Rap has been influential internationally for a very long time. At this point, the genre has experienced generations of stars from overseas. The latest of that ilk is Digga D, a 21-year-old U.K. drill rapper, by way of Ladbroke Grove, London, whose distinctive voice, graphic yet clever lyrics and wry sense of humor have put him on an impressive trajectory, even with legal troubles swirling around him. Tracks like “Woi,” “Chingy (It’s Whatever),” “Bluuwuu” and the incredible lyrical showing of “Bringing It Back” featuring fellow Ladbroke Grove rap star AJ Tracey showcase the fire Digga D’s been on for a while now.
As a teen, Digga D formed the rap group 1011 with his friends. He was just rapping for fun when he was around 10 years old, but started taking his craft seriously at 13. As the crew began to build momentum in 2017, an alleged outing to shoot a music video that November ended in being stopped and searched by police. The cops found the crew to be in possession of handheld weapons, of which they claimed was for a video shoot. However, the police believed they were going to attack a rival gang. The incident ended in Digga D being sentenced to a year in prison for conspiracy to commit violent disorder. In addition, the rapper’s lyrics were analyzed for references to street violence and rivals, and he was banned from rapping any such content. As a result, Digga D’s lyrics are censored at times, and the reason why his subject matter has been less violent over time.
Even with these roadblocks, Digga D did a freestyle called “Next Up” that was released on U.K. music platform Mixtape Madness in November of 2017, a few weeks after he was arrested. Still imprisoned at the time, “Next Up” did so well that it was certified silver in the U.K. From there, stints in and out of jail due to the tight rules he now had to follow due to his previous arrest—he can be jailed if he mentions rivals or different neighborhoods he has beef with on songs—along with assaults he was charged with and inciting violence, haven’t really stopped Digga’s rise. His debut project, 2019’s Double Tap Diaries, has accumulated over 90 million Spotify streams, but 2021’s Made In The Pyrex is his true game-changer. The rhymer’s style on his most successful project yet has progressed into a catchier but still lyrically dense package. Plus, over 150 million Spotify streams for the effort proves he’s on a steady incline.
Made In The Pyrex earned a No. 3 on the U.K. Albums Chart. The project was an immediate example of how a niche genre of music like U.K. drill continues to produce big names with big results. The success of “Woi,” released in 2020, and featured on MITP, set off a chain reaction, which led to his climb up U.K.’s rap charts. Nearly every song he released thereafter took off.
Nowadays, Digga D has newer hit singles like “Pump 101” with StillBrickin and “2k17,” both of which rework G-Unit’s “Stunt 101” and YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Make No Sense,” respectively. He soars as a U.K. rapper flipping American rap tracks, instantly grabbing hold of audiences with a nostalgia factor. The quickening rise of his new single “G-Lock” featuring MoneyBagg Yo is also a win for him. Look out for his upcoming mixtape, Noughty By Nature, out April 15. There’s nothing that seems to stop Digga D and this may just be the project that proves it stateside.
Check out Digga D’s The Break Live below.
Follow Digga D on SoundCloud and Instagram.
Standouts:
“Woi”
“2k17”
“Pump 101” with StillBrickin
“G Lock” featuring MoneyBagg Yo
Made In The Pyrex
