Dillon recently released his Diamond D produced Uncut Gems album, and today we’re bringing you the premiere of the video for “Comin’ Out Swingin”, which also features Elzhi. Watch below, then keep scrolling to read our interview with Dillon, and D.I.T.C. legend Diamond D.
Dillon; Uncut Gems is your second project with Diamond D. How did
you and D first meet, and build a relationship?
In around 2007, Diamond used to come around to the crib I lived at with
a group called Collective Efforts and work in their studio. I had my own
little room goin’ on upstairs and after a while he would come check out
what I had going on and we just really clicked over our love for records,
J Dilla and gourmet dining! I started doing engineering work for him for
The Diam Piece 1 and 2, Sadat X’s Pieces of a Man LP and some more
work. Eventually, we’d churn out a bunch of our own tracks, which
would become our first record, Black Tie Affair.
Diamond D seems pretty selective with who he collaborates
with at this point in his long career, and he’s rarely ever produced
entire albums other than his own solo records. Was it hard
convincing him to make full albums with you?
Yo. I’m truly humbled and honored that I’ve been able to create with
Diamond D. It feels crazy to say that out loud! I wouldn’t say it was
difficult – it was actually a real natural process. We just had fun with it!
Diamond is a B-Boy to the core and is all about that action. I feel like
Diam has always recognized my drive and independent spirit and he
knows my word is my bond. The plans we make, we execute. This
follow-up record feels right on time for us and is actually the quickest
project I’ve ever turned around from the time we formulated the concept and picked beats in February 2022 to shipping the vinyl in June 2023!
Listening to the album, there’s something of a west coast vibe
with features from Slimkid3, Ras Kass and Planet Asia, even
though you are based in Atlanta. Was that intentional?
Yo it’s wild you mention that because Diamond has the reputation of being one of the main East Coast producers to bridge the gap with the West
Coast (and the South). He was way ahead of his time with that, so it
makes sense that this record is representative of that! On “Pardon Our
Dust,” it was my idea to holler at Planet Asia cause I’ve been a major
fan since the Planet Asia EP and we had met a few times before, etc. It
was Diam’s idea to holler at Ras Kass and go all the way West with that
track – plus with their history together, it made sense. So that was
somewhat intentional. We reached out to Slimkid3 more so because of
his vocal harmonies which I was hoping he would bless us with and he
did not disappoint!
There’s also guest bars from Elzhi. How did that come about?
Respect to the Detroit icon. Truly honored to have this track with a
lyrical titan and one of my all-time favorite emcees. I’ve been a fan since
I first heard ‘em on Welcome 2 Detroit. I had the opportunity to help mix
the song he did with Diamond, “I Cant Lose” on The Diam Piece 2. One
day I was kicking it over at Diam’s lab and he was going through beats
and that beat came on and I was like, “Elzhi would body that beat.”
Diam sent it to ‘em and it ended up becoming that song, so Diam let me
mix the track. Crazy. So when we were coming up with ideas for who to
get on “Comin’ Out Swingin,” Diam suggested we reach out to Elzhi
because he knew how much of a fan I was of his work. I knew Elzhi
would nail the concept down because of how sharp and focused his pen
game is…obviously he brought that pressure! Shouts to Elzhi for
coming through to Atlanta and destroying his set at the Uncut Gems
release party and knocking the video out the day before. Probably the
best 48 hours of my rap life!
I want to talk about Paten Locke. His death in 2019 was a huge
loss for indy rap. You worked together a lot, and Full Plate have
been keeping his legacy alive with releases since. How did losing
him impact you?
Thank you so much for bringing up Paten. My mentor, my best friend
and my partner in FULL PLATE. We started it together in 2013 but we
were just getting started before he was taken from us. It was just so…
sudden. It was crushing. Honestly and for a good minute I didn’t know if
I was even gonna keep on with FULL PLATE, or if I could even do it
without him. I didn’t want to let him down and fail. But…yeah, I’m
keeping it moving with our squad: Batsauce, Lady Daisey, Willie Evans
Jr., Kenski on design, and recent additions to the roster; longtime
Atlanta fam, The Difference Machine and Yamin Semali.
