(Supreme) Diamond D: A Day In The Life

Let’s hop right into this single, “Faithful,” featuring Westside Gunn — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition?

I’ve always liked what Griselda stood for; being Boom-Bap based and not necessarily worrying about radio play, but still amassing a huge following…so I reached out to Westside one day, and he pulled up to the studio and laid his verse down. It was all based on mutual respect.

Of course “Faithful” comes courtesy of your latest solo LP, The Rear View — Conceptually, what does that title represent both to and for you?

The title means to always look ahead, and don’t dwell on what you’ve done in the past; whether good or bad…but always look to the future, and leave the rest of the shit in the rearview.

How then does The Rear View either differ and / or compare to previous Diamond D entries?

The bars are sharper!! It’s my first solo LP in over 10 years.

The Rear View is a Dymond Mine Records LLC release — What are your immediate to future plans and / or goals for the label? And who all else, besides yourself of course, make up its artist roster?

To be successful and to be a force in Hip Hop. Artists on roster are Snooze Hero and Blake Moses, both out of from Harlem.

As a lyricist, when you sit down to pen your rhymes where do you draw your inspiration from?

I draw it from whatever I’m going through at the moment basically.

Reflecting, tell me your whole inception into music — When did you first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for Diamond D?

I started off as a DJ when I was 12 years old, mainly cutting breakbeats I would hear at Hip Hop jams as a kid.

Now you’re a native of The Bronx, New York City, correct? So growing up in “The Boogie Down,” who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?

KRS-One, Ultramagnetic, the Cold Crush Four, DJ Jazzy Jay…basically all the Bronxites who were doing their thing in the late ‘80’s.

In having said that, how do you classify your overall sound and / or style?

I would say my sound is melodic gritty. Lol.

Where does your moniker, Diamond D, originally derive from?

I took it from someone in my neighborhood who was an emcee. Since I was a deejay back then he was cool with it. Lol. It just stuck.

What particular string of events actually led to your initial inking with Mercury Records?

I was producing demos for an artist they were interested in signing. I rhymed on one of the joints, and they wanted to holla at me instead.

Switching gears here…

Longevity, what do you attribute yours to?

My passion and competitiveness.

On a more serious note, are you happy with the current state of Hip Hop?

Yes, it’s evolving and still thriving. I’m a Boom-Bap artist, and there is still an audience who rocks with that. The trick is to find balance between what you love.

Do you have any other outside / additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from entertainment?

Real estate, and maybe some acting.

To date, what has been your greatest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?

The greatest would have to be winning a Grammy for my production work on the LP The Score. The least…fuckin’ with that clown over at Babygrande Records for that mixtape, The Huge Hefner Chronicles.

Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans…

I’m basically cool, it all depends on the approach of the fan.

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?

My favorite part is waking up when I want to…to do what I love doing for a living. My least favorite is paying taxes every year. Lol.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Have a lawyer look at anything you plan to sign, and keep track of your contracts; keep ‘em in storage.

“Best-Kept Secret” is a bonafide Hip Hop classic — How did this particular composition come about? Who came up with its concept? And, please describe for me the overall studio vibes on that fateful day?

I went into the studio with the records I wanted to sample, and just did it. MC Lyte had used that loop on an earlier LP of hers, but it was an album cut. I did it over, but made it more raw and added shit to it.