Diamonds from Sierra Leone Lyrics

[Chorus: Shirley Bassey & Kanye West]
Diamonds are forever (forever, forever)
Throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe
Diamonds are forever (forever, forever, forever)
The Roc is still alive every time I rhyme
Forever ever? Forever ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?
Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?


[Verse 2: Kanye West]
I was sick about awards, couldn't nobody cure me
Only playa that got robbed but kept all his jewelry

Alicia Keys tried to talk some sense in him
Thirty minutes later seein' there's no convincin' him

What more could you ask for? The international asshole
Who complain about what he is owed?
And throw a tantrum like he is three years old

You gotta love it though: somebody still speaks from his soul
And wouldn't change by the change or the game or the fame
When he came in the game, he made his own lane
Now all I need is y'all to pronounce my name
It's Kanye, but some of my plaques, they still say "Kayne"

Got family in the D, kinfolk from Motown
Back in the Chi, them Folks ain't from Moe Town
Life movin' too fast, I need to slow down
Girl ain't give me no ass, you need to go down
My father been said I need Jesus
So he took me to church and let the water wash over my caesar

The preacher said we need leaders
Right then, my body got still like a paraplegic
You know who you call; you got a message, then leave it
The Roc stand tall and you would never believe it
Take your diamonds and throw 'em up like you bulimic
Yeah, the beat cold, but the flow is anemic
After debris settles and the dust get swept off
Big K pick up where young Hov left off

Right when magazines wrote Kanye West off
I dropped my new shit, it sound like the best of
A&R's lookin' like, "Pssh, we messed up."

Grammy night, damn right, we got dressed up
Bottle after bottle 'til we got messed up

In the studio with Really Doe, yeah, he next up
People askin' me if I'm gon' give my chain back
That'll be the same day I give the game back

You know the next question, dog: "Yo, where Dame at?"
This track the Indian dance to bring our reign back
"What's up with you and Jay, man? Are y'all okay, man?"
They pray for the death of our dynasty like "Amen"

But r-r-r-right here stands a man
With the power to make a diamond with his bare hands

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About

Genius Annotation

This was Late Registration’s lead single, and it was technically a bonus track on the album.

Jay-Z would later jump on the track for the remix.

West explained the inspiration for the song to MTV:

Mark Romanek, the director that did Jay’s “99 Problems,” and Q-Tip both brought up blood diamonds. They said, “That’s what I think about when I hear diamonds. I think about kids getting killed, getting amputated in West Africa.” And Q-Tip’s like, “Sierra Leone,” and I’m like, “Where?” And I remember him spelling it out for me and me looking on the Internet and finding out more. I think that was just one of those situations where I just set out to entertain, but every now and then God taps me on the shoulder and says, “Yo, I want you to do this right here,” so he’ll place angels in my path and one angel will lead to another angel and it’s like a treasure hunt or something. And I finally found the gold mine, which was the video “Diamonds (From Sierra Leone).”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Has this track received any certifications?
Genius Answer

“Diamonds from Sierra Leone” was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 20, 2018.

Live Performance
Genius Answer

Credits
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Phonographic Copyright ℗
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Recording Engineer
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Recorded At
The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA; Grandmaster Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA
Release Date
May 31, 2005
Diamonds from Sierra Leone Samples
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