When Diamond D. First started in the music business, he was under the tutelage of legendary DJ Jazzy Jay. He then went to record as a member of the short lived duo the Ultimate Force. They recorded one album 'I'm Not Playin' in 1988, but their label folded before the album was scheduled for release (It was eventually issued under Traffic Entertainment Group almost ten years later).
From there, he lent his production talents to other artists- most notably with Lord Finesse. It was there that Diamond D. Would produce four tracks on Finesse's first and only album for Wild Pitch 'Funky Technician'- including the title track.
After attracting attention from record executives, he signed with the Mercury distributed PWL America (later named Chemistry Records)- a label owned by the pop music production team Stock Aitken Waterman. He also connected with Lord Finesse and Fat Joe to form the artist and production collective Diggin' In The Crates- or D.I.T.C. In 1992, the industry saw an influx of three notable D.I.T.C. Albums- the first being Lord Finesse's second album- and first for Giant/Reprise Records- 'Return Of The Funky Man' in January. Several months later came Showbiz & AG's debut 'Runaway Slave' and Diamond D.'
S debut 'Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop'- both of which were released on the same day on September 22, 1992.While the album stays true to its title, most of the album is mostly focused on the concept of hip hop. Blunts are barely discussed on the title track 'Stunts Blunts And Hip Hop', and the songs devoted to stunts are few and far between ('Red Light, Green Light', 'Confused' and the lament about a promiscuous girl 'Sally Got A One Track Mind'). He tells three different stories about various people gone into hiding on 'I'm Outta Here' and critiques the music industry on 'Feel The Vibe'. He collaborates with Brand Nubian on the mellow 'A Day In The Life' and does the posse cut 'Pass Dat $%&.'
with guest vocals from his group The Psychotic Neurotics with one of the first appearances of Fat Joe. Retells his story of getting into the music industry on 'I Went For Mine'- a song that largely inspired Busta Rhymes' 2006 song 'New York #@&!' Overall, 'Stunts Blunts & Hip Hop' is a great debut from Diamond D., but it is not without its flaws. The first of which is Diamond D.'
S rapping, which isn't bad but pales in comparison to his production skills. Also, the album runs on a bit long at 67 minutes with a few songs that could have been left on the cutting room floor. Still in all, it's a solid recording from hip hop's golden age that has still managed to sound fresh since its original release date. Hip-hop around 1991-92 was at its apex. Creativity, in terms of both beats and lyrics/topics, was at its peak. The Biz Markie sample lawsuit had not yet happened so producers were able to draw from a myriad of sources to frame their funky, inventive productive.
Plus, with the emergence of compact disc and cassette, album lengths were extending far beyond the standard 40 minute LP. This meant that albums like Diamond D's debut were epic collections of various styles of hip-hop, covering every conceivable topic. Due to the length and the reach, there was bound to be the odd track that fell flat, or musical style that was not successfully interpreted. (Hip house, new jack swing, and reggae were among the common offenders on early '90s hip hop albums).
'Stunts Blunts & Hip Hop' is not one of the absolute sharpest releases of its time, primarily due to Diamond's limitations as a rapper, but it's still a fairly stunning, and incredibly diverse, collection of classic golden age hip-hop. I've always heard Diamond D in the production credits on many early albums back in the 90's, and he had a little flow here and there. I didn't know he pulled an album on his own with the Psychotic Neurotics back in 1992, but I kept seeing it on Amazon, and had to buy it.'
Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop' gave me a feel of what hip hop was like back in '92. Diamond would have a flow full of odd stories on tracks such as 'I'm Outta Here' and 'A Day In The Life'. His jazzy type production also flowed all throughout the album as it shows on 'Best Kept Secret' and 'Check One Two'. Unlike many other Diggin In The Crates members, Diamond D's rhymes were just about having fun in everyday life, and staying out of trouble. He didn't weigh his rhymes on heavy drugs or shooting people.
But along with being laid back, Diamond could also pull stunts as he shows in the song 'Sally Got A One Track Mind' and 'Confused' that you might like. 'Pass Dat S.t' is a nice cut with would feature Fat Joe and others. Big L and Showbiz make a brief appearance also.My only knock is his repetative style on most tracks comming off with rhymes like that are too laid back such as 'As a young buck, people always called me shorty/ and when I was broke I used to chip in for 40's.' Or 'In other words, I'm official/ I never go out like a wet piece of tissue.'
Stunts Blunts And Hip Hop Vinyl
Thats not bad but that type of rhyme style flows in most of the album, making his rhymes seem kind of dry at points.If you like storytelling rhymes, some old 90's rhymes to nod your head to or some early 90's hip hop/jazzy type production, this album is perfect for you. He can prove like he said on one track, 'swift with the words and the verbs and the pronouns'Lyrics: B+Production: A-Guest Appearances: BMusical Vibes: A-Overall: B+Favorite Tracks: Best Kept Secret, Sally Got A One Track Mind, I'm Outta Here, A Day In The Life, Check One Two, Pass Dat S.t, Freestyle (Yo, That's That Sh.), F What You Heard. There is so much I can say about this album. This album is not normally on the ' must have' lists when it comes to BET or MTV. Now, when it comes to real hip hop heads, this album is a definite must have. Diggin in the Crates crew is in full effect on this joint. Diamond D is definitely under rated when it comes to lyrical skill.
Now, as for production, it is simply bananas!!! Not too many albums in hip hop have the ability to be played without fast forwarding ( im old school ), this is one of those albums though.
Press play, and zone out. Cop this album if you haven't done so. Classic Material for sure! Save the Hip Hop Culture, check us out of facebook and Instagram! THis is THE hip-hop producer classic. Andre Young was still up in Easy E's gills when this came out. In New York, the true heads would stop and literally give a pound to whoever had the good taste to play this album publicly, but more importantly, LOUDLY.
See, i give it 5 stars, but if you turn your volume knob to 11, you will see this in a whole new light. I mean, i can't complain about this record. Put it like this, if 'Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-hop' is not in your cd collection, the only plausible excuse is theft.