{"id":2095059,"date":"2026-08-10T16:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095059"},"modified":"2026-08-10T16:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:05:02","slug":"diamonds-always-had-star-power-now-young-thug-is-making-sure-everyone-sees-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095059","title":{"rendered":"diamond*\u2019s Always Had Star Power. Now, Young Thug Is Making Sure Everyone Sees It."},"content":{"rendered":"
diamond*\u2019s Always Had Star Power. Now, Young Thug Is Making Sure Everyone Sees It. <\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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In a rare moment of downtime this summer, the \u00d8WAY co-founder sat down with Hypebeast to discuss the Atlanta collective\u2019s captivating global come-up. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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WORDS BY ELAINA BERNSTEIN \nPHOTOS BY BRIAN NGUYEN \nVIDEOS BY LUKE ROBERTS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The letters <\/span>\u00d8WAY<\/span><\/i> have been everywhere this summer. <\/span><\/p>\n
Phonetically fronted by a slashed \u201cO\u201d to signal opposition to oppression, the emerging Atlanta rap collective currently circling the underground hip-hop zeitgeist is otherwise led by the hypnotic pair of Tezzus and diamond*. The two rappers are the co-founders of the group, which spawned from earlier ATL collection 4ET (\u201c4ever Thumbin\u2019\u201d), and also consists of Sk8star, Pz\u2019, and Yung Fazo, and further-removed affiliates Southsidesilhouette, Diorvsyou, ShawtyRokk, and billiOn.<\/span><\/p>\n
Tezzus and diamond* are also the bridge between \u00d8WAY and Young Thug\u2019s Young Stoner Life label, Thugger signing the duo to YSL back in October 2025 after the success of the track \u201cbada bing, bada b\u00d8\u00d8m\u201d that summer. Since the signing, the pair\u2019s momentum has only expedited, the past year already riddled with career-defining moments including the release of their joint UY SCUTI B\u00d8YZ<\/em> and the infamous eight-minute cypher that began to put the rest of the \u00d8WAY ecosystem on the map. Fueled by their two fearless leaders, \u00d8WAY continued its running start into the summer with no holds barred, nearly the entirety of the group appearing somewhere on the Summer Smash lineup, a pivotal signal of the \u201cwho\u2019s who\u201d in the current underground scene.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Nearly the entirety of the group was also gallivating about France just a few weeks later for Paris Fashion Week, lining the front rows and walking the runways. Tezzus made his runway debut in Guillermo Andrade\u2019s 424 show, with Pz\u2019 strutting the Louis Vuitton runway, and diamond* making a cameo during Bazu 1199\u2019s seasonal showcase. Then, just days after \u00d8WAY returned stateside, the guys announced a one-night-only show at NYC\u2019s Irving Plaza headlined by none other than Young Thug himself. Tickets were $1.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But don\u2019t get it twisted. diamond* is far beyond a well-dressed, overly-dripped figurehead for the four-letter biome. When he pulls up to the Hypebeast office, he\u2019s wearing what\u2019s grown to become an unofficial uniform of his: a graphic brand tee \u2014 today, it\u2019s The Rolling Stones \u2014 paired with bright red skinny jeans, HOOD BY AIR footwear, and a massive Goyard bag. He actually got his start selling vintage band merch out of the back of his car, a Grateful Dead shirt the vibrant-hued vessel that introduced him to Tezzus for the first time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cHe bought it, and as soon as he put it on, some music came on, he started tweaking out, and he ripped it right up,\u201d diamond* recounted of the pair\u2019s first IRL encounter. \u201cBut, you know, I wasn\u2019t tripping; he paid me for it, so I ain\u2019t give a fuck. I still wanted that shirt, though. You owe me a Dead shirt, brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
diamond*\u2019s summer in particular has been one to note, most recently riding the high of acclaimed new record<\/span> BLING SLIME V\u00d8L 1: H\u00d8STED BY DJ H\u00d8LIDAY <\/span><\/i>and the announcement of he and Tezzus\u2019 supporting role on Thug\u2019s comeback headlining run, THE NEW GENERATION WORLD TOUR<\/em>. In a rare moment of downtime this summer, the fearless, fly-as-ever \u00d8WAY co-founder sat down with Hypebeast to discuss the Atlanta collective\u2019s captivating global come-up, and where his music fits into the landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u00d8WAY was everywhere this Paris Fashion Week. Tell me more about that.<\/strong><\/p>\n
diamond*: <\/strong>Paris Fashion Week was an \u00d8WAY takeover. We literally had all the prettiest girls; we were at all the parties, we had all the swag going. Shout out 1199, my boy Bazo. Shout out 424. Shout out Louis Vuitton. Shout out Pharrell. We were doing what we do on a daily basis when we were back home in Atlanta, you know? Going shopping, putting that stuff on, and looking great in it. We turned Paris upside down, man. \u00d8WAY was in the building.<\/p>\n
Getting to do everything with the same people you came up with has gotta be special. What\u2019s that like? <\/strong><\/p>\n
It\u2019s a great feeling. I\u2019m still with the same ones I started with. We\u2019re doing it for the ones that couldn\u2019t hold on this long. It\u2019s really a blessing. I\u2019m so happy for my bros, my family members. They\u2019re really stepping and doing what they always wanted to do. Major blessing.<\/p>\n
Was the Bazo 1199 runway in Paris your first time walking a runway? Were you nervous at all?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Yeah, it was my first show walking. I wasn\u2019t nervous at all, actually. I\u2019ve filled out a lot of places before. I\u2019ve packed out a lot of venues, so walking in that fashion show was just another thing that I was supposed to be doing. It was destined for me; it was written for me. I just kept my chin high, shoulders back, toes straight, and walked with some character.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
As one of the flyest rappers at the moment, do you have any fashion advice?<\/strong><\/p>\n
