Mar 24

Mar 24 Diamonds from Sierra Leone, by Kanye West

Once upon a time…powerful storytelling with John Barry and Kanye West

Like or loathe the man, this is a great reinvention by Kanye West of an already powerful classic. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if we had to like the artist as well as their art, we would miss out on some great work. Now this song might not be in your ‘great’ category, but it is clever in the way it draws our attention to a serious issue and I happen to like the juxtaposition of sexy, fantasy Bond theme (from the 1971 film, Diamonds are Forever) and rather more gritty and realist rap. And hearing Dame Shirley giving it some always invigorates the senses.

How do they do that?

Where does Bond end and Kanye begin and how does mixing two very different styles convey an important message?

There are lots of songs about diamonds, so first of all it’s interesting to consider why Kanye West might have chosen to sample this one. Was it because there is something slightly menacing about the original arrangement, perhaps? Or is there an inherent story-telling in John Barry’s evocative film music that lent itself to helping deliver Kanye’s message? (I’ve written about the wonderful film composer John Barry before: https://www.jenxlovesmusic.com/home-1/2020/out-of-africa-by-john-barry )

From John Barry’s original arrangement we retain the quintessential James Bond brass section. But the 70s disco guitars are replaced by a more modern drum and bass sound. The gentle orchestral arrangements and interludes which create that fantastical feel in the original are not present either, so that we have only the most intense elements of the original, made more intense still by the anger and aggression that typifies Rhythm and Poetry (Rap) vocals.

There are two interesting ways in which intensity is focussed on the word “forever.” There is a looped sample of Dame Shirley singing just that word over and over. I’ve always found it slightly disturbing, a bit like vomiting (sorry for the gross imagery), stuck in a perpetual loop of rhythmic menace. Kanye West also takes that word and repeats the last two syllables - “forever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever…” - rising in pitch with each repeat so that it becomes almost a scream. The orchestration featuring the brass instruments builds underneath, whilst Dame Shirley, smooth yet powerful, carries the old theme above.

For me, the way this piece is constructed gives it the sparkle and dazzling appeal of a diamond (it is aurally ‘eye-catching’ if you like), yet makes the ugly undercurrent of the diamond trade front and centre in the lyrics and emotional intensity of the music.

Hope you enjoy it or feel inspired to listen to something new today.

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