In anticipation of the official release of their forthcoming debut effort, In The Ruff, the trio of Oddisee, X.O., andYU, collectively making up the group Diamond District, take some time out from their day to break down the boundaries that define the area where the group was born and raised – the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia).
From a bird's eye view, Oddisee points over the bridge to where he grew
up in Maryland and X.O. and yU show us where our nation's capital lies
on the northwest corner. Diamond District is essentially standing at
the crossroads of the DMV, and even more important than their
geographic location is the mind state and way of life that comes from
living at that intersection. As the video progresses, each member
brings us a little deeper into their worlds. X.O. explains how the
movement began in DC and slowly spilled over into Maryland and
Virginia; YU brings us into his friend's apartment where he delivers a
flow packed with cleverness and slick delivery; Oddisee brings us into
his modest home studio where he shows us that you don't need a lavish
setup to create head-nodding beats that we are accustomed to hearing
from the boom-bap beat-smith. And with each segment you leave with more
insight than you came with, as the trio drops knowledge, both
individually and collectively. Diamond District's In The Ruff will be available October 27th via Mello Music Group. Like Lao Tzu in hip-hop, Mello Music Group
provides music for the soul, from the heart of American culture,
opening the realm of the intelligent hip-hop experience through melodic
evocations, beats that corroborate the truth, and voices that roar
above the rising void and impose order on the terrible & triumphant
moments of everyday life. This is the compelling sound of Mello Music
Group. Industry newcomer Michael Tolle founded MMG in 2007 and is acting Director of Operations. MMG will be releasing projects from Oddisee, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Kenn Starr, Finale, Trek Life, Dudley Perkins, Sareem Poems, and YU in 2010. http://www.myspace.com/ mellomusicgroup