Diamond D

Diamond D Taps 38 Spesh, RJ Payne, Inspectah Deck, KRS-One, And More For ‘The Diam Piece 3: INITIUM’ Album

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Grammy-winning Hip-Hop legend Diamond D released The Diam Piece album in 2014, followed by the project’s sequel, The Diam Piece 2, in 2019. Today (8/16/2024),  the Diggin’ In The Crates Crew co-founding member shares INITIUM, the first of three parts to The Diam Piece 3, which will serve as the final installment in Diamond D’s production compilation series. With star-studded guest features such as Fatman Scoop, Skyzoo, RJ Payne, 38 Spesh, and more, INITIUM will be followed by Duo and Tria to complete The Diam Piece 3 over the course of the next 12 months.

“I would never release an album with 28 songs in this age of short attention spans. With that being said, I’ll be releasing he ‘Diam Piece III’ album in three separate parts over a 12 month timespan: ‘INITIUM’, ‘Duo’ & ‘Tria’. This will give each release a chance to breathe on its own and to be appreciated. The Diam Piece 3 album will complete the trinity for my production series. It was an honor to work with all the talented spitters on the new album. If you’re familiar with both Diam Piece parts 1 and 2 then you already know what to expect: hard hitting tracks and dope lyricism. I stand on that.” – Diamond D

The Diam Piece 3: INITIUM arrives on all major digital streaming platforms via Dymond Mine Records/EMPIRE just a month short of the 32nd anniversary of Diamond D’s 1992 classic debut Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop.

The post Diamond D Taps 38 Spesh, RJ Payne, Inspectah Deck, KRS-One, And More For ‘The Diam Piece 3: INITIUM’ Album first appeared on The Source.

The post Diamond D Taps 38 Spesh, RJ Payne, Inspectah Deck, KRS-One, And More For ‘The Diam Piece 3: INITIUM’ Album appeared first on The Source.

Diamond D Announces ‘The Diam Piece 3: Initium’ (Artwork x Tracklist)

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Following his 2022 release, The Rear View, legendary rapper/producer Diamond D returns to team up with a star-studded cast of guest emcees on The Diam Piece 3: Initium. It serves as the final installment in his producer compilation series and will also be released in three parts. Following Initium, D plans to release Duo and Tria over the course of the next six months.

“In this day and age of short attention spans, I would never release an album with 29 songs,” Diamond D explains. “That’s why I’m choosing to release ‘The Diam Piece 3 as three EPs,’ released every three months, so each one can be appreciated and absorbed on its own.”

On Initium, the DITC cofounder provides his trademark hard-hitting production for the likes of KRS-One, Inspectah Deck, 38 Spesh, RJ Payne, Fatman Scoop, Royal Flush, Skyzoo, Sauce Money, Torae, Lord Tariq, and Bonecrusher, among many others. For the track’s lead single, Diamond wanted to highlight his collaboration with KRS, “The Kings,” as a celebration of their previous work together on cuts like “Build Ya Skillz,” “Squash All Beef,” and the “Step into a World” remix.

“I crafted a dark and gritty track that gave Kris the backdrop to do what he does best—spit hard bars!” D added. It’s that same feeling of true collaboration that makes the entirety of this EP such a success, and it serves as another example of Diamond D’s incredible talents as a producer.

“The Kings” hits DSPs on July 26, with The Diam Piece 3: Initium, set to drop on August 9th via DSPs and vinyl through Diamond D’s own Dymond Mine Records.

Tracklist: 

1. Fire & Water (feat. RJ Payne, Skyzoo)

2. The King (feat. KRS-One

3. Merk (feat. Torae, Bishop Lamont)

4. Bosses (feat. Sauce Money, Lord Tariq)

5. Death B4 Dishonor (feat. Fat Man Scoop, Static The Prodigy)

6. Codes (feat. Royal Flush, Agallah The Don, David Bars)

7. Lay Me Down (feat. Inspectah Deck, Shyheim Rugged)

8. Blue Sunshine (feat. Diamond, 38 Speech, E-A-SKI)

The post Diamond D Announces ‘The Diam Piece 3: Initium’ (Artwork x Tracklist) first appeared on The Source.

The post Diamond D Announces ‘The Diam Piece 3: Initium’ (Artwork x Tracklist) appeared first on The Source.

