Today: Feb 07, 2025

Music Review: Diggy – Unexpected Arrival

JON MORENO Arts Editor

1. “The Arrival (Intro)” – Instead of kicking off his debut album with a hard-hitting track, Diggy Simmons decides to start things off with preaching from an unnamed man over soft piano keys. The man has some positive messages as the music in the backdrop picks up to then fade into a big crowd cheering. They are cheering as Diggy makes his “Unexpected Arrival.” 4/5 Owls.

2. “Hello World” – The hook features a singer who is not credited before Diggy comes in spitting with a steady flow as he tells the story of his upcoming in the hip-hop world. For a 17-year-old, Diggy’s lyrical ability is stupendous. The hip-hop gene in the Simmons’ family skipped Rev Run’s older son JoJo and right into Diggy. 3/5 Owls.

3. “Need To Know” – The snare here reminds me of Kanye West’s “Say You Will” before the beat drops and we hear Diggy. On the song’s chorus, another singer that is not credited is responsible for the vocals. Diggy’s verses are on point as he hits deep subject matters that most teenagers his age probably can’t begin to comprehend, let alone rap about it in song. 3/5 Owls.

4. “88” (feat. Jadakiss) – This is Diggy’s attempt at a hard, street record. This one is meant for the real hip-hop heads. This is not meant for the charts but very much still has the potential to do some decent numbers. Diggy’s verses surprisingly hold up well against Jadakiss’ lone verse. The beat has deep 808’s, hard snares and a whole bunch of sounds that sonically sound great in headphones. “Check my family tree, you know my uncle taught Diddy, who turned around and taught Biggie and Biggie thought Jigga so you can just imagine what he teaching me,” brags Diggy. Those bars are hard and only can Diggy say those lines. You have to respect it. 5/5 Owls.

5. “Two Up” – The song could’ve used different snares as it doesn’t mesh quite as well with the beat the way the piano keys do here. The chorus is smooth as Diggy once again delivers lyrical and profound verses. 3/5 Owls.

6. “Unforgiveable Blackness” – Interested song title. The drums hit hard as Diggy raps about family situations and racial issues. “Can’t relate to Scarface but I read Othello,” Diggy says. 4/5 Owls.

7. “Special Occasion” (feat. Tank) – The beat has an old school feel to it as Tank croons before Diggy raps. It’s a feel good song. The album is extremely solid at this point. 4/5 Owls.

8. “Glow In The Dark” – The song has huge single potential. The beat sounds made for radio. Diggy reminisces about his upcoming in rap once again here. The breakdown towards the end is nostalgic. The song nearly hits six minutes as it takes an immediate turn to hitting Drake territory in terms of filtered drum sounds and melody. 5/5 Owls.

9. “4 Letter Word” – Diggy displays some singing abilities on this track. That four-letter word? Love. Diggy professes his feelings for that significant other as he croons to a young lady. This is another song with big single potential. 4/5 Owls.

10. “Do It Like You” (feat. Jeremih) – Speaking of singles, this track was Diggy’s first single featuring one of the music industry’s go-to guys for a tremendous hook, Jeremih. He does not disappoint as Diggy runs game on possibly the same young lady from the previous track. Luckily, we don’t hear Diggy singing here as he leaves that job to Jeremih. Great song, great single. The kid knows how to make a hit. 4/5 Owls.

11. “Tom Edison” – The beat is straight up gritty as Diggy takes it back way before he was born. However, the beat switches up to a more modern sound as Diggy sounds right at home, spitting the hardest bars he does in the whole album. The Jay-Z and Kanye West influences are evident here. 5/5 Owls.

12. “The Reign” – This is the last track as Diggy closes out an album without one single bad song. Some are better than others but all are solid. This song is mediocre compared to the last few tracks but it still gets the job done. Diggy may not have been an unexpected arrival like the album title might say, but he is an arrival more than welcomed in the hip-hop world. 3/5 Owls.

Overall: 4 out 5 Owls

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