RAH DIGGA “CLASSIC”

Rah Digga finally returns with her second album following a ten year absence since the release of her first solo album “Dirty Harriet”. With such a long hiatus I expected more than just 10 tracks on her sophomore album, but she hasn’t lost any bite in her bark. Rah Digga is still raw as ever with her wordplay and Nottz’s bare boom-bap production matches that raw vibe. Don’t expect to hear Rah Digga on your radio dial or banging in the clubs; this album is strictly for hardcore Hip-Hop heads. I would be surprised to see much more response other than those of us who were craving the return of Rah Digga. My pick as a favorite track would have to be “You Got It” with its classic bounce flavor and Rah Digga’s ill wordplay and as a DJ I have to show love to the track with the most scratchwork. For those who actually purchase the album there are two versions with each having its own bonus track; iTunes has "Look What You Done Started" and Amazon has "Smokin' My Life Away". Of the two bonus tracks, “Look What You Done Started” is easily the best. If you’re looking for a critique I would say Rah Digga needs to find other people for her hooks or lean on the producer and/or DJ to create hooks. Most of the hooks are laughably bad. I didn’t like the production of “Feel Good” or “Viral”. The funny thing is, the best piece of production on “Feel Good” is after Rah Digga’s verses and doesn’t kick in until the song is already 3 minutes in and ready to fade out. The risk of deciding to roll with one producer for an entire album is the whole album follows the same flavor of sound. You either like it or you don’t. There aren’t any songs you could pull out for radio play or for spins in the clubs or even banging out of your trunk. That boom-bap sound does not translate well to any of those mediums. Normally I would applaud an artist for not having a laundry list of features, but I think Rah Digga could have definitely used some features to break up the monotony of a single voice with a delivery and cadence that sounds the same throughout the entire album. If you’re a Rah Digga fan you will probably love this album. If you love that boom-bap style you will probably love this album. If you’re too young to remember Rah Digga from 10 years ago and you’re not familiar with the golden era of Hip-Hop, you will probably never hear this album.