The Bag Messenger BlogBag Design and Urban Living

When it comes to hip hop or records in general, you would be hard pressed to find anyone much more legendary and at the same time humble than Diamond D. From his beginning in the South Bronx as a DJ for Jazzy Jay, Diamond released a slew of hip hop classics on his own as well as with D.I.T.C, and went on to record and produce grammy nominated hits for The Fugees and Natalie Cole. He took time out of his day to catch up with us about records, his history, and future undertakings. -THE BAG MESSENGER 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did you first get into music? When did records come into the picture for you?

DIAMOND D: I first got into music through my uncles Gary and Kevin, and than started collecting records at eleven years old

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did Ultimate Force come about?

DIAMOND D: We all grew up in the same projects in the South Bronx. Myself, Master Rob, LMD, Show N Tell and Charlie Rock. Eventually it turned into just me and Rob.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What did you learn from your first deal that you were able to bring to Mercury for your solo deal, and than Tommy Boy for the D.I.T.C deal? 

DIAMOND D: I learned to KEEP ALL OF YOUR PUBLISHING! I had nothing to do with the Tommy Boy Negotiations

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did D.I.T.C come about? It was you and Lord Finesse to begin with? What kicked things off for the crew? 

DIAMOND D: We we're just neighborhood friends who came together. Master Rob and I released "I'm Not Playing", and than Showbiz and I helped produce Lord Finesses' first LP. Than I produced Showbiz & AG and Fat Joe's first singles. Finesse brought in Big L and Buckwild, and than Buckwild brought in O.C

THE BAG MESSENGER: Where were you guys shopping for records? Was it strictly record shows and dealers, or were you making road trips, and hunting down leads? 

DIAMOND D: Back than it was all of the above, and really the same rules still apply.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Any favorite finds, or crazy digging related stories?  

DIAMOND D: I found a mint copy of Funky Drummer on King Records for $2 in Detroit this year. There are too many digging stories to get into. LOL...one word "Roosevelt" 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How was working with the Fugees? How did winning a grammy in 1996 change your life? 

DIAMOND D: The grammy brought me more recognition and more money, but my Grammy nomination for Natalie Cole's "Daydreamin" three years ago meant more because it was my song directly, as opposed to me being a part of a Grammy award winning LP.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Has your production setup changed over the years? Are you still using a MPC 2000 XL?

DIAMOND D: I'm using a MOTIF ES8 and MPC 3000. Basic setup...Protools and Logic

THE BAG MESSENGER: How much time are you spending in the studios these days? What are you working on?

DIAMOND D: I'm in the Lab often. I'm working on a new LP, I'm producing with different MCs and I'm also producing a project for an artist out of New Orleans called Big Rec.

THE BAG MESSENGER: You spend a lot of time on the road, what's the key to packing for a tour?

DIAMOND D: Pack light, and leave room for merchandise...and diggin of course. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What are you listening to now?

DIAMOND D: I thought that was big of Kanye and Jay Z to release "Otis" and take hip hop back to the essence. A soul loop and a kick. Raw! 

Here is a quick documentary we put together with DJ Cosmo Baker to highlight an upcoming collaboration on a version of our North To South Messenger bag. Cosmo has been using the North To South for a couple of years now, and has made a few suggestions to help cater the bag to fit his hectic jet-set lifestyle. We are really excited about the ideas churning, and look forward to the release of the bag. 

Here is what Cosmo had to say about the colab on his blog:

For the past couple of years, for a DJ bag I’ve been using the amazing North To South Messenger Bag that’s made by Nashville based company Tucker & Bloom. As someone who has run the line of DJ bags over many years I have never found one that’s as versatile as well as stylish as this bag, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to anything else. The cats who created it know exactly what a DJ needs,  but when I started rapping with them a little about my insight as to how they could make slight adjustments here and there, we eventually came up with the idea that a true collaboration is in order. So stay tuned in the next few months for the release of the Cosmo Baker Signature Line of luggage by Tucker & Bloom. Booyah…

To start to promo the line, the fellas decided to tag along with me for a day in the life of Cosmo Baker and film it for a short documentary. They catch me on the streets of Money Makin’ Manhattan talking about wolves, spinning Gil Scott-Heron records for the Chances With Wolves show on EVR, eating Báhn Mì sandwiches, record shopping, and then motivating over to BK so I can shake my ass to almighty J.Rocc at Do Over / Tiki Disco at Roberta’s. All caught on glorious film. Hope you like it. I kinda do…

And so, without further adeu, here is the film...

