Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Diggy Simmons, a rapper from New York.
This 17-year old up and comer has hip-hop in his genes. He’s the fourth child of Joseph Ward Simmons, better known as Rev. Run, a founding member of the influential hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. Maybe you’ve heard of it?
The celebrity DNA doesn’t stop there, as Diggy’s uncle is Russell Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records. With a family tree like that, its no wonder Diggy’s on his way to becoming hip-hop royalty.
Origins: Queens, New York.
Real name: Daniel Dwayne Simmons III, but he is better known by his stage name Diggy Simmons.
Known for: The teen heartthrob is known for his mad freestyling skills and lyrics that make the ladies swoon.
Used in a sentence: “Diggy Simmons has swag and will make his hip hop family proud.”
File next to: Jerimih
Download now: Although his arrival may have been unexpected, his success isn’t. Listen to “Do It Like You” now.
Watch it here:
Fun facts: Diggy, his five siblings and parents starred in the MTV reality show Run’s House, which ran from 2005 to 2009. Pharrell Williams became his mentor — no biggie.
In 2010, Diggy launched a line of urban sneakers called Chivalrous Culture. That same year, Kanye West tweeted, “I knew this kid was [going] to be fresh. I knew it!” in response to a viral video of Diggy freestyling over the Nas song “Made You Look.”
Career highlights: Diggy Simmons released his debut mixtape The First Flight, in 2009. More than 100,000 people downloaded the album from his blog. After the mixtape’s release he was signed to Atlantic Records.He was named Billboard’s “Artists to Watch 2011” after releasing two more mixtapes.
His debut album, Unexpected Arrival was released on March 19, 2012.
