Nashville and surrounding areas are in for a treat as legendary Diggin’ In The Crates member Diamond D will be in the house for the next installment of The Boom Bap. It goes down Saturday, August 27th at The 5 Spot (1006 Forrest Ave Nashville TN 37206) and will also feature resident DJs Rate, Bowls and Case Bloom. Good music, good people and great times. Read the rest of this entry »

“And I dress so fresh it ain’t even funny, Impeccable and pristine in any season, money.”

The Hip-Hop Affect will tell the tale of how producer J. Rawls grew up in Hip-Hop. Obviously, he was influenced by heavyweight producers, most notably those who did double-duty rocking the mic. On “Best Producer…,” he teams up with a couple of those same cats to deliver a nice ditty. Read the rest of this entry »

Pharoahe Monch makes an appearance with the first track from his debut Duck Down release, W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) Produced by legendary Diamond D and featuring Mela Machinko, “Shine” will be available at iTunes on 7.27 while the album will follow in September. Read the rest of this entry »

Pretty Face Friday With Megan Fusako Gaines

Six Toledo Athletes Charged With Point Shaving [SbS]

Jay Rock Cleared of Attempted Murder Charge [RGF]

6 Things That Suck About the New Star Trek Movie [Coed]

Crooks & Castles NBA Playoffs Tees [CtotheJL]

Steal From Work. You’ll Need it Later. [Gawker]

Green Police Cruisers: Altima Hybrids Hit the Streets of New York City [Trend Hunter]

Drake Confirms Jay-Z Collabo, “That Was Probably The Most Key Moment In My Life” [XXL]

Wal-Mart To Pay $2 Million After Employee’s Death [CNN]

Hip-Hop Chronicle Interviews Sadat X & Diamond D Interview [HHC]

The End of Abstinence-Only Education [Time]

Sexy Female MMA Fighters [Gunaxin]

Words by Jesse H.

I don’t know the reason, but nearly every Hip-Hop track I’ve heard that utilizes the flute is phenomenal. It’s an interesting strand, but it makes sense. While it certainly isn’t the manliest of instruments, hearing a flute on the track says something about the producer; that they have searched for creative samples which expand their musical palette beyond the standard drum kit/bass/synth combo. Here’s five flute-flecked Hip-Hop highlights:

Nas- “Nas Is Like” (Prod. by DJ Premier) — Obviously, a stone cold Five Cig flute standard. The flute brings to mind an image of gliding across the top of a jungle canopy, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style. Near the top of the laundry list of Premier’s greatest beats.

Ghostface Killer – “The Forest” (Prod. by The Alchemist) — The most dynamic flute sample on this list, the fluttering whistle of the flutes is a perfect contrast to Read the rest of this entry »

Just as Shan stated, I love to hear the stories again and again. It wasn’t my childhood, but what Diamond lays out in his new video “Bad/Good” is the foundation of this music and culture. And if someone is going to dictate that history to me, I want it to be a fully decorated tried and tested OG of the game. Read the rest of this entry »

Tracklisting included.

D.I.T.C. – Unreleased Production 1994 (2008)

Bonus

D.I.T.C.-Live_At_Tramps_NY_Vol_1-2000

D.I.T.C.-Live_At_Tramps_NY_Vol_2-2000

Previously Posted — “Soul Clap”

Materials for one of Hip-Hop’s most unheralded producers.

Diamond D Shots

Diamond D_&_Big_Red-Created_A_Monster-12”-1995

Diamond D-B_Sides_And_Bootlegs_(Vinyl_Lp)-2001

Diamond D_&_Sadat_X-Feel_It-VLS-1997

Diamond D-4_Track-EP-2004

Diamond D_And_The_Psychotic_Neurotics_Sally_Got_A_One_Track_Mind-12”-1993

Diamond D Shots