In the May 2000 issue of The Source magazine, I wrote the review for Rah Digga’s debut album, Dirty Harriet. I opened the review by stating that growing up as a little boy, if someone uttered the statement, “Hey! You throw like a girl” it was to be considered a straight up diss. Then just as now in today’s current climate of Hip Hop with far too many posturing male emcees claiming originality that’s reticent, how fortunate would they actually be if someone said to them, “Hey you rhyme like a girl!”…especially if that girl’s name, excuse me – if that woman’s name is Rah Digga. With a resume that’s encapsulated by verses on the multi-platinum-selling Fugees sophomore album, The Score and the title of Flipmode Squad’s “First Lady,” for far top many male emcees, being told that you rhyme like a girl would be considered a major step up. The lady with a commanding delivery, vibrant vocal clarity, punchlines and a deep, rich voice is back after 10 winters.
“This Ain’t No Lil’ Kid Rap” 
reveals a real lyricist who just also happens to be a female to bless the game with what it has been missing. Over hard snares and nasty tops and bottoms, Rah Digga flexes her lyrical prowess. The message is simple: don’t speak when grown folks are speakin’ and Rah Digga is definitely a grown-ass woman, she ain’t a lil’ kid. The Outsidaz alum who took time off to be a mother to her child, lost no luster in her braggadocio style. Digga possesses the type of pen game that most rappers would be afraid. As you listen to her spit it’s more than obvious that the she never stopped writing songs and verses. “The Book Of Rashia” is a track possessed with Gothic musical accompaniment and instrumentation. Digga’s commanding flow shows that a sleeping giant has been awoken and the New Jersey native born Rashia is doing exactly what she was meant to be doing with sheer skill and confidence. Like her debut album, Classic keeps guest appearances to a minimum. Linking back up with, Dirty Harriet producer Nottz, the duo works together uncompromisingly to masterfully carry the whole album.
“Who Gonna Check Me Boo” is aimed directly at the heart off true Hip Hop lovers. If current emcees’ musical offerings are clogging up your arteries and raising your levels of bad-Rap cholesterol, then the team of Nottz and Digga offer you classic crisp production and raw, polyunsaturated Hip Hop. Amidst hard snares, organ sounding keys, whistles, and video game laser shot noises; Digga poses the question, “Who’s Gonna Check Me Boo?” and then confidently responds, “Not ‘chu!” This is simple, but effective. Rah Digga’s confidence has always enhanced her appeal.
The title track, “Classic” is a Rock-inspired joint accented by early Sunday morning church organs. The track is caressed by a Rah Digga lyrical onslaught that will have you pressing rewind to hear that classic line that she just said, one more time. On, “Viral” Digga rips dudes and kills chicks, while “Straight Spittin’ IV” is nothing but energy and a barrage of lyrical fury as Digga notes that she’ll probably be spittin’ till the day she meets her maker. Despite her plans for infinite rhymes, Digga doesn’t overdo it on Classic. The 11-track sophomore album is just a bit over half an hour long, keeping it both concise, but also a bit abrupt after so much time away. Moreover, like many golden era disciples, Digga struggles at times for subject matter more than her abilities, her views of the culture’s stagnation, and firing warning shots on violators.
After 10 years of waiting, Rah Digga proves she is a veteran who can stand alone – in her class as well as on the microphone. Classic manages to mesh the best elements of the year 2000s Hip Hop with the highlights of the musical trends of today. When she burst on the scene in the late ’90s, Rah Digga countered a burgeoning trend of female representation in Rap. Nearly 15 years in, she’s still a Rap role model standing tall.
Good for her. A true Femcee unlike these whores nowadays
fuck you maggot- fuckin crab- you little noodle,your a crumb.
REAL HEADZ RECOGNIZE- DIGGA AINT THAT DOPE
Album is real dope. Will be picking this up on Tuesday.
i feel sorry for your dumb ass.
classic is a classic
reading her diaries… digga sound so bitter. all she wanna do is act like a diva. i thought about supporting till i saw the chip she has on her shoulder. eff outta here
HIP HOP DX IS A BUNCH OF DUMMIES FOR REAL!
YOU GIVE Q-UNIQUE’S ALBUM 3.5 AND THIS SHIT 4.
I HEARD THE DIGGA ALBUM AND ITS WEAK. SHE AINT SAYIN SHIT- CONTENT IS SO LIMITED.
NOTTZ DIDNT COME THROUGH WITH THE BEATS LIKE HE COULD.
PLUS DIGGA’S LYRICAL ABILITY IS MAD LIMITED AND SHE SHOULD HAVE FADED AWAY LIKE HURRICANE G- LIKE THAT REFERENCE ?
