Diamond D facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Diamond D |
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Diamond D at A3C in Atlanta
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Kirkland |
| Also known as | Diamond D |
| Born | April 5, 1968 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, rapper |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Chemistry/Mercury/PolyGram Records Diamond Mine Records Babygrande Records |
Joseph Kirkland (born April 5, 1968), known as Diamond D, is a famous American hip hop artist and music producer from The Bronx, New York City. He is also one of the people who started the group called Diggin' in the Crates Crew, often shortened to D.I.T.C.
Contents
Early Life and Music Start
Growing Up and Learning Music
Diamond D grew up in a place called Forest Houses in The Bronx. When he was young, he was inspired by local DJs like DJ Hutch and DJ Supreme. These DJs would let him use their turntables to practice.
When he first started making music, Diamond spent a lot of time at Jazzy Jay's studio in The Bronx. He says that Jazzy Jay taught him many important skills. In an interview from 2017, Diamond D shared, "I learned about 95% of my production skills from him. And he was ahead of his time." This shows how much he learned from Jazzy Jay.
Diamond D's Music Career
Starting to Rap and First Album
Besides learning from Jazzy Jay, Diamond D also got inspiration to start rapping from Grand Puba, a member of the group Brand Nubian. Early in his career, he appeared as a guest on a song called "Show Business" by A Tribe Called Quest. This helped more people notice him as an artist.
The next year, he released his first album, Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop. In 2017, Diamond D explained that the album was a collection of beats and ideas he had saved. He said about 80% of the album came from those saved records.
Making Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop
Diamond D's favorite part of making Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop was recording the singing for the song "Check One, Two." He thanked producer The 45 King for helping to get the music samples approved for that song. It only took him 30 minutes to create the beat for one of the album's most famous songs, "Sally Got A One Track Mind."
Winning a Grammy Award
In 1996, Diamond D won a Grammy Award for his work on the song that gave the album The Score its name. This album was by the group The Fugees.
Discography
Albums
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Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop
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Hatred, Passions and ...
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Grown Man Talk
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The Diamond Mine
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I'm Not Playin' (with Master Rob as Ultimate Force)
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The Huge Hefner Chronicles
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The Diam Piece
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The Diam Piece 2
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Gotham (with Talib Kweli)
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The Rear View
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As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
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| US | US R&B |
US Rap |
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| "One for the Money" (Royce da 5'9" featuring Skillz and Diamond D) |
2012 | — | — | — | Non-album single |
See also
In Spanish: Diamond D para niños
