After over six years of waiting and wondering if the fan-favorite album “DIAMONDS” by Lil Peep and ILOVEMAKONNEN would ever be released, it finally dropped Sept. 8, marking an end to Peep’s last body of work produced before he passed away.
The album included fan-favorite songs that ILOVEMAKONNEN supposedly deleted after Peep had passed away.
This album is the third and final Lil Peep album he self-produced. “Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 2” dropped in 2018 just months after his untimely death.
This album is not as in-depth and serious as some of Peep’s and Makonnen’s other bodies of work, making it a generally fun and easy record for new listeners.
“Smokin’” starts the album off on a lighthearted note. “Smokin’” is, as you can imagine, a song simply about smoking and hanging out with friends.
The album continues with a fun, easy-going vibe until you get to the seventh track “November.” “November” introduces a drastic tonal change and takes listeners to a more emotional place.
This song talks about being left by the person you love and the heartbreak that ensues. Continuing the emotional pace, the album then features vocal-driven songs from Peep like “Guiltiness” and “Sidelines,” which continue the theme of being alone but introduce anger.
The halfway point of the album, “I’ve Been Waiting,” has been released since 2019, and takes listeners back to the fun-loving energy that kicked off the album. To many fans, the song represents a love letter between Makonnen and Peep, who were rumored to be in a romantic relationship before Peep’s passing.
The rest of the album’s songs, besides two, keep up the loving, exciting energy brought from the beginning of the album.
Songs like “Juice,” “Twisted” and of course “I Sell Cocaine” are genuinely fun songs with not much of a hidden meaning. They’re perfect for studying, driving or any everyday activity.
The only other two emotional songs on the album are “Kiss Me” and “Cry Baby.”
“Kiss Me” has always been one of my favorite Peep and Makonnen songs, even before its official release when it leaked back in 2017.
The song’s lack of production gives listeners the opportunity to take in the pure emotions the two are pouring out.
While it may seem like a simple song to first-time listeners, once you take the time to listen and feel the emotions in the song, it is deceptively vulnerable, as Peep and Makonnens’ use of a calmer voice makes it one of the album’s more beautiful songs.
“Cry Baby” has a similar emotional vibe to “Kiss Me,” however, this song is more aggressive. Makonnen is heard screaming in this song for his love to not leave, giving it a desperate tone in the song as well.
Peep comes into the song softly, allowing listeners to calm down after Makonnen’s screaming, and carrying the gentle emotion for the rest of the song.
The song that this album ends on, “Diamond Piano Freestyle,” could not have been picked better. This was one of the first songs to leak from the album six years ago, and while it technically is just a studio recording of an unfinished song, it’s one of the album’s most important.
It features audio from one of Lil Peep’s final official recording sessions, and hearing him just talking and laughing at the end of the album will put any Peep fan to tears.
This song also shows the personal chemistry of the two artists by giving the audience a little behind the scenes of how the two artists recorded and created music together.
The over 12-minute song ends with Makonnen and Peep laughing and making jokes after practicing the song, closing the album and also metaphorically closing Peep’s last moments alive.
This album is something that many music listeners can enjoy, especially because of its mostly fun nature that celebrates Lil Peep’s life. But the album also has emotional songs sprinkled in if you’re feeling it.
The album’s lack of cohesiveness with each song makes sense due to Peep passing away before the album could be officially organized and new songs could be recorded.
I am truly grateful that this album has gotten its official release after all these years. Peep’s estate and Makonnen did an amazing job putting together this last body of work.
While not the best showcase of Lil Peep’s discography and talent, “DIAMONDS” was a great way to close his final moments to listeners, providing emotional closure to fans and celebrating his art and life.
Lil Peep died at just 21 years old of an overdose Nov. 15, 2017.
This album is available on all streaming platforms with the accompanying music video “Ballin’,” and a documentary about the album’s creation on YouTube.