First and foremost, Ron Isley is a genius.  Whether serving as the soundtrack for the obligatory "generic party scene" in popular film ("Shout") or as the theme to your post-Valentines Day dinner events ("Between The Sheets"), the Isley Brothers' music has stood the test of time.   While the aforementioned tunes are probably two of the most popular picks from the Isley Brothers' discography, let's speak on one of their most criminally under appreciated outings: Givin' It Back.

Before diving right into the excellence that is 1971's Givin' It Back, let's take it back to September 21, 1959... the week that "Shout" debuted on the Billboard charts.  This is a period in time where all of those crappy dollar bin LPs you see at the thrift spot are vying for the number one position on the charts (think the soundtrack to South Pacific vs. The Kingston Trio vs. Johnny Mathis).  BUT, the singles are where it's at, and the Isley's have an absolute hit.  Week 1, "Shout" reaches #82.  Week 2, it reaches #72.  Ultimately, the tune wouldn't reach higher than #47 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it puts the brothers Isley on the map.

One month later, Johnny O'Keefe, an Aussie TV show host, recorded a version of the song that would reach #3 on the Austrailian charts.  No big deal, right?  The Aussies aren't exactly pumping out pop gems in the late 50's, so it would only make sense that the cover version would chart this high.  As the years pass, the Isley Brothers ride the wave produced by "Shout", probably satisfied that they made the charts, all while working on new material to share with the world.  Fast forward to March of 1962, and suddenly, Joey Dee and The Starliters are in the #6 spot with their cover of "Shout"!  During this time, the Isley Brothers' version reappears on the charts topping out at #94, just to throw a little more salt in the wound.

Just two months later, they return the blow with the release of "Twist And Shout" in June of 1962.  This time around the Isley Brothers had themselves a hit for the first time since 1959, and would peak at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100.  One year later, The Beatles would record a cover of "Twist And Shout" that would go on to peak at #2 on the charts once the single was finally released in the U.S. in 1964.  Ousted again!

So, being the genius that he is, Ron Isley notices this pattern.  I'm willing to bet he lost some sleep over this chain of events, and while he didn't necessarily plot his next move with Joey Dee and the Beatles in mind, he certainly kept it on the back burner.  Five years go by and the Isley Brothers still aren't getting the respect they deserve.  While signed to T-Neck, they crank out some more hits, including 1969's "It's Your Thing", all while being neglected by the major R&B labels.  By 1971, the Isley Brothers are ready to unleash their answer to their original tunes/arrangements being blatantly ripped off by other artists, and achieving more recognition in the process.  It's time to give it back.

I'm not even going to get into how high Givin' It Back charted, how it was received, or anything like that.  Basically, the Isley Brothers took popular rock tunes of the time, covered them, and absolutely crushed the originals.  I know a lot of people would disagree with that statement, but hear me out.  The Isley Brothers took these songs and made them theirs, whereas Joey Dee, The Beatles, and countless others took the Isley Brothers' songs and tried really hard to sound like the Isleys.  Sadly, I don't see this record too often in the bins, and when I do, I scoop them and pass them off to my friends.  So I suggest you do the following: A) become my friend  B) hit your local record spot and do some hunting or C) snag it off iTunes for $6.99. 

Tracklist w/ original performer listed:

1. Ohio/Machine Gun (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young / Jimi Hendrix)

2. Fire And Rain (James Taylor)

3. Lay Lady Lay (Bob Dylan)

4. Spill The Wine (Eric Burdon & War)

5. Nothing To Do But Today (Stephen Stills)

6. Cold Bologna (Bill Withers, who actually plays on Givin' It Back)

7. Love The One You're With (Stephen Stills)

Soundclips:

- Josh

I remember as a child, visiting family in Vermont for the Summer. The sights, and smells we're very diffrent from the dirty New York streets, and it seemed there was no shortage of turf to roam. The endless woods we're an exciting place, and to add to that my dad made me my first bag. It was nothing fancy, constructed on my grandparent porch of birch bark and thread, but great care was taken to make sure my toys we're stored safely on my back, and that feeling has always stuck with me. Working with my father is a blessing in itself.  I am greatful for our relationship, and that I get to share the same experiance I felt wearing my first bag with the rest of the world.

Love you Pops,

Case