Michael Diamond evolved from being merely another popular musician to being a world renown business magnate. With the rise and fall of Grand Royal, a person can see first hand how at one point Mike D had the "Midas Touch." It seemed like everything he was involved with turned to gold.

First came success with the artists and acts he signed to the blossoming Grand Royal Records label. Luscious Jackson, Ben Lee, Atari Teenage Riot, Sean Lennon, and At the Drive In all produced quality releases that put Grand Royal records on the map as the "coolest" record label in the world. Then came Grand Royal Magazine, which was everything a magazine should be without a single page of trash. Ask anyone who has every read it and they will confirm that even the advertisements were worth reading.

Having invested in X-Large Co. with Eli Bonerz and Adam Silverman, it appeared as though there was nothing Mike D couldn't do. He also aided Yauch in organizing the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, and then the pair traveled across the United States and Europe to promote the release of the Tibetan Freedom concert compact discs.

The hardest working man in show business also made a number of guest appearances throughout the 1990s. He appeared on the Germs tribute album, Mo Wax's U.N.K.L.E Psyence Fiction, Nigo's Bape Sounds, and Mike Watt's Ball-Hog or Tugboat?. Plus Mike D also remixed a few of songs for other artists. This was all done on top of the work he did as one of the Beastie Boys, who toured constantly throughout the last half of the 1990s.

Since the closing of Grand Royal, Mike D has continued to keep busy with a couple of side projects. After having performed together at a handful of music festivals in 2001, Mike D and Mix Master Mike continue to mention their plans to launch a syndicated radio show which they will host. Mike D is also a member of the Latch Brothers who created the soundtrack to the Jet Set Radio Future videogame. In conclusion, we can't forget to mention what is perhaps Mike D's most unexpected side project. Right before Grand Royal went under, Michael teamed up with Bhagavan Das to make an album of spiritual music. Promotional copies of this compact disc are circulating, but there was not a large scale pressing.