Diamond Platnumz grew up in Tandale, a crowded neighbourhood of Dar es Salaam. Today he owns a record label, a radio station and a television channel.
Born Naseeb Abdul Juma, he is the best-known star of bongo flava, the Tanzanian pop music that mixes hip-hop, R&B, taarab, dance and local rhythms, sung mainly in Swahili. He rose to fame in the late 2000s with love songs and a polished image, and by the 2010s he was one of the most streamed artists in Africa.
Wasafi
In the mid-2010s, Diamond founded Wasafi Classic Baby, known as WCB Wasafi, a record label that signed and developed young Tanzanian artists. Several went on to become stars, including Harmonize and Rayvanny, both of whom later left to start their own labels.
Wasafi expanded into Wasafi FM, a radio station, and Wasafi TV, as well as concerts and festivals. The model, owning the platforms as well as the music, made Diamond one of the most powerful figures in East African entertainment.
Collaborations
Diamond has worked with artists from across Africa and beyond. He recorded “Marry You” with Ne-Yo and “Waka” with Rick Ross, and in 2020 he released “Waah!” with the Congolese rumba legend Koffi Olomide, whose dance video spread across the continent. He featured on Alicia Keys’s 2020 album, on the song “Wasted Energy”.
He has also collaborated with Nigerian stars, building links between East and West African pop.
Controversies
Diamond’s personal life is a constant topic in the Tanzanian and Kenyan press, from his relationships to his children with different mothers. He has also clashed with Tanzanian authorities over song content, and some of his videos have been banned for being too suggestive.
East Africa rising
For years, African pop on the world stage meant Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. Diamond’s success has helped bring Swahili-language pop to a wider audience. His YouTube channel has billions of views, and his concerts draw huge crowds across East and Central Africa.
The Simba brand
Fans call him Simba, the lion, and he uses the name in his branding. Tanzanian audiences take pride in a local boy who became a regional superstar without leaving home or singing in English.
In Tandale, young musicians practise in the same streets where he started. Many dream of a Wasafi contract more than a deal in Lagos or Los Angeles.
