Gordo Believes He Could Never Make A Better Album Than Forthcoming ‘DIAMANTE’
Two weeks ago, Gordo drew the ire of fans when he used an owl emoji to promote the official announcement of his upcoming album DIAMANTE; fans believed he was hinting at a new single with Drake that would be out on July 12. Have no fear: the official tracklist (including the 6 God) is here and the Nicaraguan-American producer spoke to VIBE about why he believes he could never make a better album than what is coming on July 26.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for four years, dude. You have no idea,” he said emphatically. “I usually take two or three years [in between] every single album. It’s my third album. My first one was 2015-ish. So, yeah, I’m due.” Though there has been a huge wave of house music over the last few years thanks to the efforts of Drizzy, Beyoncé, and more, there is still a level of apprehension some fans have in embracing the sound. The “TARAKA” creator encourages everyone to approach this album with an open mind as he considered some specific demographics when creating it.
“If you like Latin music and you like dance music, this album is for you. If you like rap, listen and know about pop culture, know about American urban culture and you’re open [to] House music, then this album [is] for you,” he said. “If you’re a woman, automatically you’re going to like [it] because it’s really sweet for the ears. So those are the three people that this album meant [for]. If you’re closed-minded, you’re not going to like it, but if you are open-minded, you’re going to like it.”
Gordo is so confident in the work he put in on DIAMANTE that, much like what he wrote in his Instagram post to announce it, he does not think he could ever make anything else afterward because it would not compare. “I honestly do not know where I can go from there,” he said. “I [say it] in the most un-bigheaded way, the most humblest way. Literally my dream album is this album and everybody that I could work with, I did work with on this album. Literally from the top, top, top to the unknown. I have a bunch of artists on there [that] are completely unknown, nobody knows of, [and] they’re incredible.”
Some of those names include T-Pain, Maluma, Feid, Larry June, Leon Bridges, Nicki Nicole, Sech, and more. Of course, there is another feature Gordo is excited about: Drake’s appearance on “Sideways.” Fans expected it weeks ago after his owl emoji-laced post, and the Grammy-nominated producer sat back like an evil villain watching how they reacted all while knowing that the song was real and coming later on. “The internet is so gullible, bro,” he stated. “It was so gullible, but I’m not capping. So it’s like, I can do that stuff. So that’s why I’m excited to see everyone be like, ‘Oh, he wasn’t capping.'”
Fans got a preview of the duo’s collaboration weeks ago via footage from a DJ set at Brooklyn Mirage that made its way around the internet, and there was a lot of excitement at the “Sticky” artist going the house music route again. However, the reality is that anything the five-time Grammy winner has done musically ever since his beef with Kendrick Lamar has been viewed under a heavy microscope and critically panned. Gordo is well aware of that possible reception but has a simple reaction to the narratives: “I don’t give a f**k what people say.”
Gordo continued: “I already deal with my own problems with people talking sh*t about me all the time. So if you’re going to talk sh*t about me putting out a song with one of the greatest artists of our generation, okay. I guess if you think that’s actually funny, then I guess cool for you, but I don’t give a f**k. I’m going to do what I’m going to do. If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, you don’t.”
The #1 Hispanic DJ in the world, courtesy of DJ Mag, was a significant contributor to Drake’s 2022 effort Honestly, Nevermind and 2023 LP For All The Dogs, so he is no stranger to the heavy critiques that come with his music. However, he believes the hatred lately is more trendy than genuine. “Out of nowhere people don’t like Drake,” he said. “There’s a community of people who think it’s cool to hate on Drake now just because they want to hop on the bandwagon. People don’t think for themselves, it’s insane.”
Another special aspect of this album is a posthumous feature from Young Dolph on “Kill For This Sh*t,” which was released back in February. Gordo revealed that he wanted to work with Dolph for a long time and he almost connected with the Memphis rapper years ago while he was still alive. He hilariously recalled the circumstances of their sole conversation.
“I’ve never said this story, but years ago, prime Carnage time, my boy got me into the studio [and] got me on a phone call,” Gordo recounted. “He was like, ‘I can get Dolph on a song with you,’ and we got his personal cell phone number and I called him with my boy on a three-way. He was just waking up, we definitely woke him up and I was like, ‘Yo, what up? It’s Carnage, blah, blah, we got to get it.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.'”
Though nothing came from that phone call, he was honored to have spoken with the “Major” rapper and to have his presence on the forthcoming DIAMANTE in addition to the artists who were named above. It will be good vibes galore come July 26 with a hidden track that could blow people away as well. All it will take, like Gordo says, is an open mind.
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