Diamond

Born Joe Kirkland in the Bronx, New York, USA, Diamond D ranks among America’s foremost rap production specialists. He is not to be confused with a later white performer who secured the name through copyright. Although he achieved widespread recognition during the 1990s, Diamond D first worked the turntables in 1979 and joined Jazzy Jay’s crew in the opening years of the following decade. Subsequent work came alongside Master Rob, the Romantic Fantastic Five member seen in the film Wild Style, within the group Ultimate Force. That unit issued the single “I’m Not Playing” on Strong City Records, yet prevailing hip-hop taste found its lyrics insufficiently hard-edged. Diamond D persisted, schooling himself in rhyme writing to complement his existing deck technique, and first appeared on record with A Tribe Called Quest’s track “Show Business.”

Teaming with his Psychotic Neurotics crew, he released the “solo” album Best Kept Secret on Chemistry/Mercury Records, an effort aimed at restoring the competitive lyricism and structured couplets of the original Bronx pioneers. Co-production on the follow-up LP came from DJ Mark The 45 King and Large Professor of Main Source, and the project still stands as a benchmark release. Guest contributions from Busta Rhymes and Pete Rock helped shape another inventive and engaging set.

Diamond D’s reputation rests chiefly on his production work, with an expanding roster of clients that includes Showbiz And AG (frequently alongside the former), Lord Finesse, Apache, the Geto Girlz, Chill Rob G, Pharcyde, Run-DMC, KRS-One, the Fugees and Brand Nubian. His most celebrated credits are found on A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low-End Theory (1991) and the Fugees’ blockbuster The Score (1996). He maintains ties to D.I.T.C., the influential collective of New York MCs, DJs and producers devoted to the independent hip-hop circuit. Although individual careers have since eclipsed the crew, D.I.T.C. endures as one of the most genuine east-coast underground rap alliances.