Diamond D of the legendary Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) has a few thoughts about who gets crowned the "King of New York" and when.

In an interview with B High TV, he talked specifically about Biggie, who he says was a "shooting star," getting the title.

“It’s hard to say only for the fact that Big gave us like two albums, some might say one and a half, you know, so how can someone be the best ever after only one and a half albums?" he questioned. “That’s not fair to a lot of artists. Big was a shooting star, he touched a lot of people, and a lot of people loved him…but the best ever, that’s debatable for me.”

He says breaking it down by era is the only fair way to do it, especially when you consider the talent that stamped each decade, from Mobb Deep and AZ, to Jay-Z and Wu-Tang Clan.

“You gotta go by era,” he said. “There are things Jay-Z stands for, and there are some things Melly Mel stands for, who was one of his influences, but someone 22 may be like, 'Melly who?’ That’s why I say you have to go by eras.”

Diamond D and the rest of the D.I.T.C. (Lord Finesse, O.C. Fat Joe, Showbiz & AG, Big L) played a major role in defining the sound of East Coast Hip-Hop in the 1990s, with albums like Stunts, Blunts and Hip-Hop, Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous, Jealous Ones Envy and Word...Life, and carried their legacy through the 2000s with a collection of albums.

Check out D's interview above.