After busting a move from Detroit to New York City for the sake of hoping to break it into the hip-hop field, Detroit Diamond had no idea that a hand full of shows, a demo, and word of mouth would lead to recognition from the likes of Jay-Z and Russel Simmons. Resulting in a deal with Penalty Record in 1999, Detroit Diamond released his first single, "The Come Up," later on that year. ~ Mike DaRonco