Diamond D

• Birthplace — The Bronx, New York City, U.S. • Alias — Diamond D • Birth Name — Joseph Kirkland • Born — 5 April 1968 • Genre — Hip-hop • Occupation — * Record producer • rapper • Years Active — 1987–present • Label — * Chemistry • Mercury • PolyGram • Diamond Mine • Babygrande • U-Force Productions • Past Member Of — D.I.T.C.

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. 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. In a 2017 interview he said, "I learned about 95% of my production skills from him. And he was ahead of his time."

In addition to Jazzy Jay's teachings, Diamond credited Brand Nubian member Grand Puba as his inspiration to start rapping. 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. The following year he released his debut record Stunts, Blunts & 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 & Hip Hop was recording the vocals for the song "Check One, Two." He credits producer The 45 King with clearing the samples for that beat. 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. To promote his 1997 album Hatred, Passions and Infidelity, Mercury Records compiled a promotional vinyl called Diamond Jewels that included the Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop songs "Best Kept Secret', "*!*! What U Heard", and "Sally Got A One Track Mind".

• Album information • Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop *Released: September 22, 1992 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 47 *Singles: "Best Kept Secret"/"Freestyle (Yo, That's That Shit)," "Sally Got a One Track Mind"/"Check One, Two," "Fuck What U Heard"/"I'm Outta Here" • Hatred, Passions and Infidelity *Released: August 26, 1997 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 40 *Singles: "The Hiatus"/"No Wonduh (The Projects)," "J.D.'s Revenge"/"This One" • Grown Man Talk *Released: March 1, 2003 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: • The Diamond Mine *Released: September 15, 2005 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: • I'm Not Playin (with Master Rob as Ultimate Force) *Released: June 2007 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: "I'm Not Playing", "Girls/I'm in Effect/Supreme Diamond D" • The Huge Hefner Chronicles *Released: October 14, 2008 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: • The Diam Piece *Released: September 30, 2014 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: "Rap Life" • The Diam Piece 2 *Released: May 10, 2019 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: • Gotham (with Talib Kweli) *Released: April 16, 2021 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: "On Mamas", "The Quiet One", "Attention Span" • The Rear View *Released: August 19, 2022 *Billboard 200 chart position: - *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - *Singles: • The Diam Piece 3: Intrium * Released: August 16, 2024 * Billboard 200 chart position: - * R&B/Hip-Hop chart position * Singles: "The Kings", "My People" • The Diam Piece 3: Duo * Released: January 10, 2025 * Billboard 200 chart position: - * R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - * Singles: "T.S.N.Y.", "Get With It", "Keep on Steppin'"

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name • 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

• Song — Year — Artist • Show Business — 1991 — ATCQ, Sadat X, Lord Jamar • Diggin' in the Crates — 1992 — Show & A.G., Lord Finesse • Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down (Remix) — Brand Nubian • Still Diggin' — Show & A.G. • CrumbSnatcher — 1993 — Illegal • Watch the Sound! — Fat Joe, Grand Puba • I Can't Take No More — Class A Felony • Slappin' Suckas Silly Remix — Yaggfu Front • Keep It Real — 1994 — A.D.O.R. • Word Iz Bond — House of Pain • I Got Planz — Scientifik • Ya Don't Stop — Dana Barros & Cedric Ceballos, A.G., Sadat X, Grand Puba • The Next Level — 1995 — The Alkaholiks • You Want It — Show & A.G. • How They Want It — Big Red • What I Wanna Do.... — Veronica, Sadat X • Speak Ya Piece — 1996 — Lord Finesse, marquee, A.G. • Diamond's Are a Girl's Best Friend — DJ Polo • The Score — The Fugees • When the Ship Goes Down (Diamond's Seafaring Remix) — Cypress Hill • Hot This Year — 1998 — Kid Capri, Brand Nubian • Time to Get This Money; Put It in Your System — Show & A.G. • Nowhere to Go — 1999 — A.G. • When It Rains It Pours — Diamond D • Got Dat?; Live Shit — 2000 — El da Sensei • X-Man — Sadat X • Lyrical Talents — Muro, O.C. • Best at That — 2001 — Da Beatminerz • The Omen — 2002 — Aim • Welcome to the World of Joni Rewind — Joni Rewind, Lord Finesse • Feedback — 2003 — Akrobatik • Pressure — 2005 — Med • CD Only Bonus Track — 2022 — Open Mike Eagle, Aesop Rock