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. 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. 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. At the time, Kno was in the group
The Continuum, and Deacon was in the group
ILLSTAR. 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. Deacon released his first full-length project not in CunninLynguists with JustMe, named
Tragedy & Dope. The same year, he released
Niggaz With Latitude (N.W.L.) with Sheisty Khrist, another Kentucky emcee. In 2015, he released his first solo album Peace or Power. The album is self-produced and guest appearances include
Tonedeff,
Kno and
Homeboy Sandman, among others. == Personal life ==