PHILADELPHIA — When the reboot of "Yo! MTV Raps" drops Tuesday on Paramount+, Power 99′s DJ Diamond Kuts will be the first woman to serve as a DJ on the rap show.
She will co-host the show with Conceited, best known for his recurring role on MTV’s "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘n Out," as the DJ/co-host on the reboot of the most influential rap show. Like the original "Yo!," a staple in MTV’s daily programming from 1988 to 1995, the 2022 version will feature rap videos and artist interviews.
Diamond Kuts, whose real name is Tina Dunham, said being asked to join the show is “a dream come true.” Dunham grew up in West Oak Lane in the 1990s watching the original "Yo! MTV Raps."
The new show is like a 30-minute "CBS News Sunday Morning" for hip-hop heads, featuring newsy packages like its history segment on Latino rappers from Cypress Hill to Maluma. The new "Yo!" also showcases freestyle and trivia games. It’s a change from the original show hosted by Fab Five Freddy and the duo Ed Lover and Doctor Dre that alternated videos with banter from the hosts.
“We wanted to have an honest conversation about what was current in hip-hop,” said Jennifer Demme, the executive director of "Yo!" and the sister of Ted Demme, who co-created the original show. ”We wanted the shows to reflect where the culture is today. We wanted the artists to be themselves. And we wanted them to feel comfortable and feel like they’re in a safe environment.”
Diamond Kuts, who isn’t specific about her age because she wants to spin music from all generations, has been making strides in the male-dominated DJ space for more than a decade. The self-described millennial is the first woman to work as a live DJ — as in she cuts, scratches, mixes and blends records in real time on air — at a Philadelphia radio station, a job she landed in the early aughts. She’s the official DJ for the Philadelphia Eagles and is affectionately known around town as former President Barack Obama’s DJ, as she provided the music for all of his regional appearances from 2008 through 2016.
Diamond Kuts has the same cachet as many of Philly’s on-air personalities like Patty Jackson and Lady B. When she calls, celebrities answer. In the same way Lady B shined a light on early hip-hop legends like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Schoolly D back in the day, Diamond Kuts’ deejaying brought attention to rappers of her generation like Meek Mill and Drake.
In 2008, she joined rapper Lil Mama’s tour with Chris Brown, and the exposure got her invites to deejay on BET’s "106 & Park," "Rap City" and "The Deal." She met then up-and-coming rapper Nicki Minaj and fell in love with Minaj’s style. “I shouted Nicki out anytime I could,” Diamond Kuts said. “I became known around town as ‘the DJ who broke Nicki.’ Then she asked me to go on tour with her.” She toured with Minaj for five years.
“Nicki was a boss,” Diamond Kuts said. “She was the hottest female rapper at the time, and she really inspired me to become the hottest female DJ.”
Diamond Kuts is credited with discovering Lil Uzi Vert.
“She’s so accomplished.” said DJ Cosmic Kev, her Power 99 colleague and mentor. “She’s a music producer. She’s done so much in the industry. Everybody knows her even if they can’t match a face to her name. It’s only a matter of time before her name becomes bigger than her craft.”
Paramount’s "Yo!" joins a number of 1990s reboots that feature hip-hop and R&B. Peacock’s "Bel-Air" has been renewed for a second season. "You’re Watching Video Music Box," a documentary about VJ Ralph McDaniels’ popular New York-based 1980s and ‘90s rap show "Video Music Box," is streaming on Showtime.
Jacob Latimore ("The Chi") and Tosin Cole ("Doctor Who") are reprising the roles of Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin in a remake of the 1990 classic "House Party," on HBO Max July 28. Some of the era’s top R&B groups and rappers — New Edition, Jodeci, TLC, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg — are all touring. Usher will begin a Las Vegas residency in July.
“You have a generation of people who grew up in the ‘90s and are now tapping into that nostalgia,” Demme said. “Diamond is in a unique position because she speaks to everyone and that made her perfect for our show.”
A second hip-hop generation
Diamond Kuts’ father, Tony “Grand Tone” Dunham was one half of the old school hip-hop duo Korner Boyz. DJ Jazzy Jeff’s first record was the instrumental B-side to the Korner Boyz single “Bust the Move (It’s Good to Go).”
“My mom grew up across the street from Cosmic Kev,” Diamond Kuts said. “I grew up around all of the old heads: DJ Parry P, DJ Cash Money. My godfather is DJ Gary O. I was born into the culture.”
Her father bought her first set of turntables when she was 16. He died not long after that. That year Cosmic Kev, who also performed with Grand Tone, helped teach Diamond Kuts how to scratch, mix, and blend. She came up with the name Diamond Kuts because the cuts in her sets have the preciseness of a gemstone.
Her first professional gig was at Sneaker Villa on the corner of Broad Street and Girard Avenue. “I would deejay for eight hours straight,” Diamond Kuts said. “Back then my role models were DJs Beverly Bond, Cocoa Chanelle, and Jazzy Joyce. They were the women who were killing it in the game.”
Diamond Kuts found steady work as a DJ at Chrome Night Club in Northern Liberties. In the early aughts when Power 99 was looking for a DJ to fill in on weekends and to work late-night shifts, she was hired, even though she was still a teenager. Within a few years she’d taken over the turntables on Power 99′s "The Rise & Grind Morning Show," where she still spins weekday mornings from 6 to 9 a.m. as jocks Mikey Dredd, Roxy Romeo and Mutha Knows chop it up.
Over the years, Diamond Kuts has done more than deejay; she has also served a music producer. She produced the beats for Minaj’s song “Stupid Stupid.”
Diamond Kuts, who is married with a 4-year-old son, travels all over the world but says she’s Philly through and through. “I’m never going to leave,” she said. “A lot of people move here and there, to places like L.A. and Atlanta. But I’m always going to be here. I can’t imagine moving away.”
———
