Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Diamond D
Person · male · United States · The Bronx · born 1968 · recording since 1995
American hip hop producer
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Also known as Joseph Davis Kirkland · Joseph Kirkland · 戴蒙德·D
Timeline
13 events▣ Album 11◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1960s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Freedom (Theme from Panther)
First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography382 words · 3 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1363263693
Biography
Joseph Kirkland (born April 5, 1968), better known by his stage name Diamond D (or simply Diamond), is an American hip hop MC and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, and one of the founding members of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, abbreviated as D.I.T.C.
Early years
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."
Career
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".
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 15 | 72.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 15 | 85th |
| Studio albums | 11 | 91.9th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 13 | 89.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 30 | 66.1th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (15 release groups · 11 studio albums)
Albums · 11
1997 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 16 tracks · 56:52
1Intro1:272Flowin’2:483MC Iz My Ambition4:034No Wunduh (The Projects)3:495The Hiatus3:476J.D.’s Revenge3:397Painz & Strife3:088Can’t Keep My Grands to Myself3:2995 Fingas of Death4:5210This One4:0111Never4:2712Cream n Sunshine3:5013Gather Round3:2014K.T.0:5515On Stage4:1616Epilogue5:012003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks
1Intro2Time Will Heal U3Da Magnificent4Like Us5In da BX6Why Yawl Hatin7Watch Me8Put It Down9Live My Life10U Gots 2 Go11I Know You Really Want It12Don't Mean Shit to Me13If I Were Ya Woman14So Lovely152 Late16Love1750 Wayz2005 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 23 tracks · 1:11:14
1Intro0:532Holla at Me2:293Live & Let Die3:014U Don't Owe Me4:035We Run Things3:266We Gangstas3:027Let's Get High3:058We Dem Niggas2:149Get 'em Open3:2110Y'all Niggaz Need to Know3:4611On My Grind2:5812Test Me1:5913Get Up2:3214Words3:2215Live My Life2:5216Dollar Bill3:0717Scream3:3518Wet 'N' Slippery3:4719Bounce2:5020U Don't Want It3:2721Interrogation4:0222Shit Is Bananas3:5323Why U Wanna Fuck Wit' Me3:302008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 35:30
1Intro0:392U Can't Be Me2:423D-I-A-M-O-N-D2:484Don't Beg3:065Baby4:176Good Tyme3:337I Getz It In3:038Get Up2:379It'll Be Alright3:3610When Ur Hot Ur Hot2:3411I Wanna Leave3:0012Bad/Good3:352014 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 45:46
1The Dawning2:072Bullseye2:493If U Believe3:564Unstoppable3:505N.O. to N.C.3:266Abomination4:097Calisthetics3:338Doomsday4:229I Cried3:1610New Order3:4911Be Strong3:4812Nowhere 2 Run 23:2813The Dumb Out3:132014 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 19 tracks · 58:59
1Rap Life2:542Where's the Love3:503Its Nothin3:114Only Way 2 Go2:365Hard Days3:146I Aint the One to Fuc Wit2:377Pump Ya Brakes3:548Take Em Off da Map3:409We Are the People of the World2:5810Jose Feliciano3:1511Handz Up2:3812Pain4:1713Vanity2:3214Its Magic2:0415The Game3:4716Let the Music Talk2:5317Ace of Diamonds3:03181872:4019Superman2:562019 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 53:12
1Intro4:362Watch Yo Back4:013Omg3:054Turn It Up3:255The Three Kings3:376I Can’t Lose2:557Got It Covered3:218Survive or Die3:509Bodied3:1810Maintaining3:1411Children of the Ghetto2:4412Chivas Blanc2:2613Next To You3:1014The Hit2:4915The Zone Out3:2516Hold Up3:162022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 46:51
1Chris Rock (Intro)0:232Life Is What You Make It3:473Live My Life3:304Faithful2:175The Rear View3:206Godly3:547Neva Settle4:178Joe Crack0:269Ouuu4:1710Smoke Sumthin2:3011The Wrong Thing4:0812Flying High3:3513The Mans Swift3:4014The Scorn3:0815Inertia3:392023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 29:10
1Uncut Gems3:292Pick Up the Pace2:593Comin' Out Swingin'2:524Turn the Heat Up2:515Pardon Our Dust3:516Just Breathe2:447Devil in a Blue Dress3:378Overtime3:129Permanent Scars3:352024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 27:38
1Fire & Water2:282The Kings2:473Merk2:374Bosses4:115Death B4 Dishonor2:256Codes3:587Lay Me Down2:358Blue Sunshine3:239My People3:142025 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 30:48
1I'm Not Crazy2:552T.S.N.Y.3:443My DJ Spits Betta Than U3:464Casket Fresh4:005Get With It2:336Hyenas2:537Weed, Sex and Cars2:198It's Up 2 Me2:269Ride the Wave3:0110Keep on Steppin3:11
Single · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Freedom (Theme from Panther)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 9:401Freedom (Theme from Panther)4:49 2Freedom (Theme from Panther) (rap version)4:51 | Soundtrack | 1995 | |
| 1997 | Hiatus (Remix)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 7:571The Hiatus (Remix Radio)4:07 2The Hiatus (LP Version Radio)3:50 | 1997 |
Other · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | With The Dope Sound / You're In The Wrong PlaceSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracksA1With The Dope Sound A2With The Dope Sound (Instrumental) B1You're In The Wrong Place B2You're In The Wrong Place (Instrumental) | 1998 |
EP · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Black Tie AffairSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 17:401Feast3:09 2Let The Horns Blow3:54 3Double Up3:11 4Femme Fatale4:35 5Last Call2:51 | 8 September 2017 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Diamond D head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 15 | 72.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 15 | 85th |
| Studio albums | 11 | 91.9th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 13 | 89.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 30 | 66.1th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Force(band) | — | present | |
| D.I.T.C.(band) | — | present | |
| Diamond and The Psychotic Neurotics(band) | — | present | |
| The Omen(band) | — | present | |
| Gotham(band) | — | present |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jmil_and_Diamond_D_at_A3C_in_Atlanta-cropped.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c4c0397c-0599-45e0-8de8-536807f21d3ddiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c4c0397c-0599-45e0-8de8-536807f21d3dcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q716928genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q716928seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Dbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_D
Why this artist is in the database
- List of hip-hop musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Author of the original image is: ...Dom Brady · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q716928 · MusicBrainz: c4c0397c-0599-45e0-8de8-536807f21d3d
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