Introducing ‘Notes from Mr. Sandman‘ – a column slapping a spotlight on lyricists overlooked, under appreciated, or just plain criminally slept on. Or like a man named Nas once said, “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.” Enter Mr. Sandman with what y’all missed while chasing the REM dragon; Photo: Facebook
Rah Digga is a butcher, the type of rapper who turns pudgy MCs into hamburger. She is widely known for her work with Flipmode Squad, but is also a stand alone star who often gets lost in the conversation of lyrical stalwarts; an artist who transcended gender with a tactful, eat-’em-up style.
With the looks of a supermodel, but the voice of a demigod, she’s gruff and full of venom. Some liken her to Lauryn Hill, but she has her own nuanced style; a vision that draws from many experiences, from life in the hood and holding ground in battle cyphers to lime-lighting it in Hollywood.
Her debut Dirty Harriet dropped in 2000, and at the time rap was slowly emerging as a marketable force. The underground was being acknowledged, and artists like Common and Outkast were becoming household names. Their absence left a gaping hole where ruff-and-tumble lyricists once stood, and artists like Da Brat, Lil Kim and Rah Digga stepped in; vicious queens who ruled with an iron fist.
Dirty Harriet is an earthquake, groundbreaking in its raw power. The beats (handled by a cavalry of heavy-hitters including Mr. Walt, Pete Rock and DJ Premier to name a few) are thunderbolts, slamming into the earth with bone-rattling intensity, the type of sound that would come to define New York rap. Rah Digga was not intimidated. She had already established herself, and this was her long awaited coming out party.
On “What They Call Me” Rah Digga reads proudly from her resume. It’s a total flex and she makes sure to take note of all the doubters who didn’t think she had the chops to hang: [LISTEN]
After releasing her debut album Rah Digga became one of the most sought after commodities in rap. Despite her popularity it would take over a decade for her to release an official follow-up. For the average lyricist that much time off is a death sentence, but Rah Digga understood the art of timing.
Nicki Minaj was the biggest thing around, and she was of the mindset that style trumped substance. Rah Digga was the opposite. Her lyrics are her daily bread, and she proved that female lyricists didn’t have to objectify themselves to get rotation.
The title track has Rah Digga spelling it out in plain English. She’s addressing the time she took off, but reminding fans that all the nuts and bolts are still in place. She’s just as dynamic, and the wine-like ease in which she kicked bars showed that she was still running on all cylinders: [LISTEN]
In today’s market rappers of Rah Digga’s ilk are rare. She’s the type of lyricist who could hang with the fellas but still maintain her feminine touch. She didn’t have to add a masculine tone to her voice nor did she have to be overly aggressive. She knew how to play to her strengths and emphasize the characteristics that made her special. While she may shy away from the title, she’s a role model that helped pave the way for a legion of powerful female lyricists.
