Official label description: “As rap takes new forms with its various players and influencers, it’s important to pay dues to those who’ve paved the way. While some will disregard this rule in favor of ignorant ideals, those who make it aware that they stand on the shoulders of giants will more often than not last longer than the one hit wonders and trend followers. If you rep the East Coast and can relate to the hustle and struggle of cats like Diabolic, then allow Fightin Words to be the soundtrack to get you to where you’re headed. Part razor sharp rhymes and part sinister sounding beats, this album will speak volumes to underground heads both old and new, as Diabolic speaks his story, even if the Long Island emcee has to make some enemies in the process.

Released through his own War Horse Records label, ‘Fightin Words’ is Diabolic’s attempt to claim the throne. With a history of battle rapping against underground favorites such as Immortal Technique and Rhymefest, Diabolic concocts a lethal dose of Hip-Hop on an LP that finds the LI native joined by Sean Price, R.A. The Rugged Man, Vinnie Paz, Apathy, Celph Titled, Locksmith, Nino Bless, Coast, amongst others, with production credits from the likes of DJ Premier, The Snowgoons, Brooklyn’s 5th Seal, and more. Fans of Wu Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers) will appreciate the well-placed opening samples which are akin to The RZA’s method of production. ‘Fightin Words’ is now available through iTunes via digital download, or through Fat Beats, on either CD or 2xLP.”

Official descrip: A trio of rugged rhymers: Sean Price, the Brooklyn-bred lyricist that’s quick to knock your block off Jailhouse Rock style; Diabolic, the aggressive Suffolk County rhyme sayer that spits with reckless abandon; and Vinnie Paz, the misanthropic Philly native who stays ready for battle, all make up the foundation for “Game Time,” the latest release from Diabolic’s forthcoming Fightin Words LP, that’s set to drop 9/16. Although Diabolic might not be a household name just yet, his accolades are worth mentioning: earning a spot on Billboard’s Hip Hop and R&B charts, as well as receiving the HHUG Best Album of the Year Award with his debut LP, Liar & a Thief, are quite the accomplishments. Over a slick cut from the Brooklyn beat-smith, 5th Seal, who manages to squeeze everybody from Das EFX to the late Guru in this Premier’esque scratch hook, “Game Time” takes things back to the time where lyrics were valued over everything. Pre-orders for Fightin Words are now available through iTunes via digital download, or Fat Beats on either CD or 2xLP.

Here is a new “St. Paddy’s Day” anthem, “O’ Doyle Rules” (word to Adam Sandler) to help set the mood and probably nurse the hangover.Produced by Apathy.

Diabolic, Apathy, Paradime, Joe Scudda, Rob Kelly, Ryu and Mac Lethal – “O’ Doyle Rules!” (MP3)

Diabolic rose up through the underground circuit in the early 2000′s, winning a number of rap battles with his well thought out, multi-syllabic punch rhymes. Now signed with Immortal Technique’s Viper Records, the little known emcee finally makes his official debut with A Liar and A Thief.

The album finds Diabolic teaming a group of like-minded individuals, all of whom his style draws some kind of influence from. The most obvious here is Canibus, who shares Diabolic’s knack for long-winded, super-lyrical stanzas on “In Common”, but ‘Bolic displays this style even better on “I Don’t Wanna Rhyme”, over a track that would make Kool G. Rap envious. Ill Bill also stops by for “Order & Chaos”, a unique third person tale of government conspiracies, while Immortal Technique helps flesh out “Frontlines” with some of the same ideas in tow. Diabolic executes this style well on “Riot”, featuring reggae artist Deadly Hunter on the hook, and Limp Bikzkit guitarist John Outta. Perhaps the closest comparison in terms of musical style is Vinnie Paz, who joins him on “Not Again”, as the two trade rhymes and an affluence for dark, abrasive production.

While Diabolic certainly has been influenced by his collaborators, he also has defined his own style, many times shining better on the solo tip. While “I Don’t Wanna Rhyme” is probably the best display of his lyrical agility, he delivers some of his most poignant lyrics on “Reason” that a whole generation can agree with: “I think about hip-hop and how they just take it away / cause I grew up when Wu-Tang got rotation radio play / but nowadays if I say shit, I’m nothing but a hater / till I pull a rusty razor and cut your face up like fuck your paper.”

This type of rhyme permeates the entire album, which may or may not be to every listener’s liking. As we all know, the battle rhymers have always had a hard time making albums. This is not necessarily the case with Diabolic, but if there is a negative to the album it’s that it does seem to remain in dark, apocalyptic territory for much of the time, in terms of both production and lyrical content. Because of this, there is sometimes a feeling that we never get an idea on who Diabolic really is, as it’s unclear if his outlook is really this fucked up, or if he’s just taunting the listener. Coupled with sometime monotonous production, this is one of the few downfalls with the LP.

Regardless, A Liar and A Thief is a pretty solid LP that introduces the world to Diabolic, who is sure to gain a religious, cult-like following, thanks to its infinite rewindable moments. With a little fine tuning, Diabolic might soon be the underground’s favorite.