Paten’s ethos and ”don’t monkey with the funky” mentality are still
absolutely the guiding force of FULL PLATE. His daughter, Asha is my
partner in the biz and of course takes after her father and is an actual
rock star in her own right. (Check out her band, GILT). So yeah when
we say, FULL PLATE FAM, it’s actually family! Every project is
dedicated to P and we still have more of Paten’s work to be released in
the near future…everything is going according to plan.
Going back to Uncut Gems, you’ve got vinyl, tapes and
merchandise. With streaming percentages so low, and tour
revenue hard to make happen, is it a no-brainer nowadays that any
release you put out will need physicals and merch?
Anyone who knows the Dillon brand knows that I will slap my logo on
any damn thing and drop it on a merch table. I’m a collector and rap
hoarder myself so I just love making ish and having doubles just for me.
Doing merchandise is not for everybody though. It can be expensive
and tricky to get rid of if you’re not in sell mode. So strategize and try
and look in some pre-sales before you order your merch so you know
how much inventory to get. And make sure the design is DOPE!
What can we expect to hear next from you after Uncut Gems?
Quiet as kept we got a couple remixes for Uncut Gems in the works
right now that will turn some heads. Next full length with Batsauce on
the beats is wrapped up and it’s definitely our best work. We also got
some legendary guest appearances on there. My third and final album
with Paten Locke has been done for years now I’m just waiting for the
right time to release it, but it’s in the chamber.
As for FULL PLATE, be on the lookout for The Smile Rays (Paten
Locke x Batsauce x Lady Daisey), an album called Party…Place
dropping later this year. Originally released in 2007 in Japan only, this’ll
be the first ever U.S. release. One of the first “Dillon” verses is on that
album! Plus we have a Paten Locke x Edan 45 dropping later this year
as well.
Diamond D; You’re at a stage where you can pick and choose who you work
with or not, with no pressure. What’s the process you go through
when collaborating, and what makes Dillon someone you feel
comfortable working with?
Dillon and I have have been friends for over a decade. I like his
approach to music and the fact that he loved Dilla and boom bap style
hip-hop as a whole. We started off with him working as an engineer for
me and that led to me working and producing music for him.
DJ Premier works with younger artists from the latest
generation of rappers; your D.I.T.C. brother Buckwild has recently
released music with current independent emcees; and DJ Muggs
has created a whole cottage industry working with underground
rappers in the last few years. Producing for an artist like Dillon
feels similar. Do you see this as a way to stay relevant, bridge the
gap between generations, or both?
I recently dropped my producer compilation, The Rear View, 2021’s
Gotham LP — which I produced for Kweli — and 2019’s The Diam
Piece 2, which features a “who’s who” of A list artists so my relevancy
is already in place. Me working with Dillon was more so bridging the gap between generations.
You have also been steadily dropping videos from The Rear View, which I really enjoyed. What’s the reception
to your newer music been like?
Appreciate that you enjoyed The Rear View. The reception for that
record has been phenomenal and the fact that i can still work with A-list
artists after 30 years in the game speaks for itself. I’m blessed so no
complaints.
Lastly, Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop is now over 30 years old. In
the year we celebrate 50 years of hip-hop, how do you feel about
the legacy of the album, and your place in our culture’s history?
Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop made the list of top 100 hip-hop LPs of all
time, and I’ve seen other lists where it’s been ranked in the top 10. It’s
all subjective, but I’m honored by the mentions.
As for my place in the culture’s history…here’s a quick run down:
• A classic album
• Co-founder of D.I.T.C.
• Grammy Award Winner
• Featured producer of over 30 million albums sold
• First East Coast producer to work with various West Coast producers
***
Uncut Gems is out now via Full Plate. Get it on vinyl and tape, plus merch, here. Follow Dillon on X and Instagram. Follow Diamond D on X and Instagram.