Diamonds from Sierra Leone
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| "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" | ||
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| Single by Kanye West | ||
| from the album Late Registration | ||
| Released | July 4, 2005 | |
| Format | Digital download Digital download (Remix) 12" maxi single |
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| Genre | Rap | |
| Length | 3:58 | |
| Label | Roc-A-Fella, Island Def Jam | |
| Writer(s) | Kanye West, Devon Harris, John Barry, Don Black | |
| Producer(s) | Kanye West, Jon Brion, D.Springsteen | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||
| The New Workout Plan (2004) |
Diamonds from Sierra Leone (2005) |
Gold Digger (2005) |
"Diamonds from Sierra Leone" was the first single from Kanye West's second album, Late Registration. Released in 2005, the single samples Shirley Bassey's theme song for the 1971 James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever.
The song peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, was moderately successful on the iTunes music service, and peaked at #8 on the UK Top 40. The song is about Roc-A-Fella, and the chorus "Throw ya diamonds in the sky" refers to the Roc-A-Fella hand sign, which is in the shape of a diamond.
After making the song, West learned more about the plight of West African children who mine conflict diamonds and die in civil wars financed by diamonds and decided he would use the video to get this message across. He also recorded a remix of the song, featuring Jay-Z, where he talks about conflict diamonds. The remix was included on the album, whereas the original version was included as a bonus track.
This song won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Rap Song.
[edit] Single Tracklist
[edit] A-Side
- Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Clean) (4:00)
- Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Dirty) (4:00)
[edit] B-Side
- Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Instrumental) (4:00)
- Diamonds From Sierra Leone (A Cappella) (4:00)
| Kanye West |
| Albums and EPs |
|---|
| The College Dropout | Late Registration | Graduation| Freshmen Adjustment | Freshmen Adjustment 2 | Late Orchestration |
| Singles |
| Slow Jamz | Through the Wire | All Falls Down | Jesus Walks Talk About Our Love | Diamonds from Sierra Leone | Gold Digger | Heard 'Em Say | Touch the Sky |
| Related articles |
| Production Credits |
