The Break Presents – Connie Diiamond

Connie Diiamond has already built a solid reputation for spitting fire. Her combo of dynamic lyricism and dynamo energy are illuminated on records like “If I Want To,” “Move” and the Dame D.O.L.L.A-assisted “Raid.” She’s also garnered support from plenty of fans who have bought into the way she executes her bars in the booth. Adding to her fuel is support from Def Jam Recordings, who has backed the Bronx-bred talent as a new signee leading a fresh wave. The pendulum is surely swinging in her favor at the moment.

Tracing back the origin point of where it all began, Connie spent most of her time growing up between The Bronx and Queens. She was always doing something creative like poetry, and a good portion of her inspiration came from listening to hometown heroes like Remy Ma, Jadakiss, Fabolous and Dipset make a name for themselves. One Christmas holiday around the age of 10, she got a Barbie boombox that came with a cassette tape that she could sing along to. Soon, Connie figured out how to record over it. And from that moment on, her dreams of becoming a rapper became a reality. She stuck with it over the years and really popped off in 2016, thanks to her flip of Drake's “Summer Sixteen.” Connie's version of the same name resulted in both internet and local success that right out of the gates.

From there, her acceleration stayed steady. Over the next few years, she released projects like the Trap Elliot series, which pays homage to Missy Elliott, and efforts like Trappin' For The 99 & 2000 (2019) and Trappin' For The 99 & 2001 (2021) that blend the nostalgia hits of the past with the new energy of today's rap game. She made a ripple on the internet once again when she freestyled to DaBaby’s “Ball If I Want To” in 2021. The track ended up being one of her first records to soar past 1 million streams on Spotify.

With an unavoidable amount of traction, Connie was scouted by Def Jam Recordings and signed a deal with the coveted label shortly after. Her major label debut, Underdog Szn, would arrive in the spring of this year. The meritorious project features tracks like “Raid” with future NBA Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, the tenacious anthem “Pose” and “Move,” a flip of Ludacris' platinum-selling track that was co-signed by basketball’s G.O.A.T. Lebron James and enhanced with a remix featuring 2022 XXL Freshman KenTheMan.

Rightfully so, she's received even more critical acclaim in the last several months based off her many celebratory moments so far, but she isn't satisfied yet. For the rest of 2023, she's contemplating the release of another project. Plus, fans should expect her to get it popping with a nice feature run. Overall, she's focused on good vibes and elevation, the latter of which she's surely been doing. Speaking with XXL in late May, Connie breaks down her come up on The Break: Live. Check out her full interview below.

Follow Connie Diiamond on SoundCloud and Instagram.

Standouts:

"Move (Remix)" featuring KenTheMan

"Raid" featuring Dame D.O.L.L.A.

"Pose"

"If I Want To"

Underdog Szn