Diggy Simmons
Encyclopedia
Daniel Dwayne Simmons III (born March 21, 1995), better known by his stage name
Diggy Simmons or simply as Diggy, is an American rapper and the fourth child of Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons
. He, along with his parents and five siblings, were the primary subjects of the MTV
reality television
show Run's House
.
, The First Flight, in 2009.
More than 100,000 people downloaded the album from Simmons' blog.
Following the album's release, according to Simmons, five record labels showed interest in signing him; he chose Atlantic Records
.
Early in 2010, Simmons uploaded a video of himself freestyling
over the Nas
song, "Made You Look
". The video became a viral
hit and garnered praise from Kanye West
, who responded on Twitter
: "I knew this kid was [going] to be fresh. I knew it!"
Airborne, Simmons' second mixtape, was released in 2010.
It was preceded by the leak of the song "Oh Yeah!", which featured Pharrell Williams
and Lupe Fiasco
.
Album track "Great Expectations" was featured that year in a national AT&T
television commercial.
Simmons released his third mixtape, "Past Presents Future", in December. The album, hosted by DJ Premier
, features samples
of songs from the 1980s and 1990s by such artists as Nas, A Tribe Called Quest
and Rakim
. A video was released for the track "Shook Ones
", which samples the Mobb Deep
song of the same name.
Early the next year, Simmons was named one of Billboard
's "Artists to Watch 2011" and was selected to XXL
's annual Freshmen list.
"Click Clack Away", a song featuring Bruno Mars
, leaked onto the internet in May. Simmons noted that the track would not be included on his debut studio album, set to be released by the end of the year.
He released his first major-label single, "Copy, Paste", soon thereafter.
The song's video was directed by Phil the God, who previously directed Simmons' "Made You Look", "What They Been Waiting For" and "Shook Ones".
Simmons performed the song during the pre-show for the 2011 BET Awards
.
"Copy, Paste" peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart in September.
That month, Simmons released the song "Just Begun" however Simmons tweeted on twitter it was not going to be on the album.
Simmons is featured on the singles "Like 'Em All" by Jacob Latimore
, "Mrs. Right" by Mindless Behavior
and "Yeah Right
" by Dionne Bromfield
.
"Yeah Right" reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart
in April 2011.
Simmons has cited many rappers as his influences including Jay-Z
, Nas, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan
. He has also expressed an interest in alternative music
, including such bands as Maroon 5
, Passion Pit
and Arctic Monkeys
. Simmons said, "It’s a genre I would want to try in the future."
called Chivalrous Culture. He says he gets inspiration from other artists such as Kanye and Jay-Z The first shoe model is called the "Hamachi".
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Diggy Simmons or simply as Diggy, is an American rapper and the fourth child of Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons
Joseph Simmons
Joseph Ward Simmons , known by the stage name Rev. Run or DJ Run, is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Run–D.M.C., and a practicing minister, known as Reverend Run. Simmons was born in Hollis, Queens, New York. He is the younger brother of Daniel "Danny" Simmons, Jr...
. He, along with his parents and five siblings, were the primary subjects of the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show Run's House
Run's House
Run's House was an MTV reality series. It showed the family life of rapper and hip-hop music pioneer Joseph Simmons, also known as Rev Run....
.
Music career
Diggy Simmons released his debut mixtapeMixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
, The First Flight, in 2009.
More than 100,000 people downloaded the album from Simmons' blog.
Following the album's release, according to Simmons, five record labels showed interest in signing him; he chose Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
.
Early in 2010, Simmons uploaded a video of himself freestyling
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
over the Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
song, "Made You Look
Made You Look
"Made You Look" is the first single from Nas' 2002 album, God's Son. Built around several samples lifted from the Incredible Bongo Band's cover of "Apache", the single was important in establishing Nas' direction following his battle with Jay-Z and the Stillmatic album in its reliance on intricate...
". The video became a viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
hit and garnered praise from Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, who responded on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
: "I knew this kid was [going] to be fresh. I knew it!"
Airborne, Simmons' second mixtape, was released in 2010.
It was preceded by the leak of the song "Oh Yeah!", which featured Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
and Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
.
Album track "Great Expectations" was featured that year in a national AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
television commercial.
Simmons released his third mixtape, "Past Presents Future", in December. The album, hosted by DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
, features samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of songs from the 1980s and 1990s by such artists as Nas, A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
and Rakim
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. , known by his stage names Rakim , Rakim Allah, R.A.K.I.M., and The Master, is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time. Eric B...
. A video was released for the track "Shook Ones
Shook Ones
Shook Ones are a band from Bellingham, Washington that have since relocated to Seattle, Washington. The band has done several tours of the United States and a three-week tour of Europe. In April 2007, the band toured Japan...