Diamond D Recalls 2Pac Shooting “Drunk” Cops After Clark Atlanta University’s Homecoming

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Diamond D recently recalled a time that 2Pac shot two “drunk” and “rogue” police officers who were “harassing a Black man” nearby. The incident occurred after the two attended Clark Atlanta University’s homecoming in 1993. Diamond D posted about the night on Instagram on its 30th anniversary, earlier this week.

“It was 30 yrs ago last night when me, Pac and Stretch flew to ATL for his show at Clark U,” Diamond D wrote. “Afterwards as we were approaching the Sheraton hotel off 14th & Peachtree (it is now called The Starling Hotel) is where the infamous incident happened when Pac shot 2 drunk rogue plain clothed white cops who were harassing a Black man.” From there, Diamond D claims 2Pac “intervened to help” the person “he didn’t even know.” In retaliation, the officers apparently “smashed the driver’s side window.”

Read More: Tupac’s Sister Claims He Talked About Jada Pinkett Smith All The Time, Too

2Pac With The Notorious B.I.G. & Redman In N.Y.C.

NEW YORK – JULY 23: (L-R) Rappers Notorious B.I.G., Tupac. Shakur and Redman pose for a portrait at Club Amazon on July 23, 1993 in New York, New York. (Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

“I was in the back seat watching this shyt. Pac got out the car and as the cops walked away pac got down to one knee in a firing stance and hit em both in the ass. He beat this case because both cops were drunk and both had guns they took from the evidence room from their station…plus they were from another county so they were wrong all the way around they were outside looking for trouble and they found it.” According to AllHipHop, 2Pac was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, but the charges were dropped when it was discovered that one of the officers was using a gun he’d stolen from the Henry County evidence room. Check out Diamond D’s full post below.

Diamond D Reflects On 2Pac Shooting

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Diamond D (@diamondditc)

Diamond D’s post comes after Las Vegas Metropolitan Police finally arrested Keefe D for the murder of 2Pac in September. His arraignment will go down on November 2. Be on the lookout for further updates on Keefe D’s case on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: 2Pac’s Former Manager Recalls Discovering Him: “He Was It”

[Via]

The post Diamond D Recalls 2Pac Shooting “Drunk” Cops After Clark Atlanta University’s Homecoming appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Diamond D And De La Soul’s Posdnuos Rise Above On The Visuals For ”Flying High”

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Diamond D is celebrating life as well as hip-hop’s 50th anniversary in his new video for “Flying High,” which boasts a guest feature from De La Soul’s Posdnuos and cameos from a slew of hip-hop legends.

The video is directed by Tommy Nova, iRossta, Adrian Ferguson and Diamond D, who also produced the soulful instrumental for the track. The visuals center on the upbeat, triumphant vibes of “Flying High,” which the rapper/producer says “the song is about rising above negativity while enjoying life to the fullest.” Diamond D embraces that message here by cruising around in the 7, enjoying some fine dining with Scram Jones, Buckwild and Statik Selektah to popping bottles and good vibes with rap royalty like Pos, Maseo. N.O.R.E., DJ EFN and Stacy Epps.

But “Flying High” is more than just an example of how to get your mind right. Diamond D and Pos both rap their asses off, too, and deliver a string of slick quotables as Diamond D spits “Shootin dice on the beechcraft, Meticulous over each draft / Everything is symmetric, The pen? The beats? Dyslexic / Gigahertz flow all electric, 28 grams on the metric.” 

Check out the visuals and head over to support The Rear View, available now on Dymond Mine Records / EMPIRE Distribution. In addition to Posdnuos, the 14-track LP includes guest appearances by Chris Rock, Fat Joe, Westside Gunn, DJ Cash Money, Stacy Epps, Ashtin Martin and more, with production supplied by himself along with Nottz, Focus, D.R.U.G.S. Beats, Mr.Brady and Len Funk.

The album is also available on CD and vinyl in both a classic black version through Fat Beats as well as an exclusive translucent light blue edition via HHV.

The post Diamond D And De La Soul’s Posdnuos Rise Above On The Visuals For ”Flying High” first appeared on The Source.

The post Diamond D And De La Soul’s Posdnuos Rise Above On The Visuals For ”Flying High” appeared first on The Source.

