Lil Peep and Makonnen completed the first fifteen of what would be twenty-one songs and would later be known as the album “Diamonds” in Los Angeles, exactly 6 years ago in August of 2017.
Gus was absolutely thrilled about working with Makonnen. When he came home in August, he played those songs for us—over and over. Gus was incredibly proud of those songs.
While Gus was glad to be home for his grandpa’s birthday, he could not wait to get back to making music with Makonnen. He knew there was more music to make, and he knew he had limited time due to his upcoming fall COWYS tour, so he organized his next chunk of studio time so he could meet Makonnen in London, where they made the last batch of songs.
We all waited with anticipation for the release of this album. Then Gus passed away. I knew I had to do everything I could to help get this album released—and released the way Gus and Makonnen had made it.
I am very grateful to Makonnen not only for his patience, grace, and fortitude, but also for the tenderness with which he re-assembled the original “Diamonds Team” to gently prepare the album for its release. He did an amazing job—they all did. Gus would be so proud to know that this album had come out. He would be grateful to his friends for taking the time and care to do it just right.