Classic is another one of those albums: an MC once important taking a stab at a resurgence. KRS got together with Buckshot, and a whole bunch of other MCs have been scattering across the board in search of “now” production, but my money’s on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II for having cleared the way for the whole mess of rappers returning to the game. Yet, unlike KRS, Rae, Busta Rhymes, and a slew of other characters, Rah Digga isn’t attempting to return from a critical stagnation, instead, this record marks one hell of a true comeback.
In case you hadn’t noticed, Digga hasn’t dropped an album since Dirty Harriet – in 1999. She was supposed to put out another solo album in 2004, but it never dropped, instead it’s largely found on mixtapes around the web. So, this is Digga’s first album in over 10 years, and not by her choice. One can imagine she’s been through a bit of hell to get to this record.
But she doesn’t show it. One of the album’s pitfalls is Digga’s constant boasting. In light of her time spent quiet, boast after boast about her career and domination are a bit hard to respect. The record would’ve benefited from a little more honesty – Digga hurling venom at the labels and suits, at the lack of love she’s felt in the mainstream would’ve made for far more interesting fodder than bits about skills and tits.
In regards to its production, this album is noteworthy. Digga brings back longtime Busta collaborator Nottz, a producer on her ’99 debut. The producer hasn’t exactly been struggling for work of late – Snoop Dogg, Game, Scarface, KRS, and even Asher Roth are all among the MCs on his credits in the past few years. He makes a hell of an impression here, given the whole album to orchestrate. He stretches out quite comfortably, making the album far more memorable than it would be without him. “Solidified” and closer “You Got It” perhaps in particular find the producer placing alongside the very best this year’s had to offer. Digga’s lucky she had Nottz around to balance out all her posturing for the listener. On the very same day, two albums whose production outshines their MC drop. Between this and Album of the Year you have your fix of arrogance over beats that nearly justify it for the whole year.
To be fair to Digga, she is of course one of the better respected female MCs in the game, so her ego can’t be entirely dismissed. If anything, it’s always refreshing to hear a girl aside from Lauryn Hill with something to say. Then we’re right back at the initial complaint: Rah Digga isn’t really saying anything. It’s nice that she doesn’t feel the need to focus entirely on her body and skills in bed like nearly every other female rapper around, but that doesn’t make this album a classic. Having listened to this record several times through, no particular line comes to mind to offer you. At hardly any point will you question Digga’s skill or flow on the album, but there’s not much meat on this sleek record’s bones.
