in

Let me tell you what my favorite sh*t is. I love when a hook sounds kind of funny the first time it runs. You're just not entirely sure about it you know. It's sort of on the verge of being dope but there's something a little bit strange about it. And then then it rolls around a second time and boom that motherf**ker bangs and somehow you know all the words already. I love that sh*t.

Here's miguel for a column called "The toughest song I wrote". What it is exactly that keeps miguel perennially overlooked is beyond me but he's got to figure that sh*t out, I don't know if you've heard his last album "wildheart" but it's pretty damn good. Unfortunately the song he chooses for the column is easily the worst on the album. I wondered if I should hate on a song about the pains of growing up mixed race but considering I fit the description, I'm going to give myself a pass. The article is still worth reading though haha.

in

This is some vintage lana del rey right here. California! Now with 808's! Remember when lana del rey dropped during that "indie" boom? She had those video's that she purportedly made herself on her macbook with found footage and photobooth or whatever, but then it came out she was on a major label and all the nerds felt so betrayed? hahahaha. I read a year or so ago about the person who actually made those video's, I forget who though. I'm not a video dude. Then again I've always been a sucker for some slow over exposed stuff so I do dig this one. Supposedly that's father john misty as the main fella there. Whoever father john misty may be.

in

I've been having lots of conversations about timbaland recently, which believe me, is as unusual for me as it is for you. There's been conversations about his merits as a rapper (divided opinions), conversations about his contribution to pop music (more than anyone has the right to ask for), to one particularly uproarious laughing fit with my lady centered around the difference in his attitude from jermaine dupri (jermaine's all about getting respect for what he's done, timbo's more like "fuck everything I've done, I'm dope now!"). While all that was going on timbaland actually went reinvented himself. This sh*t is dope. I don't know where these dudes are from but they're seriously old school atl flowing like a motherf**ker on here; And I wasn't really watching the video but judging from the thumbnail, yeah timbo is still making those faces.

in

Pioneers of Atlanta's music movement and the producers of phenomenal hits this is Organized Noize.

I can't wait to see this right here, organized Noize mean a lot to a motherf**ker like me. They were probably the first time I'd heard something in rap that felt new. Now when you look back it's not just the amount of classics they've created but the variety too. I mean, when curtis mayfield lay dying in a hospital bed, it's organized noize that he called to make his last album. If that doesn't say it all then you're f**king wildin'.

in

Where has all the white NBA players gone

February 14th, 2016 will go down in the record books as the first time in NBA history there will be no white players on either of the all star teams. With that in mind, I present to you this informative? news piece called "Where has all the white NBA players gone?"

The best way to screen this is with the sound off while listening to "Fear of a Black Planet". Let Chuck D scream at you while you watch Jerry West's nub of a penis retract into his scrotum as he suggests that the zone defense was brought into the league to allow white players to defend more competitively. This slightly confederate expose also makes a clear distinction between white European players and white American players. Mark Price had no comment as to whether or not they smell any different.

in

All girl RnB groups were my jam in the nineties. After reading a bunch of favorable reviews for King's debut record it occurred to me that there really hasn't been an RnB girl group* that's not a bunch of cornballs post Destiny's Child. That's a long f**king time. Quest loves em, Erykah loves em, Prince loves em. I haven't gone too deep* but this video/song is dope though. I could see myself dancing to this at an afterhours party, slightly on the comedown, drifting in and out of hating and loving somebody. A+ for the Nintendo inspired visuals, reminds me of the hours I put into making Excitebike courses. Ramp after ramp after motherf**kin’ ramp.

Editor's Note: Did you hear this one? This sh*t is amazing.

in

This sh*t right here! I don't want to take away from it's individuality but that hardly matters i this case because this sh*t is beautiful. It sounds as if one of the jagged edge twins broke up with his longtime live in girlfriend and took a deep dive into depression, where after a sustained period of missing rehearsals, refusing to sing leads, and showing up to shows in leather when they agreed on denim and denim when they agreed on leather, he was kicked out of the group. If he then got with the rza and the rza started spitting that science and mathematics in his ear, pulled out a three stringed guitar, and they made a track, it would sound like this. It would be perfect. Which I shouldn't have to tell you but who knows what's going on with you nowadays.

 

in

Jay sent me the link to this series of photographs called "old new york" by camilo jose vergara. As he no doubt knew, it's all shot in my favorite decade, the seventies. Unfortunately the seventies were not kind to the south bronx and les. So much so, that by the end of the decade it had inspired vergara to shift his focus and systematically photograph the decay in the urban landscape. Now I obviously learned all this just mere moments ago but as far as life work goes, this motherf**ker's doing it right. He's been taking pictures at regular intervals from the same spots in various neigborhoods in nyc, camden and newark, detroit, chicago, gary, and los angeles. If you like that kind of thing, it's f**king beautiful and sad and triumphant and sad again. It could also just be a tab you leave open but never end up clicking on. I can't tell you which one is best for you.

in

I have no idea where I came across this right here but this sh*t is a heat rock as your mother allegedly used to say. All I know is that he's from arkansas and he's got a f**king hilarious moniker. These guys have to be on tour in this video, that's pretty much what our first canadian tour looked like. Except we had a bunch of south americans with us and everybody looked dead from consumption and sleep deprivation.

in , ,

It's no secret that we here at hella.diamonds would all list Peedi Crakk in our Top 5 DOA. This opinion is supported by his inspired performances on some of the illest mixtape and radio freestyles ever recorded. It's been a minute since he's released anything new, stating in a recent-ish interview that he needed to step away from the game for awhile to take care of his family and grow up a little. Until that sorts itself out, whenever I need some grimy percocet rap, I'm in the archives. That's how I found...

THIS.

If rap had an all-star league with starting fives comprised of the top 5 rappers from each city, Peedi, Beanie, Black Thought, Meek Mill and Freeway would probably take Philly to the conference finals. Maybe win a ring or two with Big Willie Style behind the bench. Imagine if that was the lineup for State Property 2016? Someone get Dame on the phone. Until then this is the closest it'll get.

in

This is how you write a hook right here. I chose the remix because I like when it gets a little west coast at the end. I like everything with just a little bit of west coast at the end. Hahahahaha, whatever that means. He's got a line about n.e.r.d in there somewhere. I just thought you should know, in case you share similar interests, that first album is a monster after all. Oh sh*t I almost forgot but the original is dope too! the beat has a real, shall I say, japanese vibe to it.