Here is the video to the track from Diabolic and Immortal that we put up a few weeks ago. The new album from Diabolic is in stores now.

Here is another leak from Diabolic’s upcoming album Liar & a Thief. The first track features Ill Bill and Diabolic and the second track features Vinnie Paz. On “Not Again” Vinnie and Diabolic go at it… Make sure to check out Diabolic’s upcoming album on April 6th.

LISTEN: Diabolic + Ill Bill – “Order and Chaos

LISTEN: Diabolic + Vinnie Paz – “Not Again”

Immortal and Diabolic stop by Jay Smooth’s Underground Railroad in promotion of D’s Liar and A Thief, dropping this month.

HHS: Introduce yourself to the HipHopsite community.

Diabolic: Diabolic, artist on Viper Records, part of Rebel Army.

HHS: You’ve built up a nice buzz in the underground with your guest appearances with Immortal Technique and battle victories over some pretty well known emcees (Jin, Rhymefest). What do you enjoy more, the competition of battling or putting your thoughts down and laying a track?

Diabolic: I definitely like making music more, nowadays. There’s a lot more to it and there’s a longer shelf life. When you battle, you’re done in what, 45 seconds? It doesn’t really last that long. But I love to battle. It was a lot of fun when I was more into it, but you grow out of it, especially if you’re trying to go anywhere with your music. Everybody knows that battle rap is not much of a career. You know?

HHS: So you’re definitely focusing more on hip-hop as a career now?

Diabolic: Yeah, so far it’s been okay. Maybe I could have become a lawyer or something (laughs).

HHS: How did you hookup with Immortal Technique?

Diabolic: I met him through the battle scene, actually. I kind of stumbled across it. I’m out in Long Island and I didn’t really realize that there was this battle scene that I could just walk on to. I used to listen to college radio and these were guys that I listened to. They had 12 inches out and were doing their thing. And they were underground dudes talking about how they’d been in the Blaze Battle and were doing this and doing that. I didn’t understand that I could just go out to the Wetlands and battle. Nobody told me that. They didn’t promote in Long Island and there was no Internet at the time either, so nobody really knew. My boy just hit me up one day and asked if I wanted to go battle at the Wetlands. I said yeah and it was on. We got there and I couldn’t get in the battle. So I just harassed Poison Pen at the door and he put me in the battle. From there I just started torturing people. That was the first time any of them saw me.

HHS: (Laughs)

Diabolic: I’ll never forget. Half the crowd was against me and the other half was with me. All of the real emcees in there were definitely on my side and that’s where it started. Tech was in the crowd, yelling at the top of his lungs. And that’s where it all came from.

HHS: What’s your relationship like with him? Did he take you under his wing like a protégé type of thing or…?

Diabolic: Nah, it’s not like that at all. People like to think that, I guess (laughs). But it’s not like that. He did real well selling records, which gave him the opportunity to put other peoples records out and put tours together. Naturally he’s going to put people that roll with him on tours and on records with him. He’s not going to go out and find some new guys that nobody’s ever heard of and put them on. Nah, he’s going to put his people out and promote from within.

HHS: You were on ‘Rock The Bells’ this summer. Was that your first big tour?

Diabolic: Yeah, on a tour of that size, yeah. We’ve done a lot of touring, but not one of that size. There were a couple small stops, like in Dallas, but it still had 7000 people. But when we hit New York and some of the west coast sites, it was insane. There were so many people. It was like an army. It’s crazy to see all of these people following the underground. It’s inspirational, actually.

HHS: Your current single and video: “I Don’t Wanna Rhyme” is just bananas. The beat is nasty and you don’t mess around with the lyrics. What do you want your listeners to take away from that song?

Diabolic: Just emotion, really. I want people to get an understanding of what I’m capable of. (Laughs) It’s an angry record, you know? I figured I’d hit them with the energized stuff first and give them an idea of how pissed off I was when I wrote that record. But I guess I was lying because I do wanna rhyme. I’m putting out an album, right?

HHS: Yeah, it’s a banger, man. It’s a great lead off single. So you’re album [Liar and a Thief], is dropping on April 6th. What can you tell us about it as far as guests and who’s producing on it, etc?

Diabolic: My man Engineer, a producer out of Vancouver, did the majority of production. He did every track except for number 3, “Riot”, which was produced by my man Sivey from the UK. He’s an up and coming dude out there. That track was co-produced with John Otto from Limp Bizkit who played live drums on it. Let’s see; I did a track with Tech, I did a track with Vinnie Paz that’s out there now and doing pretty well. I also did a track with Ill Bill, which was one of my favorite records on the album. It’s a little different and not your typical record. It’s a story track, kind of dark and twisted. I did a track with Canibus, one with my man Deadly Hunter (he’s a reggae artist, also featured on Riot) and one with my man Mayor Augustus out of Florida, who did a chorus for me. That one is a story track called “12 Shots”. It’s about getting up on my birthday, going to the bar and the shots I take. It’s dope, has some twists and turns.

