Kanye West's Diamonds

Kanye West's album, Late Registration, was slatted for release on July 12 but it is being pushed back to an August date. The new single, Diamonds From Siera Leone, has been the talk of the music community. Then came the remix featuring Jay-Z . "Diamonds" is signature Kanye West: Over a heavy groove and sped-up soul sample, courtesy of Shirley Bassey's classic "Diamonds Are Forever," from the James Bond Theme of the same name.

Let's examing Kanye's lyrics to Diamonds (remix).

Good morning! This ain't Vietnam, still
People loses hands, legs, arms, for real
Little was known of Sierra Leone
and how it connected to the diamonds we own
When I speak of diamonds in the song
I ain't talking bout the ones to be glown
I'm talkin' bout Roc-a-Fella, my home
My chain, these ain't 'Conflict Diamonds'
Is they Jacob? Don't lie to me, man

This is the same man who said, "I went to Jacob with 25 thou / Before I had a house and I'd do it again / Cause I wanna be on 106 and Park pushing a Benz / I wanna act ballerific like it's all terrific." from All Falls Down.

See a part of me's sayin' keep shinin'
How, when I know what a blood diamond is?
Though it's thousands of miles away
Sierra Leone connect to what we go through today
Over here it's the drug trade, we die from drugs
Over there, they die from what we buy from drugs
The Diamonds, The chains, the bracelets, the charms is
I thought my Jesus piece was so harmless
till I seen a picture of a shorty armless, and here's the conflict
It's in the black person's soul, to rock that gold
Spend your whole life tryin' to get that ice
On a polo rugby you look so nice,
how could something so wrong make me feel so right?
Right before I beat up myself like Ike
You could still throw your Roc-A-Fella Diamond tonight
Because...

You may want to applaud Kanye for bringing up attention to the "Blood Diamonds" issue (though he did fail to bring up DeBeers). Sources say that Kanye's song was a direct response to Lupe Fiasco's Conflict Diamonds song.

The video for Diamonds, directed by Hype Williams, was shot in Prague and contrasts the elegance of diamond advertising with the horrors of civil war in Sierra Leone that centers on the diamond trade. [Billboard]

West was featured on NME about working with Franz Ferdinand calling their music "White Crunk." West also goes to talk about his new album. "Diamonds is kind of White Crunk." He also goes on to say: "I’ve just tried to push the envelope. Hopefully people will hear it and feel it. This record is edgier, that would be the best way to describe the difference between this and "College Drop Out". The album is very dark. I still have a sense of humour but I guess it’s a dark humour. It’s more Bill Murray than Bill Crosby."

Related:
Kanye West ft. Jay-Z - Diamonds are forever (remix) (WM stream)
Kanye West - Diamonds are Forever Video
Fader Blog on Kanye
Learn more about Diamonds conflict
The Diamond Life (*warning* this is extremely, extremely graphic)
Jay-Z retires or not
More information about De Beers
Glitter & Greed : The Secret World of the Diamond Cartel
Blood Diamonds
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