FUCK DX
YALL SOUND STOOOOOPID! THIS ALBUM IS A CLASSIC. AND I READ THE DIARIES SHE DONT SOUND BITTER. SHE SOUNDS SMART AS HELL TELLIN YALL STUPID ASSES TO STOP COMPARIN HER TO THAT BRIDE OF CHUCKY ASS HOE!!!
Digga is a veteran straight up. Sorry gutter man but her content consists of the craziest punchlines to tell u how nice she is. But I guess rappin about your fat ass and shoes or shootin and robbin people is a much higher elevation of content. No thanks! #teamdigga
hey dumbo,
i’m slim and more hip hop educated than you will ever be. ha ha
you diggin digga so much makes yoou look pretty silly.
no content, versatility, or creativity= ra digga
hey “Mr hip hop educated” I was referring to chix rappin bout there fat asses not u. smh. now who looks silly? And u sound pretty silly hatin on a chick cryin about ur boys ratings..go listen to nicki minaj u bitch ass nigga
Anybody who can still rhyme like this 20 years later has got my vote. Only people that still can are Nas, Busta, JayZ (sometimes) And her shit’s even harder than their stuff. I’m clear who the G.O.A.T. of the chix is..and maybe even the dudes…..
SOMEBODY YANK GUTTERMAN ETHERNET CABLE PLEASE!! NOTTZ DIDNT COME THRU W THE BEATS ARE YOU SERIOUS??? FORGET DIGGA REALLY BEING THE NICEST FEMCEE BUT I MEAN?? I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO THIS ASSHOLE….
i aint on ethernet pablo.
i’m a real vet since the early 90’s and you dont know who i am.
ha ha ha ha.
nottz has done much better.
and digga is pretty basic- no matter how many punchline rhyme schemes she repeats over and over.
open your minds fools. theirs a lot of talent rappers out there like Mikah Nine, Ill Bill, or Immortal Technique.
get a grip dummies.
“real vet since the early 90s” ROTF! Why is gutter man hatin on a chick tho. I can see if he was debatin about chicks but he comparin her to some niggaz? DIGGA U GOT NIGGAZ FIRED UP..LOLOLOLOL!!!
I forgot to vote DIGGA=5 STAR MC
gutterman and 718 sound like they have issues with there mothers.
peep these 2 bars son- yo- word -kick it, yo, yo
the only mommy issue i had was with your horny cougar mom.
not any more though cause now she lets me hit her in the bum
damn..its the female redman and papoose lol. shes dope and the beatz were tight too. good album
Really good.
ok seriously why does ONE dude keep loggin in to bash Digga? Is this some disgruntled ex?? Digga is the best to do it hands down!!
check it.
i didnt say she was wack. she is dope. just pretty basic.
and thats actually an actuality.
if you have a special thing for her, than thats cool.
but technically she is 1 dimensional.
but i will say, she has dope cadence, flow, presence and energy. i keep logging on because i feel its important to defend the talent and shoot down the over -rated.
also the beats on the album just arnt hitting me like i know nottz could.
Gutter I’m curious to know who your favorite female artist is? All female rappers are pretty basic if you ask me but Digga doesn’t even compare to chicks. I’m sorry but you can’t deny she’s fuckin with dudes. I’ll take Rah Digga simple punchline format over a simple Lil Wayne or Waka Flaka ANYDAY!!!
Overrated=Lauryn Hill
Rah Digga=golden age emcee. She sounds like every other old school artist tired of cornball mainstream music “cept she actually can still rhyme unlike most of the rappers from back in the day.
SHOOT DOWN OVERRATED??? GO FIND A NICKI MINAJ BLOG AND GO SHOOT HER DOWN IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT OVERRRATED!!! DIGGA IS THE LAST OF A DYING BREED YOU MORON
i’m back- following up.
i just think certain people over rate her, cause she dosnt have much content, style versatility or creativity. she is real hip hop though and thats cool. I just cant listen to her for a whole album.
my favorite female rapper of all time is m.c. lyte becuase she was so ground breaking as far as content and style and she has 3 or for CLASSIC albums that broke a lot of ground. Lyte actually had substance and more versatility.
My favorite femcee now- dont have one, but Eternia has substance, soul and real lyrical skills way beyond Rah Digga.
Digga is a beast. I dunno yall even payin attention to that guy. This bitch gonna be old as Jayz killin bitches. Go Digga Go
pretty simplistic. it just seems as if shes rapping in the easy voice, without changing much octivs, just pretty boring and simplistic. lyrics are tight and so is production. would have put it at 3 1/2 but cat so its a 4.
raw HIP HOP “im loving it”
Greatest female hiphop artist of all time. The experience and talent that this lady has can’t be matched by any female in the game. Fuck a Nikki Minaj
Lyrics were dope… beats weren’t … Too simple in song format…Not touching Evil Jeanius or Eternia + Moss….Still good to hear a dope famle emcee without yabba dabba doo rhymes..3 on lyrical content alone..
