Lil Peep & iLoveMakonnen Releases 'Diamonds'

Lil Peep & iLoveMakonnen’s Diamonds is now available worldwide via AWAL. The release marks the last cohesive previously unreleased full body of work from Lil Peep. Watch the Diamonds documentary below!

The first single, “November,” was surprise-dropped last week to critical praise. The Fader said, “Over a taffy-textured blog-pop beat, Makonnen and Peep offer gothy romantic laments — it’s not what a lot of Peep fans will expect, though that’s part of the appeal and yet another indication of the strength of Makonnen’s gravitational pull,” while Hot New Hip Hop called the track “hypnotic.”

Raised in Long Beach, New York, Lil Peep launched his career through the self-release of his music online as a teenager. He garnered attention in 2015 following the success of a slew of singles and his first solo mixtapes, Lil Peep; Part One and Live Forever. Over the course of two years, Peep amassed millions of fans, who connected with him through his gritty lyrics that explored themes of love, loss and loneliness.

Branded “the future of emo” by Pitchfork in January 2017, Peep’s genre-bending style contributed to his reputation as a pioneer of the late 2010s post-emo revival, dishing out a handful of full-lengths and several extended-plays all before the release of his debut album Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1 in 2017.

After his breakthrough 2016 mixtapes Crybaby and Hellboy made waves in underground circles, Peep toured the United States and Europe, walked the runways at Fashion Week and began collaborating with increasingly prominent artists between New York, Los Angeles and London throughout 2017.

At the time of his death just two weeks after his 21st birthday, Peep had achieved status as one of the scene’s most promising rising stars. Since his emergence in 2015, he has racked up 5 billion views on YouTube and over 20 billion streams across all platforms.

iLoveMakonnen, born Makonnen Kamali Sheran, grew up in Los Angeles and later Atlanta. He explored various music genres in his teens, recording songs on MySpace and interviewing artists for his blog. His breakthrough came when Miley Cyrus promoted his EP iLoveMakonnen on Instagram, catching Drake’s attention.

He gained an online following for his unique mic style before Drake transformed “Club Goin’ Up on a Tuesday” into “Tuesday” (2014), a Grammy-nominated platinum hit. He’s released 20+ mixtapes and EPs, and featured on gold singles like “I Like Tuh” (2015) and “I’ve Been Waiting” (2019). After stints with OVO Sound and Warner Records, he dropped his debut album, My Parade, in 2021. 

Photographer credit: Richard Stilwell