"Diamonds from Sierra Leone"
Single by Kanye West
from the album Late Registration
Released	July 4, 2005
Format	Digital download Digital download (Remix) 12" maxi single
Genre	Rap
Length	3:58
Label	Roc-A-Fella, Island Def Jam
Writer(s)	Kanye West, Devon Harris, John Barry, Don Black
Producer(s)	Kanye West, Jon Brion, D.Springsteen
Peak chart positions
#8 (UK) #43 (USA)
Kanye West singles chronology
Talk About Our Love (2004)	Diamonds from Sierra Leone (2005)	Gold Digger (2005)

"Diamonds from Sierra Leone", often referred to as "Diamonds Are Forever," was the first single from Kanye West's second album, Late Registration. Released in 2005, the single samples Shirley Bassey's theme song for the 1971 James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever. Image File history File links Diamondsfromsierraleone. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kɑn. ... Late Registration is the second major label album release from Roc-A-Fella hip hop artist and producer Kanye West. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // A digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official and legal music single available for purchase through an online store. ... // A digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official and legal music single available for purchase through an online store. ... 12 single for U2s Beautiful Day The 12-inch [30 cm] single gramophone record came into existence with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Roc-A-Fella Records is one of the largest hip hop/rap record labels in the United States. ... The Island Def Jam Music Group is a record label formed in 1999, when Universal Music Group merged together its two companies, Island Records and Def Jam Recordings to create a super label. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kɑn. ... John Barry. ... Don Black (b. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kɑn. ... Jon Brion at The Sunset Tavern in Seattle (photo by Nadja Dee Tanaka) Jon Brion (born 1962) is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kɑn. ... Talk About Our Love is an R&B song written by American rapper-producer Kanye West, Harold Lilly, Claud Cave II and Carlos, Louis and Ricardo Wilson for Brandys fourth studio album Afrodisiac (2004). ... See also: 2004 in music (UK) other events of 2004 list of years in music 2000s in music // January 1 Vienna New Years Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Vienna, conducted by Riccardo Muti Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol January 3 - Britney Spears marries Jason Allen Alexander, a... See also: 2005 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2005 Record labels established in 2005 other events of 2005 list of years in music 2000s in music January 1 - In most of Europe, copyright expired on a number of classic pop and rock and roll songs recorded in 1954... A person, most often a woman, who is romantically involved with someone else solely for their money. ... See also: 2005 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2005 Record labels established in 2005 other events of 2005 list of years in music 2000s in music January 1 - In most of Europe, copyright expired on a number of classic pop and rock and roll songs recorded in 1954... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kɑn. ... Late Registration is the second major label album release from Roc-A-Fella hip hop artist and producer Kanye West. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE (born January 8, 1937), is a Welsh singer, perhaps best-known for performing the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). ... See also: 1970 in film 1971 1972 in film 1970s in film years in film film // Events February 8 - Bob Dylans hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New Yorks Academy of Music. ... Flemings commissioned image of James Bond to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists. ... Diamonds Are Forever is the seventh film in the EON Productions James Bond series. ...

The song peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, was moderately successful on the iTunes music service, and peaked at #8 on the UK Top 40. The song is about Roc-A-Fella, and the chorus "Throw ya diamonds in the sky" refers to the Roc-A-Fella hand sign, which is in the shape of a diamond. The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... This article is about about the iTunes application. ... Roc-A-Fella Records, one of the largest United States hip hop/rap record labels, was co-founded in New York City by hip hop mogul Damon Dash and now multi-platinum rapper Jay-Z in 1995. ...

After making the song, West learned more about the plight of West African children who mine conflict diamonds and die in civil wars financed by diamonds, and decided he would use the video to get this message across. He also recorded a remix of the song, featuring Jay-Z, where he talks about conflict diamonds. Some say that the remix was inspired by Lupe Fiasco's song "Conflict Diamonds," which itself uses the beat from Kanye's song. The remix was included on the album, whereas the original version was included as a bonus track. West African refers to: West Africa An airline: West African Airlines [1] This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A conflict diamond (also called a blood diamond) is a diamond mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgent or invading armys war efforts. ... A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. ...

This song won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... money maker, lose yourself , sumtin esle ...

Single Tracklist

A-Side

1. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Clean) (4:00)
2. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Dirty) (4:00)

B-Side

1. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Instrumental) (4:00)
2. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (A Cappella) (4:00)

External links

• "Was your sparkling diamond produced by child slaves or polished by bonded children?"