Coolmixes

Diamond D's 1992 debut album may not have been hip-hop's first producer-driven album (far from it), but it was one of the first after the new-school era that suggested superior music could overcome lackluster lyrics. Not that Diamond wasn't nice on mic, but his rhymes were a triumph of function over form. It didn't matter though--you couldn't front on his beats, a loop-driven aesthetic that sparked DJs everywhere to dig into the crates to find his original samples. Whether it was the frenetic guitar melody on "Freestyle (Yo That's That S**t!)," the boomin' bass line on "K.I.S.S.," or the raucous riff that powered his first single, "Best Kept Secret," Diamond clearly knew how to milk funk, jazz, and soul loops for their full potential. Along with peers like Pete Rock, Showbiz, and Large Professor, Diamond showed that strength on the board was worth at least as much as skills on the mic. --Oliver Wang

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