and in its Off The Radar section in the July issue. Vakill is currently recording material for his third studio album, tentatively titled The Armor of God.
Discography
| Album information |
|---|
| Kill 'Em All Kill 'Em All (Vakill album) Kill 'Em All is a compilation album by Vakill. The album contains tracks encompassing Vakill's rap career from 1990 to 2001.-Track listing:# "Intro"# "Flows You Can't Imagine"# "A Chi-Ago '91"# "V.A.K.I.L.L."# "Check Me Out '95"... (Compilation album Compilation album A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter... )
|
| The Darkest Cloud The Darkest Cloud The Darkest Cloud is the debut album by Chicago rapper Vakill, released May 5, 2003 on Molemen Records []. The album came eight long years after the rapper's 1995 debut EP Who's Afraid? []. The album drew acclaim from underground fans and critics alike, due to its dark production and advanced... |
| Worst Fears Confirmed Worst Fears Confirmed 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... |
| Armor of God
|
EPs/Singles
- Who's Afraid? (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, 1995) - "Flows You Can't Imagine" (SingleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, 2000) - "Out the Speakers" (Single, 2000)
- "Va2K" (Single, 2000)
- "End of Days" (Single, 2003)
- "World War V" (EP, 2011)
Appears on
- 1996 "Keep the Fame" (from the single "Taste of Chicago" b/w "Keep the Fame")
- 1997 "Finyl Thought" (from the Molemen EP Below the Ground)
- 1998 "Know the Bittness" (from the Molemen EP Buried Alive)
- 2001 "Urban Legend" (from the Molemen album Chicago City Limits, Vol. 1)
- 2001 "The Equinox", "Face Down" (from the Molemen album Ritual of the Molemen)
- 2002 "It's On" (from the DJ Vadim album U.S.S.R.: The Art of Listening)
- 2005 "Can You Relate" (from the Molemen compilation Lost Sessions)
- 2006 "Cold War (Remix)", "Under the Gun" (from the Molemen compilation Chicago City Limits, Vol. 2)
- 2006 "V" (from the Molemen album Killing FieldsKilling Fields (album)Killing Fields is an album by the American production triplet called the Molemen. The album boasts a wide variety of guests from New York as well as the midwest.-Track listing:# "Intro"#* Performed by DJ Presyce#* Produced by DJ Presyce...
)