HHS: How does the process work with Engineer, being that he’s in Vancouver and you’re in New York?

Diabolic: He would just send me beats, tons and tons of beats. I’d just pick them out and go from there. But it’s hard because he makes so many bangers (laughs). It was a pain in the ass having to pick and choose and weed out what I wanted to use. I’m a moody, spur of the moment type of artist, so he just sent me whatever. I got the pick of the litter from him, which was great. A lot of people get pissed off because I’m taking all of the bangers. But yeah, he would just send them to me, I’d record and he’d send me whatever else I needed. It was a pretty simple process.

HHS: So nothing too complicated…

Diabolic: I must say though, he had a big hand in everything. That’s why he has a co-executive production credit on the album. He had a big hand in how the album came together. He knows what he’s talking about and really knows what dope is.

HHS: You’re pretty blunt in the assessment of your career. What are your goals going forward now that you have an album dropping?

Diabolic: Obviously to build a following. You know, to just build up my following more. I want to do this and make a real living. There’s no better job, unless you’re in the NBA or NFL or Major League Baseball or something. I don’t think there’s any better job in the world than making music, going out on tour, pushing your music, having fans and people vibe off of what you created. I want to get out on tour and do my thing. More importantly I just want to be able to put food on the table for the loved ones.

HHS: Is it tough to do it for the love and as a job? Is it a hard thing to balance?

Diabolic: Yeah, it can be. I got lucky and was definitely in the right place at the right time, a long time ago. Honestly, when Technique popped off, I was doing a lot of street shit. Next thing I know, I’m at a show at SOB’s and the kids in the crowd knew the words to my verses. So it was big. It just kind of fell in my lap, on a small scale, obviously. But, it made me think about how I didn’t need to be out in the streets with the possibility of getting locked up. I’ve got a daughter and a son on the way and I can’t be doing that. They’ll be old enough one day and realize that their dad is locked up and I couldn’t have that. It’s a terrible example to set for your kids, you know?

HHS: Definitely.

Diabolic: It’s definitely difficult though. I’ve had offers from major labels and they offer you the world. I know it’s bullshit, but it’s tempting nonetheless. I want to tell every artist; if you’re dope, eventually it’ll work out for you. Just keep pushing and do what you gotta do and it’ll work out.

HHS: Where is the album coming out? Where can we get it?

Diabolic: It’ll be out at all of the digital spots, obviously. It’ll be on iTunes and basically every digital outlet. It should be out in the major stores like Best Buy and the mom and pop stores. But, it’s a little too grimy for Walmart, so not there (laughs). I tell kids all of the time; if it’s not where you are, then demand it. They’ll get it for you. As long as someone is willing to pay money for it, they’ll get it.

HHS: How about touring? Do you have a post album tour set up?

Diabolic: Yeah, I don’t have all of the details yet, but there’ll be some heavy touring. I’ll be doing a lot of spot dates in April and into May, mostly on the east coast. But it’ll get more serious once June hits. I’ll hit the west coast, mid-west and Europe. I’ll keep everyone updated.

HHS: Any last words or shout-outs you want to give?

D: Yeah, obviously Immortal Technique and Viper Records. I gotta shout out my girl, who’s got my son on the way. I also have to shout-out to my daughter, my parents and everyone that’s been bearing with me through the pain in the ass process of being an underground rapper. And of course my crew Rebel Army and all of the fans that have been supporting.

Check out tracks and tour information on Diabolic’s myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/diabolicfoulplay

New record from Diabolic as he prepares for his upcoming release Liar & a Thief. The new album will feature Vinnie Paz, Canibus, Immortal Technique, Ill Bill and will come out April 6th.

Diabolic + Immortal Technique – “Frontlines’” (MP3)

Diabolic releases the second track from his Liar And A Thief LP, dropping April 6th on Immortal Technique’s Viper Records. Here, he and Jedi Mind Tricks’ Vinnie Paz compete to see who can come the illest on this angelic track.

Diabolic + Vinnie Paz – “Not Again” (MP3)

Our favorite super-lyrical song of the moment gets the video treatment, directed by Joey Poms. Diabolic’s A Liar and A Thief LP is dropping April 6th on Immortal Technique’s Viper Records imprint.

For a guy that doesn’t want to rhyme, he sure does it well. Diabolic’s style can easily be described as the anger of Vinnie Paz meets the complex lyricism of Kool G. Rap – both of whom appear on his long-delayed debut, A Liar and A Thief. He’s absolutely murdering verses here, over a hard-hitting piano driven track that channels late 90′s Queensbridge. “Don’t play it off like I won’t run a razor cross your throat til there’s tomato sauce spraying cross your neighbor’s porch,” he says… The album is coming April 6th via Immortal Technique’s Viper Records, and will also feature Grafh, Smoothe The Hustler, Ill Bill, and of course, Tech himself.

Diabolic – “I Don’t Wanna Rhyme” (MP3)