This solo album from CunninLynguists member Deacon The Villain was originally supposed to be released on September 30, but due to unknown reasons it was released the next day on the first of October. Peace or Power was a highly anticipated release for me since CunninLynguists is my favorite hip-hop group and their last few projects have been stellar. I wish I could say the same about Peace or Power. This is Deacon's first solo project. Some may bring up Niggaz with Latitude, but that was a duo project with Sheisty Khrist.
Deacon produced all the tracks on this album along with emceeing throughout most of it. Most of the instrumentals have a funk vibe to them, but they don't provide the same kind of energy or fun that funk sounds usually tend to bring. The non funk tracks aren't much better. They're not bad, just not memorable. On the vocal front Deacon's singing is a neutral element to me. It's usually just part of the hook and his voice is good enough for the purpose. His rhymes I'm more critical of. For a while I couldn't differentiate between Deacon the Villain and Natti when it came to rhyming. They both have similar voices, but thanks to this solo album I'm now able to distinguish them properly. Deacon's voice is a bit softer with less energy. As far as the rap skills go, I find Deacon's flow to be pretty average. There aren't any parts within the rhythm of it that catches my ear in a way to instill excitement. I ended up tuning him out majority of the time on my first listen. Lyrically, he is pretty sub par on this album as well. Little wordplay and he has a lack of making his words visual or an impact of any kind. Most of the featured artists on here actually outshine him and make what would otherwise be a mediocre song, good. I actually find myself listening to the Sheisty Khrist and Natti tracks most on this album.
This album isn't bad, but it's not good either. The overall result comes to an average album. I would recommend listen to the Natti and Sheisty tracks, and skip the rest. The album art is fantastic however.
Notable Tracks: What's a Star, Ghosts Don't Lie, Peace or Power
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