Hello my friends! I hope you’re good today! A little email dropped in my inbox earlier today reminding me about this mini documentary featuring Oddisee, an artists that I look up to a lot, so I thought I would share it with the rest of you. Below is a little description, and I hope you enjoy! Much love x
In anticipation of the official release of their forthcoming debut effort, In The Ruff, the trio of Oddisee, X.O., and YU, 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!