~Q’ban – I must say I enjoyed the album. Diggy has smooth transitions in his lyrical flow, coupled with solid, tranciant production that fits his vibe perfectly. Your hear the influence of the “now” and the restraint of the “then”. Young Diggy’s first release is hitting the ground running. He is no Drake copy… no Pharrell fake… and definitely not his pops. Diggy has carved a new (yes i said new) lane for himself. Strong concepts, clean lyrical delivery, commercial but very street textured. Rap with great R&B tones…. This guy with the right promotion could be GREAT.
Features: Tank, Jadakiss, Jeremih
~Mive Content – I racked my brain and outside of the Bob Marley siblings I was hard pressed to find any successful parent-child family dynamic. Especially in hip-hop. Zilch. Zero. One of the main reasons is that most rap artists still see themselves as somewhat relevant and don’t really embrace riding off into the sunset. One of the groups that have done this? The legendary Run-DMC. They basically hung em up after the passing of Jam Master Jay. Change then took place as Reverend Run focused on raising his family. He did a very good job as we all watched ‘Run’s House‘ for 6 seasons. And as much as we saw Jo-Jo’s ambition in wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps. We watched Diggy kind of skate along through his teenage infancy. Little did we predict that we would see a Diggy Simmons album before Jo-Jo. The reasons why? That’s another blog. But here we are and the album title is appropriate.. ‘Unexpected Arrival’.
Let’s 1st address what the album does have. Kanye, Pharrell & Drake influences throughout lyrically. Which is expected from a teen making his debut. He’s hasn’t experienced enough to formulate a distinctive style of his own. That isn’t a problem. It actually works for this project. Here’s what the album doesn’t have. Nepotism. No Jo-Jo Simmons. No Rev Run with any verses or skits or words of wisdom. And no Run-DMC samples or covers or lyrics for that matter. Which also adds to the album. These are areas Diggy could have easily leaned on to lighten his load and by not doing it, it actually gives the project more credibility. Why is that???
Because Diggy Simmons can actually rap. He’s good. Metaphors are strong. Punchlines have sting and he does this without stepping outside his lane. He doesn’t pretend to be anything he isn’t at his age & that’s refreshing. So what does that mean? It’s says that this album is good. This is the 1st album I can remember where if you’re a teenager or grown-up you can appreciate the album. It’s not too Lil’ Wayne for kids and it’s not Mindless Behavior for adults. Perfect hybrid. Now is the album great? NO. But will you waste your $$$? NO. Diggy Simmons has carved a nice lil niche to build from and if this album sells, you can look forward to him evolving. 3 & 1/2 shields GoJu Nation. In stores today……
Key Songs: Two Up, Unforgivable Blackness, The Reign & Glow in the Dark.
“GothamJungle baby… see it, Think It, BE IT!!!”
[the-author]
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