By The Voice
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Even if he had never decided to enter the rap game, Diggy Simmons would have been considered hip hop royalty. Without the Simmons family, the hip hop landscape would be much different than it is. Diggy Simmons is the son of Rev Run, of the pioneering hip hop crew, Run-DMC, meanwhile his uncle is Russell Simmons, the founder of Def Jam. Run-DMC and Def Jam laid the foundation for the hip hop game, as it is known today.
The positives of Diggy Simmons entering the rap game is the knowledge he takes from his father and uncle, but the same hip hop royal bloodline also comes with its fair share of negatives. Because his father is considered a legendary rapper and his uncle laid the groundwork for future hip hop label executives, the critics are much harder on Diggy Simmons. Before Diggy Simmons decided to enter the rap game, his older brother, JoJo Simmons released an album with his Team BLACKout group.
While JoJo Simmons’ rap career was critically-panned, Diggy Simmons still decided he wanted to pursue a career in rap. Diggy Simmons understood he would not be able to ride the coattails of his family into the game, as he began releasing mixtapes in 2009. By 2010, Simmons was signed to Atlantic Records and he even released a single for the label, which was met with positive reviews. In 2011, Diggy Simmons began working on his debut album and released his “Copy/Paste” single, another song met with positive reviews.
Following the moderate success of “Copy/Paste,” Diggy Simmons returned with his second single, “Do it Like You.” Diggy Simmons teamed up with popular hook-man, Jeremih. Over the past two years, Jeremih has performed hooks for Fabolous, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and several other popular rappers. Jeremih performs the hook for Diggy Simmons’ “Do it Like You,” a song created for the ladies. Unlike other rappers, Simmons is not pretending to be someone he is not. Diggy Simmons realizes who he is, but he makes music about the life he lives. Living a curse-free lifestyle, Diggy Simmons said he will not curse on any of his songs.
Diggy Simmons is filling a much-needed void in the hip hop game as a “clean” rapper, who still makes good music everyone can enjoy. While he may never win over the fans of “gangsta rap,” Diggy Simmons will be able to reach a larger audience, in turn having the ability to sell more records than many other rappers. After listening to Diggy Simmons’ songs, it is easy to forget he is the son of Rev Run and the nephew of the first hip hop president, Russell Simmons. Many who try to follow in the footsteps of their older relatives have trouble stepping out of the shadow of their family, this is one problem Diggy Simmons does not have.
