Mike D
Michael Louis Diamond (born November 20, 1965), known professionally as Mike D, is an American rapper, musician, and music producer. He is a founding member of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys. In 2026, he began performing and releasing music solo under the stage name Mike D 5D.
Also recorded as Michael Diamond
Mike D

Fabio Venni from London, UK · Beastie Boys - Mike D · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Full name
- Michael Louis Diamond.
- Born
- 1965. · New York City.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, drummer, percussionist and musician.
- Fields
- rapping, singing and percussion performance.
- Education
- Vassar College and Saint Ann's School.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Michael Louis Diamond (born November 20, 1965), known professionally as Mike D, is an American rapper, musician, and music producer. He is a founding member of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys. In 2026, he began performing and releasing music solo under the stage name Mike D 5D.
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Note VALÉORINE
Mike D (born 1965) is a drummer, musician and percussionist, among other activities, of American nationality. The drummer was born Michael Louis Diamond in New York City.
Mike D was educated at Saint Ann's School and Vassar College. The drummer is a member of Beastie Boys. Activity centred on percussion performance, rapping and singing.
The work spans alternative hip-hop, hardcore punk and hip-hop, among others. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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- Identity
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2706308 · wikipedia · Mike D
In this article
Early life
Early life
Mike D studied at Vassar College and Saint Ann's School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is rapping, singing and percussion performance. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are hip-hop, rap rock, hardcore punk and alternative hip-hop.
Diamond was born on November 20, 1965 in Manhattan to a Jewish family. He is the youngest child of Harold Diamond, an art dealer, and Hester Diamond (née Klein), an interior designer. He has two older brothers, David and Stephen. Diamond's father died when he was 17. He grew up on the Upper West Side surrounded by artwork, including pieces by Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. He attended the arts-oriented Saint Ann's School and Walden School.
Career
Career
• Illustration — Mike D rapping with the Beastie Boys at Trans Musicales 2004 in Rennes In 1979, Diamond co-founded the band The Young Aborigines. In 1981, Adam Yauch, (known professionally as MCA), a friend and follower of the band, became their bass player, and on the suggestion of their then-guitar player, John Berry, the band changed their name to the Beastie Boys. By 1983, after John Berry exited, Adam Horovitz replaced him as the band's guitarist, performing under the name Ad-Rock. Their sound began to shift away from punk to hip-hop. Drummer Kate Schellenbach subsequently exited the group. In 1986, the group's debut album Licensed to Ill was released on Def Jam Records and became a huge success. Though it spawned several singles, only one would reach the top twenty of the US Hot 100, the number 7 "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)". Sales of Licensed to Ill were extremely strong, going multi-platinum during the time of its run. Several years later, it would be certified diamond status. The group would go on to release 7 more full-length and acclaimed studio albums, ultimately disbanding in 2012 after Yauch succumbed to cancer. In 1992, Diamond had founded the Beastie Boys' now-defunct record label Grand Royal Records, under which he signed his former bandmate Schellenbach's band Luscious Jackson. He is interested in interior design, and designed Brooklyn-themed toile wallpaper; it was used in the renovation of Marquee New York in the city's Chelsea neighborhood, which reopened in January 2013. A year after the death of Yauch and the dissolution of the Beastie Boys, Diamond told Rolling Stone he was "excited about making new stuff again" and released "Humberto Vs the New Reactionaries (Christine and the Queens Remix)" in July 2013. A remix of Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band's "Bad Dancer" by Diamond and Adam Horovitz was streamed online in August 2013. The pair is credited with "additional beats, programming and other curve balls". In October 2014, Diamond stated that he had been working in the studio with American rock band Portugal. The Man as a producer. He has also produced English punk duo Soft Play's (formerly Slaves) second studio album, Take Control, which was released on September 30, 2016. He released his debut solo single, "Switch Up", in May 2026. He hosts the Apple Music radio show The Echo Chamber. He released a second solo single "What We Got" later in May 2026. In June 2026, he released a third single, "True Colors" and announced his first solo album, Thank You. He is scheduled to embark on the Mike D 5D Tour in support of the album, beginning on August 30, 2026 in Boston and concluding on November 5, 2026 in Brussels. It is the first solo album released by any former Beastie Boys member since the band stopped performing after Yauch's death.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1993, Diamond married film, television and music video director Tamra Davis; they have since legally separated. They have two children, Davis Diamond and Skyler Diamond who formed the group Very Nice Person. They lived in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. He grew up on Central Park West. He later lived in Brooklyn and Tribeca, and as of 2016 was living in Malibu, California. In an interview with Louis Theroux in 2026, Diamond revealed that he has a partner named Nadia.
