Vakill
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Donald Mason, also known as Vakill (Born in March 21, 1975) is an American
rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
from
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. Vakill is known through his association with Chicago Hip Hop collective The Molemen, and has released three studio albums.


Early years

Raised on the
South side of Chicago The South Side is one of the three major sections of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Geographically, it is the largest of the sections of the city, with the other two being the North and West Sides. It radiates and lies south o ...
on 119th Street, Vakill was involved in Hip Hop at as early as eight years old, originally focusing on the
break dancing Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consists mainly o ...
element of the
culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
. In the '80s, Vakill began focusing rhyming, and found inspiration from respected lyricists such as
Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. 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 Cr ...
,
Pharoahe Monch Troy Donald Jamerson (born October 31, 1972), better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.Edwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: ...
and
Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...
. 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.


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 Percee P is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York. He first gained recognition in the hip-hop community in the early 1990s for his fast-paced, intricate rhymes and unique flow. He is known for his collaborations with other notable hip-hop a ...
and future Chicago Hip Hop star
Rhymefest Che Armond Smith (born July 6, 1977), known professionally as Rhymefest, is an American rapper and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his work with fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West, with writing credits on his songs includi ...
. 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. 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". 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 John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup The Hrsmn, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is als ...
and
Royce Da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hi ...
. In 2011 he released his third studio album ''The Armor of God''.


Discography


EPs/Singles

* ''Who's Afraid?'' ( EP, 1995) * "Flows You Can't Imagine" ( Single, 2000) * "Out the Speakers" (Single, 2000) * "Va2K" (Single, 2000) * "End of Days" (Single, 2003) * "World War V" (TBA)


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 Fields The Killing Fields (, ) are sites in Cambodia where collectively more than 1.3 million people were killed and buried by the Communist Party of Kampuchea during Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Ci ...
'') * 2013 "Cypher" (off Juellz Album "Jewelz")


References


External links


Molemen website

Interview for Mobilizacja Magazine
{{Authority control 1975 births African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Living people Rappers from Chicago 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians