Although I want to talk about the remix of Kanye West’s politically conscious hit song “Diamonds from Sierra Leone,” it might be best to check out the original version too if we want to think about the pedagogy expressed by ‘Ye in these songs.

The original version of the track is fairly self-centered, as Mr. West mainly raps about his “arrival” at fame and fortune. He contrasts a vision of Las Vegas “seen through Yves St. Laurent glasses” with his images of his earlier life, before he hooked up with Jay Z, when he “couldn’t afford a Ford Escort or even a four-track recorder,” arguing convincingly that he deserves the rewards—money, respect, acclaim—that American society has to offer to those who pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Indeed, the city of Las Vegas is a pretty good metaphor for the type of rewards that he claims he is after. However, the middle song’s first verse—trapped between the line about Vegas and the line about smoking, drinking, and partying that closes the verse—is full of self-reflexive anxiety. Ye’ worries about the smack-talking magazines and the critics, eventually trying to brush his shoulders off and get back to the party.

But the other verses of the song return to the theme of his own self-perception vs. the media’s representation of him. He tries to come to terms with the massive shadow of his mentor, Jay-Z. He tries to silence any rumors that his relationship with other hip hoppas is on the rocks. And he, once again, affirms that he is his own man, “with the power to make a diamond from his bare hands.” In other words, he argues that he deserves the diamonds that he wears on his watch because of the hard work that he has put in to make “diamond” hit songs. Perhaps he also thinks that he is a diamond in the making, or an artist that will eventually outshine the competition.

So, we have to ask ourselves…

How does this relatively self-centered song evolve into a remix that effectively flips the script, or, in other words, a remix that challenges the self-centeredness of the original?

A remix that self-consciously deconstructs the bling bling culture of some mainstream hip hoppas?

A remix that offers a model for how we all can examine our own lives?

And a remix that connects hip hop culture with different cultures across the globe?

In the next few posts, I’ll offer my own opinion on how the remix accomplishes these things, and I’ll discuss some specific ideas that West challenges with this song. Here’s a preview of what’s to come:

1.) Re-thinking the Diamond: I’m sure most people who have looked at the lyrics of this song already know this, but I’ll talk about how West connects the diamonds that he holds in his hands with the diamonds that were/are the products of colonial/neocolonial violence and exploitation in Africa.

2.) Inter-textuality: Then I’ll talk about how the sample (a “text”) that West uses plays an integral role in his critique of bling bling culture, and how the sample connects the bling bling aspect of some hip hoppas with the bling bling culture of Euro-American society.

3.) Collaboration: Finally, the remix features another voice: Jay Z. Here, I’ll talk about the vocal presence of HOVA on the track, and how it adds another aspect to the song’s self-reflexive critique of individualism and materialism.

Check out the music video for the original version. The visuals reflect the themes of the remix version.

In many ways, this song truly is a diamond.