As the long standing VP of A&R for Diplomat Records, Duke Da God is much more comfortable laying in the cut negotiating deals and overseeing albums than he is as the latest emerging star of the Diplomat camp. Although he’s not a lyricist, a point abundantly made clear by his habit of sporting an oversized black shirt that reads, “I AM NOT A RAPPER” in bold white letters, he is releasing his debut CD Dipset: More Than Music Vol.1 (Koch).

It’s June 23 and Duke “Da God” is getting ready to launch the premiere show of Dip Set’s latest venture, Dip Set Radio on Sirius Satellite. Flanked by Hell Rell and other Dip Set affiliates, Duke sat down for a minute pre-show to speak with HHDX. With a stacked roster of artists, a new situation at Atlantic and scores of mixtapes and full-length CDs flooding the streets, there’s no rest for a Dip Set soldier. But that’s exactly how they like it.

Down with Dip Set since day one, Duke was instrumental in putting together Children of the Corn with Cam, Mase, Big L and Bloodshed. Unfortunately, both Big L and Bloodshed have passed on, but not without remembrance. Bloodshed’s vocals appear on the album on “Bloodshed R.I.P.”

The VP of A&R for Diplomat Records talks about Dip Set’s new compilation, Dip Set Radio and why Harlem is back.

What’s going on tonight?
Dip Set radio. We’re going to launch it tonight. I got Jim Jones coming through. Hell Rell. We’re going to introduce it like that.

What’s your situation like with Sirius Satellite?
We’re starting off every two weeks and after the first two months, we hope to go every week. Like a regular routine.

How did the show come about?
We were interested in having a radio show. We do the mixtapes. We got the streets. We do the Internet thing. We just don’t have no radio presence. They gave us a nice little spot here so we thankful for that.

Talk about your compilation, More Than Music.
It’s a Diplomat compilation featuring all the Diplomats. I don’t rap. I’m an A&R. I put the music together. I put the collaborations together.

How did you get involved with the Diplomats?
I started off, me and Cam from the same block. I’m from the East side of Harlem. Cam’s grandmother from the East Side of Harlem. We came up together. I was never an artist. Cam told me he didn’t want me to rap. He wanted me to do something else. Be the road manager. I was always part of the group though. When he signed his deal in 1997, we always been together ever since. And now I get to executive produce the new Diplomat album. Continued on page 2 »