Diamond D

I think it goes without saying that Diamond D is one of the best, most original, influential hip hop producers around. We're gonna break down some D squizzy production from the sample up, 2 different versions of one beat.





In the early 90's Diamond made a couple tracks using the bass line from the song 'Crazy Girl' from Michal Urbaniak & Urzula Dudziak's 'Tribute to Komeda' LP. Michael Urbaniak & Urzula Dudziak are/were husband and wife jazz musicians prominent in the 1970's and 80's. They are regarded as pioneers of jazz fusion, and they both have a thick catalogue with many sampled LP's, particularly Urzula Dudziak's vocals, which were electronically altered to create strange effects on her five-octave range. The tracks used with 'Crazy Girl' were Big Red's 'Created a Monster', and Diamond D featuring Lakim Shabazz 'I can't take it no mo'.



Diamond D & Lakim Shabazz - I can't take it


Michael Urbaniak - Crazy Girl





Here is a take on the Urbaniak beat, this time featuring Diamond D on the mic, followed by Jersey's own Lakim Shabazz. The track is called 'I Can't take it no mo', talking about crime. I got this off a white label 12" I picked up sometime in 1994. I didn't know where this track was originally from until a few days ago when some of my peoples in the philaflava forums told me about the Class A Felony LP from 1993 where this was apparently some kind of bonus track. Unlike the Big Red version, on this track Diamond uses some jazzy horns for the hook, and I think I even heard a little Grover Washington sample thrown in there.


I'm not sure which of these tracks was made first, but this is Big Red's take. This is a promo only 12" from the Payday label. I'm pretty sure he had an album deal or some kind of deal that fell through when the label went under.