Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Diamond Bobby: I grew up in Ventura County, honestly I have no idea, The first artists I was exposed to were Nas, Tupac, Biggie, The Game, and Eminem. I always liked poetry and the lyricism with the punchlines and hype just got me fired up.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Diamond Bobby: I got it from my dad, he used to joke about being self proclaimed “Diamond Bobby†I always thought it was funny and just went with it.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Diamond Bobby: I think , fuck it , why not? All of it , how else are you supposed to get out there? I just want people to hear it, and be like “this shit is dope†or atleast just give me some feedback, wouldn’t care if someone thought it was trash.. they still heard it. LOL
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Diamond Bobby: Honestly I am small, I just started recently recording. I used to always freestyle and play around with it, but never thought I would ever get into hip hop seriously, it was always just something I liked to do.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Diamond Bobby: I don’t perform , like I said, I just started out and I guarantee I will but fuck it , no one goes to a show to judge someone, they go to wild out.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Diamond Bobby: I work full time, and write when I get home, the weekends, while I’m walking to work. Any chance I get I write, not much of a process, sometimes Ill get something 90% done and just end up scratching it and starting something new. I just have to feel something, and If I don’t, then I don’t force it , that’s all.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Diamond Bobby: I just use Soundcloud, I figure if something I put out is dope enough it’ll get shares on its own, regardless of how big the sea of online music is, stuff worth hearing usually climbs to the top.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Diamond Bobby: I have to fully rock everything on my Iphone, I have “Oh†by Ciara which is definitely still a banger, I have Careless whisper by George Michaels… still a banger, and a ton of 90’s hip hop, which I don’t get but everyone is always laughing at, but nope those are still bangers.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Diamond Bobby: To be honest, I know myself way to well to ever think that would work out well for me. Money coming in that fast, and that easy, would be a recipe for the end of me.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Diamond Bobby: Right now, Im just working with the extreme basics, a cheap microphone and a macbook pro, I want to progress, and not blame the equipment for not putting enough effort or dedication. Definitely down the line, I want to get nicer equipment, but for now this is good for me.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Diamond Bobby: I don’t, I post it on Soundcloud and if it gets plays it gets plays, I don’t tell anyone, its just low key. If people like it then they’ll share it. I don’t want to force anything down anyone’s throat…
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Diamond Bobby: Probably Danny Brown , he’s got such dope lyrics and energy. He’s super hype and I bet his shows are the wildest.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Diamond Bobby: Nothing scheduled, I feel like scheduling and format takes out creativity. I am just going to keep writing and recording everyday , and put out only what I think is worth putting out.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Diamond Bobby: Managing a band or hip hop group, somehow connected to the industry, I’ve never felt this way about anything else in my entire life.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Diamond Bobby: The first album I bought was “The Doctors Advocate†by The Game, it wasn’t that I could relate to the exact situations, just that I could relate to the emotion, and I could really feel like I was there, when I listened to each bar on the Album.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Diamond Bobby: By losing lots of sleep.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?
Diamond Bobby: My progress, I just want to keep improving and getting better, and it to be noticeably better and better.
