Diggy Simmons finally released the title of his first major label album due out this spring: Unexpected Arrival. Since the fall, he has been dropping hints to his fans about the album's title through Twitter, even going as far as to reveal that the initials are U.A., but it wasn't until recently that he made the much-anticipated announcement. You could argue that his arrival into the hip hop music scene isn't so unexpected for several reasons. In fact, when you think about his family and listen to his mixtapes, the title seems even more ironic.
Diggy is the son of DJ Run, now known as Rev. Run, who is one of the founding members of one of the most influential hip hop groups of all-time, Run D.M.C. The public got their first look at Diggy on the popular reality series "Run's House" which featured the young aspiring musician as it portrayed the family life of his famous hip hop pioneer father. Diggy's uncle, Rev.'s brother, is Russell Simmons who is the co-founder of Def Jam Records. With family members in such high places in the hip hop community, some people might assume Diggy Simmons's record deal is classic case of nepotism - until they hear his mixtapes.
The first time the world heard his music was in 2009 when he released a mixtape called The First Flight. The following year, he dropped his second mixtape, Airborne, which includes a song that was used in an AT&T commercial that year. His third mixtape, Past Presents Future featured samples from 80s and 90s songs by artists like Nas and A Tribe Called Quest. Named one of Billboard's "Artists to Watch" following the success of his mixtapes, Diggy Simmons is one of the most promising young artists in the industry.
Despite the ironic title, the community is eager to see what the 16 year old rap phenom has in store. Are you?
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