", which samples the Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...
song of the same name.
Early the next year, Simmons was named one of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's "Artists to Watch 2011" and was selected to XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
's annual Freshmen list.
"Click Clack Away", a song featuring Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
, leaked onto the internet in May. Simmons noted that the track would not be included on his debut studio album, set to be released by the end of the year.
He released his first major-label single, "Copy, Paste", soon thereafter.
The song's video was directed by Phil the God, who previously directed Simmons' "Made You Look", "What They Been Waiting For" and "Shook Ones".
Simmons performed the song during the pre-show for the 2011 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
.
"Copy, Paste" peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart in September.
That month, Simmons released the song "Just Begun" however Simmons tweeted on twitter it was not going to be on the album.
Simmons is featured on the singles "Like 'Em All" by Jacob Latimore
Jacob Latimore
Jacob O'Neal Latimore, Jr. is a RCA Records and Crown World Entertainment R&B recording artist.The first single he recorded was "Best Friend", which made it onto Radio Disney, where he became a part of the Incubator program, which features upcoming young musicians. Latimore performed on Maury ,...
, "Mrs. Right" by Mindless Behavior
Mindless Behavior
Mindless Behavior is an American boy band, best known for the singles "My Girl" and "Mrs. Right", produced by Walter Millsap. The band was put together in Los Angeles in 2008, by Keisha Gamble, Walter Millsap and Vincent Herbert , and the band trained in dance and singing for two years before...
and "Yeah Right
Yeah Right (song)
-Chart performance:...
" by Dionne Bromfield
Dionne Bromfield
Dionne Julia Bromfield is a British soul singer-songwriter. Bromfield's debut album, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, was released in 2009 by Amy Winehouse's Lioness Records label...
.
"Yeah Right" reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in April 2011.
Simmons has cited many rappers as his influences including Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Nas, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
. He has also expressed an interest in alternative music
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, including such bands as Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, Passion Pit
Passion Pit
Passion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...
and Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
. Simmons said, "It’s a genre I would want to try in the future."
Clothing line
In 2010, Simmons launched a line of urban sneakersSneakers (footwear)
The American term sneakers is a synonym for athletic shoes. More specifically, sneakers refer to footwear made of flexible material, typically featuring a sole made of rubber and an upper part made of leather or canvas. Sneakers were originally sporting apparel, but are today worn much more widely...
called Chivalrous Culture. He says he gets inspiration from other artists such as Kanye and Jay-Z The first shoe model is called the "Hamachi".
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. Rap | |||
| 2011 | "Copy, Paste" |
— | 24 | 21 | TBA |
| "Do It Like You" (featuring Jeremih Jeremih Jeremiah Felton who performs under the mononym Jeremih , is an American recording artist and producer signed to Def Jam Recordings. Jeremih's debut single, "Birthday Sex" , peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100... ) |
— | 61 | — |
Feature singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 2010 | "Like 'em All" (Jacob Latimore Jacob Latimore Jacob O'Neal Latimore, Jr. is a RCA Records and Crown World Entertainment R&B recording artist.The first single he recorded was "Best Friend", which made it onto Radio Disney, where he became a part of the Incubator program, which features upcoming young musicians. Latimore performed on Maury ,... featuring Diggy Simmons) |
— | — | — | TBA |
| 2011 | "Yeah Right Yeah Right (song) -Chart performance:... " (Dionne Bromfield Dionne Bromfield Dionne Julia Bromfield is a British soul singer-songwriter. Bromfield's debut album, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, was released in 2009 by Amy Winehouse's Lioness Records label... featuring Diggy Simmons) |
— | — | 36 | Good for the Soul Good for the Soul Good for the Soul is the second album from Dionne Bromfield. It was released on 4 July 2011 in the United Kingdom. The album was preceded by the two singles, "Yeah Right" and "Foolin'".-Singles:... |
| "Mrs. Right" (Mindless Behavior Mindless Behavior Mindless Behavior is an American boy band, best known for the singles "My Girl" and "Mrs. Right", produced by Walter Millsap. The band was put together in Los Angeles in 2008, by Keisha Gamble, Walter Millsap and Vincent Herbert , and the band trained in dance and singing for two years before... featuring Diggy Simmons) |
72 | 8 | — | #1 Girl Number 1 Girl - Remixes :The debut single, My Girl, has a remix version which features Young Money rappers Tyga, Lil Twist, and hip hop/R&B singer Ciara. A remix of Mrs. Right appears on Young Money rapper Lil Chuckee's mixtape, Twap or Die.... |
|