Diamondbakk Details His Creative Process & Shares His Hip-Hop Mt. Rushmore
Intro:
Nashville, Tennessee native Diamondbakk is bringing a refreshing sound back to Hip-Hop. Since the beginning, the rapper/producer has been dropping quality records inspired by his authenticity & organic emotions. His latest release “Parkwood Talez” strongly shows what Diamondbakk offers to the genre. Overall, one of his main goals is to provide value & balance through music while giving listeners something they can vibe to daily. Before reading our full conversation & learning more about Diamondbakk below, you should follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube today.
Meet: Diamondbakk
Me: Greetings! What got you into making music at the start of your journey?
Diamondbakk: Music has always been a part of my soul. My parents will tell you that when I was a kid I would be in the backseat telling them to play a song again like a million times Lmao. Hopsin was really the first rapper that made wanna get into it. He was the first guy who made me pay attention to the technical side of writing material, so eventually, I was just like nah I gotta do this for myself.
Not sure how far music will take me honestly, just cuz my style and what's popular don't often intersect, I really just wanna get to the point where music replaces any sort of 9 to 5 and I can be myself through my music. But I know I'll always be writing. It's something I love too much to ever say goodbye to.
Nice! And how would you describe your style itself? Has it ever changed?
My style is definitely more on the lyrical side of things. I'm heavily influenced by Loaded Lux, Mick Jenkins, Aesop Rock, and battle rap; anything that requires an attentive ear is right up my alley. I'm still finding my sound and trying new things, sometimes I know exactly how I want a song to be but sometimes it could take weeks to finish a song. It really depends on how the beat talks to me. And like I said, I take inspiration from different sources; sometimes it'll be whichever book I'm reading or maybe a cool scene from a movie I watched recently... whatever mood hits me that I resonate with, I'm gonna try to recreate that.
It’s great to pull inspiration from many different mediums! From there, did your current stage name come to you naturally?
My stage name originates from my love of compound-rhyming. To me, it's the prettiest thing I've found on the technical side of rapping! I went through a bunch of names before I finally settled on Diamondbakk. One day I just sat down and I was like "Okay, u love a rhyme pattern, u love patterns, that's how u identify what makes u an outlier, so where could u find a pattern?".
I was going through stuff and I was like, "Alright tigers, snakes... rattlesnakes,... diamondback rattlesnake... diamondback? diamondbakk? yea?" I was on the fence for a couple of days then I threw it in a verse and shortened it to "Dime" as like a nickname kinda and when I did that I was instantly like alright yeah this is the one no going back.
Who are some of your favorite current artists/producers to work with or that you’d like to work with?
Man, I really haven't had the fortune of working with the artists I idolize. Most of the time I'm just at the studio with my homie, but homie is definitely a rare breed. I wouldn't be half the artist I am without his feedback and genius, y'all go look up @TheNuanceEmporium on YouTube and check out his production. But to answer the question more specifically, my Mt. Rushmore of artists to work with would be Bear McCreary, Aesop Rock, Shaun Morgan, and Mick Jenkins. Those guys have all been an OG to me in some fashion. It's kinda funny cause like if I get to the point where I've worked with all those guys, I'll be standing around like wtf do I do now lmao. That list is like my personal Mt. Everest so after that it's like, anyone else I'm just passin' the time with haha
That’s a great Mt. Rushmore too by the way! With that in mind, do you remember the first song you ever made?
I don't remember the first song I've ever made nor the first verses I ever wrote, but I can testify with God as my witness they were certified garbage lmao. Back then I was so rappity-rap and followed so many rules and implemented so much structure in my music and looking back, I was just getting in my own way at every turn.
Nowadays my stuff is a lot more free-form. Mick Jenkins and Aesop Rock, who I credit as HUGE influences, taught me how to break free from always following one path when writing your material. I love them both cause their stuff is just so poetic, so amorphous and so fluent. From them, I'm learning how to really just express yourself, regardless of how it may look.
What does a perfect studio or recording session look like in your imagination?
A perfect session? hmm. I guess I'm simple, my perfect session would consist of finding a dope sample and working on that, then coming up with at least a hook. I don't try to finish any one song in one sitting just cuz my mind be in so many different places, but It's progress for me if I can just get a melody or a theme I'll repeat throughout the verses or something catchy for the hook.
But I think it would definitely be a flex if I did that to like 3 or 4 different instrumentals in one session. Cuz like I said my mind is so scattered around different projects but at least if I come up with different projects to be focused on, I can shift between them and that'll help me be more productive than just trying to complete one song in a session.
That’s a really dope way of conducting the creative process without forcing it. Do you have any other hobbies or talents that many don’t know about?
Big sis wants me to get into acting, she says I'm a character. I know almost every word to Django Unchained so who knows, I got the memorization part down already so maybe she's onto something. I like reading too, I don't see a lotta people on that wave. I try to block out time every day for reading, I've found it really stimulates my mind, and kinda gets the wheels turning.
What's been the most difficult aspect of your music career during your journey?
Finding my sound, figuring out how to rap, and trying to stop being a perfectionist. I've definitely made progress in all three of those avenues but gahdamn it took me a MINUTE lol. And honestly, the thing that I think's crazy about me, is I come up with some of my best material when I'm not focused on music at all. Like when I'm in front of the notepad or in front of the computer, might take an hour probably longer to really get warmed up. But when I'm at work or just driving, bars and melodies come to me with ease. It be the last thing on my mind and THEN I come up with somethin' fire.
Is there any advice you would give to someone else considering getting into music these days?
Man, I don't know if I'm qualified to give advice. But to anyone who'd be asking for advice, I'd say spend a healthy amount of time fleshing out a sound that is authentic to who u are. The last thing the world needs is more frauds.
And last, do you have any upcoming plans you're comfortable sharing with the readers?
I've got a song I completed not too long ago, and as it stands, I firmly believe that this is the greatest thing I've ever created. I'm gonna try to get a music video shot by the end of the year, maybe do some in-person interviews after that to promote. Definitely got a couple lil EPs I'm working on, but like I said my mind is always working on multiple things so no telling which one will get done first. But any and all updates will be posted on my social media so please, stay tuned for more