My fashion advice, man, stop wearing those baseball cut extended tees, bro. Cut that out. [laughs]<\/em> Nah, I\u2019m just playing. Wear whatever the fuck you want to wear, man, just be the best at what you do, and make sure you feel like yourself.<\/p>\n
I love this fit. Could you walk me through it? <\/strong><\/p>\n
Today I have on some HBA shoes, some Balmain, and this is a shirt by Alexander Wang.<\/p>\n
You love your band merch\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n
Yeah, man, I love it.<\/p>\n
You first met Tezzus over a Grateful Dead shirt, right? <\/strong><\/p>\n
[laughs]<\/em> Yes! That was the first day we met. I used to sell vintage T-shirts back in 2020. Tezzus, he was very, very, very<\/em> financially stable at that time. [laughs]<\/em> I was just kind of finding my way selling clothes every day, and he just saw my hustle and was like, \u201cHow much this [Grateful Dead] shirt be?\u201d And I was like, \u201cShit, like $60.\u201d He bought it, and as soon as he put it on, some music came on, he started tweaking out, and he ripped it right up. But, you know, I wasn\u2019t tripping; he paid me for it, so I ain\u2019t give a fuck. I still wanted that shirt, though. You owe me a Dead shirt, brother.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Could you say more about that time in your life?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I used to sell vintage t-shirts out of the trunk of my car. I\u2019d just hit up random skate parks and places like that. The only people who know that are the people who were there. I had this big bag that I would fill up with vintage tees and then just hit the block. I think during the entire month of August 2020, I made $150 USD every day off T-shirts, and I just saved up and saved up.<\/p>\n
When did music become your intended career path?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I always wanted to make music. When I was 16, I first hit a microphone for real. I always wanted this to be my profession, but early on, I wasn\u2019t shooting any videos, and I think that kind of separated me from other artists I was looking at. A lot of other artists I used to see at that time would have their videos out and have their faces on everything they dropped. I started rapping in 2015, but my first official music video didn\u2019t come out until 2020. It\u2019s been a long road.<\/p>\n
When did you make your first song?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I made my first song September 26, 2015.<\/p>\n
You remember the date? That\u2019s crazy\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n
Yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n
What was that song?<\/strong><\/p>\n
It was called \u201c906 Freestyle.\u201d I literally listened to it a couple of days ago.<\/p>\n
Do you listen to it often?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Hell no. I was just going through my email, and I found it. I don\u2019t sound bad. I always had it. Always had it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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If you had to describe your sound in your own words, how would you describe it?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Very elegant. Very lyrical. Peaceful. Uplifting. Nostalgic.<\/p>\n
Are there any past eras that you\u2019re nostalgic for?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I\u2019m from the same neighborhood in Atlanta as the Rich Kidz, so I grew up listening to them a lot. When I hear certain beats, I get nostalgic. I go back into that mindset of when I was a kid \u2014 being young in Atlanta, riding down Pryor Street listening to the Rich Kidz, Johnny Cinco, Young Thug, Future, you know? But also listening to the Sades, the Erykah Badus, the Chaka Khans, all the greats.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re not making music, where can we find you? <\/strong><\/p>\n
Probably in your closest Gucci store, or a fragrance store. Miami, Atlanta, possibly New York. Watching basketball, laughing with the bros, talking about girls. With a girl, with your<\/em> girl.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
What are your favorite things to do in New York?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I like to shop. A lot of times when I come to New York, I get back with my friends, and we still mob the streets like we used to. Most of us are in good situations now, but we still keep it authentic. Going block to block, hitting up Lucien\u2019s, eating good food, you know what I\u2019m saying? We still kicking it like we ain\u2019t. We just be thuggin\u2019.<\/p>\n
What are your favorite stores to shop at here?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I was just at LAAMS before I came here. I like Luke\u2019s in the Lower East Side. I fuck with ESSX, shout out Collin. I often go to my boy @beenslackin\u2019s house. He\u2019s got a lot of archive pieces for me. The Margiela store, the Gucci store, Goyard. Things of that nature.<\/p>\n
What are you listening to right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Right now, of course, BLING SLIME V\u00d8L 1<\/em> by diamond* himself. \u201cNever Going Back\u201d by PnB Rock. Still a lot of Michael Jackson. A lot of Young Thug and Future \u2013 the old versions of them. The Weeknd. Of course, Sade. A little bit of Whitney Houston.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Where do you get creative inspiration from?<\/strong><\/p>\n
A lot of things. I get inspired by my family. I don\u2019t mean to sound clich\u00e9, but Hedi Slimane. I always idolized his swag, you know what I\u2019m saying? The Basquiats and Andy Warhols, and all those types of artists. A lot of my friends are very creative, so I get my inspiration from them as well.<\/p>\n
Who is an artist people would be surprised that you listen to a lot?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Um, maybe Adele?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m surprised you like Adele\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n
Yeah, I like Adele a lot.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your favorite Adele song?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I don\u2019t mean to be clich\u00e9, but definitely, [singing]<\/em> \u201cRolling in the deep \/ You had my heart and soul in your hands\u2026\u201d I love that song.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n Words by Elaina Bernstein. \nPhotos by Brian Nguyen. \nVideos by Luke Roberts.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n