The Bronx is forever the birthplace of hip-hop and those that were around during its infancy still rep it ’til this day. A prime example of this type of love for the art is the enormous production style of BX’s own, Diamond D. For over three decades, he’s cultivated the true school boom-bap hip-hop sound and his latest album, Diam Piece 2 continues the tradition.
Featuring some of the music game’s strongest MCs in Fat Joe, Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli and others, Diamond produces the tracks and lets the rappers that he admires spit the facts. Of course, it wouldn’t be right if the music man/rapper didn’t get some bars to flex himself, ya know? But with so many ill word spitters to choose from, he’s elected his BX bredren in Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz (yes, that Gunz of VH1’s Love and Hip-Hop) to shine with A-Kash on his new single, “Maintaining.”
The video, which looks to be in the heart of the Bronx, on some familiar steps to a brick housing unit, screams of the essence of kicking rhymes to your boys while sipping on that brown liquor (I have a feeling that’s a Henny bottle they are sharing folks…). Tariq is still sharp with the words and wit. Just has a lil’ salt and pepper in his beard to show he’s aged well with life. Cameos by legends Sadat X and Grandmaster Caz make this super official.
Check out Diamond D’s VIBE Tribe Podcast episode with us from a few weeks ago below…it’s dope.