DIAMOND – the 24-year-old lightning rod for cute comments and controversy – is the resilient riddler with rowdy rhymes, a bossy brand, and a romantic smile beaming as bright as her name. Born Brittany Carpentero in Atlanta, the chick was birthed to make moves in the entertainment industry. Diamond signed her first record deal as a precocious 9th-grader, spider-webbed that platinum plaque into a successful solo career, and remains as fiercely Independent as the Miss that Ne-Yo sang about.

After a night in Beverly Hills with her “big sis” Tiny Harris and friends, Diamond rolled up to her exclusive DOPE Magazine cover shoot the following morning in Long Beach’s cushy Signal Hill district. She has her fans, a dedicated band of loyalists clinging to the girl-power meets street diva aura Diamond’s “Team Pretty” and “The Young Life” brands stand to define. And she has her haters, a bratty pack of social media misfits watching homegirl like prime-time television, only to criticize her every business move, personal decision, set back and step up.

Either way, you can’t take your eyes off this fly a$$ jet-setter. She barks in the booth to scare the alley-cats away, and yet purrs like the sex kitten she is when its lights, camera, action time. Diamond took a seat beneath the palm tree shade to explain why there is “Never a Dull Moment” when you’re living The Young Life.

Written by: Tone Swep

Photographer: Will Taylor

Stylist & Creative Director: Marquita Lopez

Hair: Te Te

MUA: A. Marie Nailor

Location: Will Taylor Studios in Long Beach, CA. (Signal Hill District)

Date: Valentine’s Day, 2013

Here is an Excerpt from the Full Length Interview

(ToneSwep: TS) In Atlanta, you have Tip, Waka, Luda, Gucci, 2 Chainz, Future, Ca$h Out, Travis Porter, Jeezy, all of these male rappers in the spotlight representative of your city – but as A-list femcees go, you only think Diamond. At least as the only female rap artist with cross-continental recognition. Is there pressure for you to hold it down, be perfect, always win, and never fail?

(Diamond: DIAMOND) Yes it is. A lot of pressure, tremendous amount. But I invite the pressure, because I am not one who likes to live comfortably. I’ve been doing this for 10 years. Growing up, when everyone was cheerleading and playing basketball, I was doing music. I mean, I was a cheerleader too, but music was my main focus early on. And now when I speak at schools, the teen girls, little kids, and even many of the grown women, are very inspired by me and my story. And that is an amazing feeling. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, pressure and all.

(TS) If you aren’t pulling up on a Motorcycle, you are pushing a Jag, lounging in a Lambo, flying first class from NY to here in LA and back to the A, and releasing Instagram images from a loft or condo. But talk a little about your personal lifestyle. How does Diamond the lady live? Who is she?

(DIAMOND) I’m very spontaneous. I can wake up one day and decide to be in a different city on a whim. I was supposed to be in Houston this weekend, but then I’m headed to Atlanta Saturday. So I’m wondering if I want to go back to New York or to Houston after Atlanta. That would be three cities in two days. I like to try different things, different places, different types of food and people. I love movies, roller coasters, love being in the clubs, love to stop and have a drink in a nice lounge. I’m not a boring person. There is never a dull moment with me. But I like to take time and reflect. I read. I watch a maximum of one day of TV a week, but I keep up with my shows on that day. I try to work as much as possible. I work all the time.

(TS) You have been in the industry, the rap game, your entire adult life. How does your family feel about your career choices? Did Mama Linda or your father want something else for you?

(DIAMOND) Well, my father (carefully gathers her thoughts, forms a response)… Like when I first took off. My father was speaking at high schools. He was helping the families who were victimized by drunk drivers through his organization. My mom always supported me and went to every event, from back when I was in sports and cheerleading to the music. But the late hours from studio sessions and shows had me coming in at two in the morning, sometimes four in the morning. And we were in the clubs when we were too young to be in there. She wasn’t having it. I would get myself locked out if I came home too late (Laughs!); started sneaking in the house, easing by my step dad. He always supported me. But he was like “you’re a young lady and you can’t be out there like that”. They all knew it was my passion. I had a dream and it really took off.

(TS) You attended Atlanta’s Grady High, which is in the middle of it all – right in the city. Projects on Boulevard, yet nearby is the business class downtown, the yuppies at Piedmont Park and a little of everything from Cadillac’s to crack heads on Ponce. How did this socio-economically diverse mix influence the woman and artist you are today?

(DIAMOND) Well, just starting back to early life. Even before high school. When I was 3-years-old my father was hit by a city bus. He was a police officer at the time. He lost his left eye, suffered permanent damage to his nose. Life got hard for us as a family. We were living in different hotels and eating fast food every night for a while. And just my mother during that time, just seeing her be an independent woman and getting back on her feet. Just how strong she was during that time, it made me want to be that strong. We moved to Ellenwood and that is where I met the group members (Crime Mob). My dad lived on the Southside, so I met people in that area too. My mom lived on the Eastside, so I had people over there. People from different sides of Atlanta are known for different things. Then, I have four sisters and two little brothers. We have lived everywhere you can think of in Atlanta. Westside, like by West End mall. So I know all of Atlanta, and the different people. Not just one side.

(TS) You are of Puerto Rican and Black descent, so bi-racial. But during your childhood, you grew up in an almost exclusively Black culture in Atlanta’s inner-city. Did you have to suppress your Latin side? Do you feel you’ve had a greater opportunity to better explore the Latin side of your heritage more now, in adulthood?

(DIAMOND) Yes, most definitely! That’s why I say I get mad because I can’t put all these new experiences on one album. Every summer my father would take me to New York. And I could speak the Spanish more with them, just by being around it all the time. And then when my father’s family would come around to visit us in Atlanta on some holidays, I experienced it. It’s difficult now, because I’m putting it into my music but I am not fluent in the language or the culture. And I hate that. I’m mad at myself for that. I beat myself up a lot. I’m an overachiever so I push myself hard. But I’m loving the challenge (of relearning Spanish). My manager is planning something for the Puerto Rican Day parade so we really gon’ turn up.

Read DIAMOND‘s Full Cover Story in the #EverAfter Issue

Follow DIAMOND on Twitter

Visit DIAMOND‘s Official Site

Purchase DIAMOND‘s “Diamond Dior” Hair from PBH

Purchase DIAMOND‘s “SK Divas” Lipstick from Secret Kisses

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