Kanary Diamonds: Diamonds Are Forever

The city of Watts located within Los Angeles has produced its share of hard-core gangster rappers from the West Coast, however this time its mean gang driven streets have created a different kind of talent by the name of Kanary Diamonds. Having hustled on the West Coast underground rap scene for a few years Kanary […]

The city of Watts located within Los Angeles has produced its share of hard-core gangster rappers from the West Coast, however this time its mean gang driven streets have created a different kind of talent by the name of Kanary Diamonds. Having hustled on the West Coast underground rap scene for a few years Kanary has managed to score a number of musical collaborations with the likes of Chingy, Mack 10, Colby O’ Donis and Tatyana Ali while achieving various placements on several TV show and films such as The Bad Girls Club, Making The Band 4 and the Waist Deep Soundtrack. Now a protege’ of Compton superstar The Game and an association with his BlackWallStreet crew, this young beauty is looking to take her career to new heights with what she refers to as a balanced female sound that blends lyricism, sexiness, and class – something which she feels is not being portrayed currently by female MC’s. As part of our commitment to showcase rising talent through our Breeding Ground, AllHipHop.com would like to introduce you to Kanary Diamonds and let you hear for yourself if she’s got the talent that it takes to be a star in this industry.     Music/Videos:Game Ft. Mysonne and Kanary Diamonds “Revolver Or The Semi”Kanary Diamonds “Mirror Mirror” “Who Dat Freestyle” AllHipHop.com: You’ve got an interesting name there. Some might not know that it’s a take on the rare Yellow Canary Diamond. Share with us how you came up with the name?Kanary Diamonds: My friend and I were trying to come up with a good stage name and her name happened to be Canary. We looked up her name and found that it came from the yellow rare diamond and I felt that it was a good fit for me. I got my start as a choreographer and dancer which led to me being in an all-female group. We were like TLC except it was two rappers and one singer. I was one of the rappers and when the group didn’t work out, I kept at it. AllHipHop.com: Why rap though? We’re you not a good singer?Kanary Diamonds: Yeah, I’m pretty cool. I just like rapping more. I do a little singing here and there on my songs. AllHipHop.com: As of late you have been affiliated with The Game’s BlackWallStreet crew. How did all of this come about?Kanary Diamonds: The Game had hit me up on MySpace a couple of years ago. We became friends but we never were able to hook up because of our schedules. Recently he hit me up and we decided to just make it happen. We hit the studio and buckled right down to work. Everyday we were working on songs and then it just snowballed from there. AllHipHop.com: Did he recently hit you up again because of that “Money” remake that you made?Kanary Diamonds: No. A lot of people have asked me that too. That song was just something that I was working on for my mixtape. When I put that song out there Game did hit me up about it and he told me that he liked it, but it still took a while for us to hook up. Eventually we did though. AllHipHop.com: Are you officially with BlackWallStreet? Or just affiliated?Kanary Diamonds: I am affiliated. That’s my family though. We are working it out right now. The Game Feat. Kanary Diamonds – Drop The World Remix (RedRoom Mixtape) AllHipHop.com: The Female MC’s with a raunchier style tend to get noticed more than those who are not that way. Your style seems pretty clean-cut for the most part. Kanary Diamonds: My lyrics are definitely not over-saturated with sexual content. That just comes from me being me. My style is sexy but it’s not sex-driven. AllHipHop.com: Do you think that hurts your career in any way?Kanary Diamonds: I think it has to a certain extent. People go for what they are used to and females have been over-sexual with their music. I feel that the audience can come around for something that isn’t so over-the-top. Being from Watts, I’ve never gone the gangster route either. I try to find a balance with my music. I’m in the middle when it comes to my style. I am not over-sexual but yet I am not like a boy rapping. I have a few pop records which are not so urban. There aren’t too many female rappers who are doing what I’m doing, so I think the audience is ready for someone like myself. I have been a professional dancer and choreographer so I am more like a rapping Janet Jackson. I feel that I am an entertainer beyond just being a Female MC. AllHipHop.com: Have you ever considered changing to a more sexual or aggressive style?Kanary Diamonds: No, I haven’t. You run in to a lot of people that want to change you in to what they think will be more successful, but I can honestly say that I have stayed true to myself. It’s something that I am proud of because I have not compromised myself. I’ve had some of the craziest deals offered to me on the basis that I would have to change to a certain way. I turned those deals down and I just tell myself that something right will come for me. Some might look at me as if I am crazy and be like, “What? You passed on that?” If I cant be myself, then I don’t want to be attached to it. AllHipHop.com: I imagine that you’ve also been hit on a lot within the industry. Kanary Diamonds: Oh my God, if you only knew! Some of your favorite rappers [laughs]. It’s crazy but I just stay true to myself and true to my world. AllHipHop.com: So what musical projects are you working on now?Kanary Diamonds: I am about to drop my very first mixtape in September. I’m wrapping it up now and I am very excited about it. It’s called “Diamonds, Boys and 808’s.” I’ve got some great features like Crooked I, Nipsey Hussle, The Game, Bad Lucc, YG and a few more. Please be on the lookout for that mixtape and of course you can always follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/KanaryD for all of my updates or if you just want to say hello.  Visit Kanary Diamonds at Twitter.com/KanaryD