VH1 Documentary on Blood Diamonds Featuring Paul Wall and Raekwon Airs Tonight

Tonight (February 22) at 8:00 p.m. EST, VH1 will air Bling'd: Blood, Diamonds and Hip Hop, a documentary that explores the diamond trade in Sierra Leone and how the hip-hop community may be inadvertently supporting wars in those areas. The program will follow Houston’s Paul Wall, Raekwon of The Wu-Tang Clan, and Reggaeton artist Tego Calderon as they travel to Africa and witness firsthand the effects of the illegal diamond trade on the communities and people of the area. The diamond industry has come under fire in recent years as a result of heightened public awareness of human rights offenses stemming from the trade of conflict diamonds. Conflict diamonds or “blood diamonds,” are gems that are mined in areas under the control of rogue factions opposed to internationally recognized governments, and used to fund military opposition to those governments. In Sierra Leone, the rappers heard first hand accounts of atrocities committed during the country’s civil war, and saw how the people were attempting to move on from the aftermath of the conflict and find prosperity. They met with refugees, amputees and former child soldiers, and also toured a diamond mine and a village that relies on the diamond trade for survival.