(All tracks produced by DJ Premier unless noted)
1. DJ Premier (Intro) | 3.5
2. Digg Is Like | 3.25 - 3.75
3. Risin’ To The Top | 3 - 3.5 (Produced by Doug. E.Fresh)
4. DJ Premier (Break 2) | 3.5
5. Shook Ones Pt. 3 | 3.25 - 3.75 (Produced by Havoc)
6. Wake Up (Interlude 1) | 3 - 3.5 (Produced by Pete Rock)
Alright, I know you wake up seven in the morning. No need to scratch it for a minute.
7. DJ Premier (Break 3) | 3.5
8. Electric Relaxation | 3.25 - 3.75 (Produced by Q-Tip)
9. Paid in Full | 3.25 - 3.75 (Produced by Eric B & Rakim)
10. Elevator Music | 3.25 - 3.75
11, Shut Em’ Down | 3 - 3.5 (Produced by Pete Rock)
12. Cypher (Continued) | 3.25 - 3.75
13. DJ Premier (Outro) | 4 (Produced by Salaam Remi)
The Verdict: 43 - 43.75 | 67% | 3.35 / 5
There isn’t really much to discuss in terms of the mixtape itself. What you expect is what you’re basically going to get, though, you can never go wrong with DJ Premier scratches and smooth golden-age hip hop production.
While these are freestyles essentially, it does show Diggy Simmons general subject matter, which is somewhat of a concern. It’s also interesting to note that this mixtape doesn’t take after the general “jet life / fly society” themes that Diggy usually portrays himself as. But still, much like fellow N.Y.C rapper J. Cole for example, Diggy tends to stay on his lane with raps about success, the good life, being good at rapping, and of course, ladies.
Diggy can certainly rap, there’s no doubt about it, but much what people are criticizing J. Cole about (one-dimensonal subject matter, what he’s going to rap about in the future), Diggy should also consider those same flaws J. Cole has. Diggy can certainly rap, like I said before, but how long can he rap before he runs out of things to say. Yet, unlike J. Cole, Diggy is a mere fifteen years old, there’s a bright future ahead of him. There’s no need to demean him just yet, considering Diggy is still a very impressive rapper.
Also DJ Premier, is it really necessary to scratch one Diggy line for a minute? I understand he wakes up at seven in the morning.
