Diamond D | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Joseph Kirkland |
Also known as | Diamond D |
Born | Bronx, New York City, United States [1] | April 5, 1968
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Record producer, rapper |
Instrument(s) |
Keyboard Sampler Drum machine Turntable |
Years active | 1987–present |
Labels |
Chemistry/
Mercury/
PolyGram Records Diamond Mine Records Babygrande Records |
Joseph Kirkland (born April 5, 1968), better known by his stage name Diamond D (or simply Diamond), is an American hip hop MC and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, [1] and one of the founding members of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, abbreviated as D.I.T.C. [2]
Growing up in Forest Houses in The Bronx, Diamond D was influenced by local DJs, DJ Hutch and DJ Supreme. During his youth the two DJs would let him perform on their turntables. [3] At the beginning of his career as a producer, Diamond spent many hours at Jazzy Jay's studio on Allerton Avenue in The Bronx. He credits Jay for inspiring him to buy a sampler and teaching him various production techniques. [3] In a 2017 interview he said, "I learned about 95% of my production skills from him. And he was ahead of his time." [4]
In addition to Jazzy Jay's teachings, Diamond credited Brand Nubian member Grand Puba as his inspiration to start rapping. [5] An early guest appearance on A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory track "Show Business" helped make people more aware of him as an artist. [3]
The following year he released his debut record Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop. In a 2017 interview Diamond described the album as, "just a collection of beats and records I was just setting aside. It was more about, 'One day I want to do something with this' ideas. And about 80% of that album I got from those records."
Diamond's favorite experience from making Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop was recording the vocals for the song "Check One, Two." [4] He credits producer The 45 King with clearing the samples for that beat. [4] It took him 30 minutes to construct the beat for one of the album's best-known tracks, "Sally Got A One Track Mind".
In 1996 Diamond won a Grammy Award for his production on the title track from The Fugees' The Score album. He later described the experience as "just a bad memory" and declined to talk about it in an interview. [6]
To promote his 1997 sophomore record Hatred, Passions and Infidelity, Mercury Records compiled a promotional vinyl called Diamond Jewels that included the Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop songs "Best Kept Secret', "*!*! What U Heard", and "Sally Got A One Track Mind". [7]
Album information |
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Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop
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Hatred, Passions and Infidelity
|
Grown Man Talk
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The Diamond Mine
|
I'm Not Playin' (with Master Rob as Ultimate Force)
|
The Huge Hefner Chronicles
|
The Diam Piece
|
The Diam Piece 2
|
Gotham (with
Talib Kweli)
|
The Rear View
|
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US |
US R&B |
US Rap | |||
"One for the Money" ( Royce da 5'9" featuring Skillz and Diamond D) |
2012 | — | — | — | Non-album single |