Diggin’ In The Crates Founder Diamond D Drops Video From New Album w/ Westside Gunn

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Grammy-winning Hip-Hop legend Diamond D‘s sixth studio album The Rear View serves as an ode to his own legacy and resilience. The official music video for the album’s opener “Life Is What You Make It” is a reflection of the rapper/producer’s ability to enjoy the fruit of his labor over the course of an influential and storied career. Shot over the course of 72 hours between Atlanta, Portugal, and Dubai, the RemoFilm-directed video plays out over scenes of Diamond D’s travels, and just released via YouTube.  

“‘Life is what you make it’ symbolizes living the best life you can live knowing that you control your own destiny. The more you grind, the more you’ll be able to do the things you enjoy and travel to the places you want to see so I wrote a song that celebrates that. Tomorrow is never promised, we have a choice…you can sit around and be content with what you have or strive for more for the betterment of yourself and your family.. Either way, life is what you make it.” – Diamond D

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Open Mike Eagle Announces The Nostalgic ‘Component System With The Auto Reverse’ Mixtape

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Rapper and podcaster extraordinaire Open Mike Eagle’s last album, Anime, Trauma And Divorce peeled back the skin on some of the most painful experiences of his life. Now, on the newly announced Component System With The Auto Reverse, Mike Eagle is letting himself have some fun digging into his past; a past where he made cassette mixtapes from tracks he heard on his local hip-hop radio station.

“When I was in high school I used to stay up late to tape the hip-hop shows on college radio station WHPK on the south side of Chicago,” the rapper said in a statement. “It was the only way to hear the underground rap songs that changed my world. I still have many of the cassettes, with songs by giants like MF DOOM, DITC, Outsidaz, All Natural, Juggaknots, Organized Konfusion, and more. I named each tape. I named one Component System. This album was made in the spirit of that tape but with new music from me. Some of the people on the original tape appear on this album, I’m so proud of that that it brings me close to tears.”

The album has production from Madlib, Quelle Chris, Child Actor, and others. The new single, “I’ll Fight You,” was produced by DITC’s Diamond D, whose “…Beats and raps have inspired me my whole ass life,” Mike Eagle said.

Listen to “I’ll Fight For You” above and check out the album artwork and tracklist for Component System With The Auto Reverse below.

Open Mike Eagle Component System With The Auto Reverse
Open Mike Eagle

1. “The Song With The Secret Name” (produced by Child Actor)
2. “TDK Scribbled Intro” (produced by Kuest1)
3. “79th And Stony Island” (produced by Quelle Chris)
4. “I’ll Fight You” (produced by Diamond D)
5. “Circuit City” featuring Video Dave & Still Rift (produced by Madlib)
6. “I Retired Then I Changed My Mind” (produced by Child Actor)
7. “Burner Account featuring Armand Hammer” (produced by Quelle Chris)
8. “For DOOM” (produced by Illingsworth)
9. “Crenshaw And Homeland” (produced by Diamond D)
10. “Multi-game Arcade Cabinet” featuring R.A.P Ferreira, Still Rift & Video Dave (produced by illingsworth)
11. “Credits Interlude” featuring Serengeti) (produced by Illingsworth)
12. “Peak Lockdown Raps” (produced by Child Actor)
13. “Kites” featuring Video Dave and Still Rift (produced by Kuest1)
14. “Cd only” [bonus track] featuring Aesop Rock & Diamond D (produced by Diamond D)

Component System With The Auto Reverse is out on 10/07 via Auto Reverse records. Pre-order it here.

Today In Hip Hop History: Fat Joe Released His Debut Album ‘Represent’ 29 Years Ago

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On this date in 1993, legendary DITC delegate Fat Joe dropped his debut full-length studio album Represent on the Relativity/Violator imprint.

In 2020, Fat Joe is recognized as one of the icons of NYC Hip Hop, however, back in 1993, Joe was knee-deep in the streets and having only appeared on Diggin’ In The Crates founder Diamond D’s Stunts, Blunts And Hip Hop album was fairly a newcomer to the rap game. With assistance from his DITC crew members Diamond, Lord Finesse, and Showbiz behind the boars, Joe formulated one of the most integral audible time capsules of the era. Tracks like the Beatnuts-powered “Shit Iz Real”, “You Must Be Out Of You Fuckin’ Mind” featuring the late Apache of the Flavor Unit and Kool G Rap and the premiere single “Flow Joe” were all foundational examples of the “Fat Joe Da Gangsta” persona that is now respected and celebrated in 2020.

Salute to the late Chris Lighty, Fat Joe, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Showbiz, and the entire DITC for this timeless piece of Hip Hop history!

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