Released just over 23 years ago, “Hip Hop” sits at the epicenter of Mos Def’s classic debut, Black On Both Sides. For our latest Behind the Beat, Thomas Hobbs spoke with Diamond D, the mastermind behind the classic track.

Diamond D practically skipped to the Rawkus studio over on 676 Broadway. He was excited to work with Mos Def after sending him a beat he knew the rapper would be perfect on — a belief that was confirmed when D finally arrived and saw Mos (now known as Yasiin Bey) smiling from ear-to-ear. Mighty Mos wanted to call the song “Hip Hop” and had even laid down a bassline.

“His bass was so fucking funky,” the legendary Bronx producer and MC said during a late night phone call. “With ‘Hip Hop,’ I knew almost instantly we had something special. That’s not even talking about the raps.”

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