Like she said she’s schooling most dudes and she’s definitely killin’ a lot of these fem-cees in the game now a days. Notz is beastly as well. The best thing about this album is it’s not long…there’s NO FEATURES…and only one producer and it works!!!!
I cant believe some actually had the audacity to call LAUREN HILL overatted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you smoking crack? Miseducation of lauren hill is a hip hop classic and can be put on the same level as ANY classic album. there are no different level of classic albums meaning ready to die=all eyez on me=illmatic=reasonable doubt=naked truth=miseducation of lauren hill. Rah digga is hip hop royalty. nikki minaj is sooooooooo overated to prove my point tell me you bump “your love”? her single
i HATE THAT DAMN SONG ERRRR ppl dont understand nicki is an entertainer not a rapper
yo this cd is legit and i am a rah digga fan but it aint fuckin wit meta historical?? im still not understandin yall’s rating up here lately!
It aint better than Kris ish either!
damn this album is nice hip hop
rah digga she came out of nowhere and killed it . beats bumpin too
Who gonna check me boo
Soldified
classic
I’m looking at this site (which I like), but i have to question some of the audiences comments. To be honest, i can tell the young hip hop fans from the more mature fans. i’m reading about this monotone, lacking octave suggestion (i’m weak). If you need all that, then you can listen to rap actresses (nicki, lola, you know the f.b.m.c’s/fake booty emcees). Rah digga puts thought into her wordplay that makes sense.. not makes cents for the record. there’s a difference between between hip hop and pop hop… as far as the beats… you gotta be kiddin’ me saying they basic.. 757 representer nottz is official with it.. boom bap essentials (kick drum, synths, 8’s, guitars, small sample=classic hip hop) album not for you weak hearted mtv suckas
One of the greatest flaws of an internet buzz is that you can’t tell who, how old or how many of these untraceable user-names are anyone who’s advice you’d take in real life. How many comments on this post link back to anyone at all? For all you know, they could all be the same person.
This album’s dope becuz of Rah Digga’s performance mostly. Some of the beats aren’t as much of my liking as I thought they’d be but, they hold up enough to do the job. Big up to Rah for keeping it street and for not coming with them fragile-ass rhymes that i hear from most cats. More respect to her for not having any guest spots. She obviously didn’t need em and i’m not mad at the running time… just pressed rewind.
This chick is straight raw. Lyrics are on point and beats are good although like some others I know Nottz can come a bit harder. Don’t get me wrong, still a dope album that I needed in my artillery. 4 stars.
The mediocre beats keep this album from reaching its full potential.
if we can have a kanye west, b.o.b, talib kweli, common, nas, lupe fiasco, etc rap guys in the game we can make room for more variety of female rappers like rah digga, lauryn hill, and jean grae in the game. so sick of the stereotypical female rapper. she took hip hop back to its raw essence.
i gave the album 5 stars. ppl tryna come down hard on her cus she a chick. and not rapping about sex and she’s not over the top with stage antics.
Wow, DX and I never agree…This shit is SUPER AVERAGE! And you wanna know why?? Becuz of NOTTZ’s dumbass!! Hasn’t anyone killed NOTTZ yet?? I swear, this guy makes the worst fuckin beats possible, for christ sake! Why would she have NOTTZ produce her album?? Wow…Her first album was nice. Had good production. THis shit sucks!! Step yp ya goddamn game, NOTTZ!!
i love rah digga forever, i do feel ppl tho like the beats yeah um not so much, her plus better producer would be better i like it its more like a mixtape sound not an album sound but i’ll be a fan forever
oops forgot to vote 3.5
WoW, so much hatred n shit. I gave it 4 stars simply cuz Rah KILLS the SHIT OUT OF EACH SONG, although some of the beats are kind of recyled sounding Rah’s lyrics and her voice and power really shine thru. I have 5 songs that I am listening to over and over. Good music, I hope she takes off.
The album reminds me of old school rap but it feels fresh and new. Glad to give this one some time…Shes top 5 female MCs….EVER
“her cover is biten off of Nas shit!” (in Raekwon voice)
First off its hard to run an album after being out for so long. Album is solid, don’t sleep on this one. Plus, BONUS TRACK FT. LADY OF RAGE+RAH DIGGA+ETERNIA! Um, yeah its a keeper. This is what hip hop is supposed to sound like and not a retarded tranny with the voice of an 8yr old…
I’ve only just ordered this album so i need to wait until I listen to it from start to finish. With that said, I have listened to a few bits on YouTube and as Rah Digga has ALWAYS been my most favourite female emcee, she does not disappoint, so far.
Thinking like a customer can be an effective tool when dishing out ones customer service duties