Solo
Solo
• Thank You (2026)
Selected discography
With the Beastie Boys • Licensed to Ill (1986) • Paul's Boutique (1989) • Check Your Head (1992) • Ill Communication (1994) • Hello Nasty (1998) • To the 5 Boroughs (2004) • The Mix-Up (2007) • Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Mike D”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2706308: Mike D
Unverified · Wikidata
References ==== External links
References ==== External links
*

Beastie Boys
Maddy Julien · Beastie Boys
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rolling Stone. Beastie Boys Biography.
- 2.MTV. Beastie Boys MTV Bio.
- 3.MD5D. miked5d.com.
- 4.Sisario, Ben. A Beastie Boy Returns to the Mic, With Some Help. The New York Times. 2026-07-14. 0362-4331.
- 5.Michael Diamond Remo. remo.com.
- 6.Keys, Lisa. Beastie Boy Mike D Had the Coolest Jewish Mom Ever. Kveller. 2021-01-28.
- 7.Weiner, Jonah. Mike D's Endless Summer: How Ex-Beastie Boy Found New Peace in Malibu. Rolling Stone. 2016-11-23.
- 8.HAROLD DIAMOND. The New York Times. 1982-11-23. 0362-4331.
- 9.Pappademas, Alex. Mike D Is Cleaning Out the Family Attic. The New York Times. 2021-01-14. 0362-4331.
- 10.Grant, Sarah. Original Beastie Boys Member John Berry Dead at 52. Rolling Stone. 2014-05-18.
- 11.New York art dealer gets six years prison for fraud. Reuters. 3 August 2010.
- 12.Exclaim!. More Rhymes Than Grey Hairs.
- 13.Xfm London. Beastie Boys Biography.
- 14.Mulcahy, James. Marquee Unveils Complete Remodel on Ten-Year Anniversary. Zagat. January 17, 2013.
- 15.Zara, Janelle. Beastie Boy Mike D's Designs Embellish Marquee's Bathroom Walls. Artinfo. January 17, 2013.
- 16.Beastie Boys' Mike D: 'I'm Excited About Making New Stuff Again'. rollingstone.com. July 15, 2013.
- 17.TheFutureHeart. Preview New Iggy Pop Plastic Ono Split 7"; Ono Songs with tUnE-yArDs, Lenny Kravitz. thefutureheart.com. August 5, 2013.
- 18.CNN. A surprising home for a Beastie Boy. October 13, 2014.
- 19.Slaves announce full details of Beastie Boys produced new album Take Control. HMV. August 12, 2016.
- 20.Kaufman, Gil. Beastie Boys’ Mike D Drops Beat-Crazy Solo Hip-Hop Track ‘Switch Up’: Listen. Billboard. 2026-05-08.
- 21.Mike D launches new Beats 1 radio show, The Echo Chamber. Fact Magazine. 2016-07-17.
- 22.Green, Walden. Listen to Mike D’s New Song “What We Got”. Pitchfork. 2026-05-22.
- 23.Monroe, Jazz. Beastie Boys’ Mike D Adds Tour Dates in North America and Europe. Pitchfork. 2026-07-20.
- 24.Monroe, Jazz. Beastie Boys’ Mike D Lines Up Debut Album. Pitchfork. 2026-06-08.
- 25.Mike D's Endless Summer: How Ex–Beastie Boy Found New Peace in Malibu. Rolling Stone.
- 26.Huffington Post. Tamra Davis.
- 27.Earle-Levine, Julie. Licensed to Grill: Mike D's Brooklyn Town House. The New York Times. June 12, 2013.
- 28.Weiner, Jonah. Mike D's Endless Summer: How Former Beastie Boy Found New Peace in Malibu. Rolling Stone. November 23, 2016.
- 29.The Louis Theroux Podcast, S8 EP6. open.spotify.com.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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