Diggy Simmons : Why He Doesn’t Take Family Advice On Music, His Super Rap Group & Losing Trayvon Martin

We would think that being one of the six children of Hip Hop legend, Rev. Run, would be stressful enough, but Diggy Simmons denies that assumption, and claims that he doesn’t feel any pressure from his family at all. During his DTLR in-store signing in D.C., (to promote his debut album, “Unexpected Arrival,” which dropped on March 20th), Diggy spoke with us about just that, as well as his views on taking industry advice, the Trayvon Martin case, and taking criticism. We also covered the details of his new album, but refrained from asking about his alleged engagement, since everybody and their mama has already harassed him about it! Peep the quotes from our interview with this 17-year-old, who has transformed from just one of Rev. Run’s sons, to a rap superstar already holding positions on lists like Billboard’s “Artist’s To Watch, 2011,” and XXL’s “2011 Freshman Class.”

On feeling pressure from being in the Simmons family:

“It’s not pressure for me, honestly. I’m just focused on being my own individual, and that’s how it always was for me. I really took it into my own hands to do my music and to let my talent speak for itself. So it was never any real pressure, because I’m focused on my own goals and reaching my own milestones.”

On why he doesn’t get advice from his celebrity family members and friends:

“I haven’t gotten any advice from those people, because I have a lot of people on my team surrounding me, who are involved. And I do everything with my music. Creatively, I’m involved in every aspect of my project; I’m really particular about the way I’m portrayed. So there’s no advice, it’s just me being me.”

On who he would pick to be in his Super Rap Group:

“I’d pick Jay-Z, Kanye, and Lupe. So that’s like The Throne Plus Two!”

On how he chose his album title:

“Unexpected Arrival came from two things. 1, is when I did the cipher and my mixtape, and my freestyle, and things like that, people were shocked because of where I came from, and because of the show (he’s referring to his younger days, appearing on his father’s reality show, Run’s House, for those who didn’t know). They’d never be expecting what I was doing. 2, it’s also about the way I was before. Sometimes I’d worry about what people would say, and let that determine how I’d be. And I just want people to know that confidence starts inside yourself. A belief in yourself is more important than trying to change the world to like you more. It’s about making the world think you’re special.”

On the Trayvon Martin case:

“I think it’s terrible that someone just looks a certain way, or just wear something and get gunned down for it. I’m devastated about it, especially because he’s around my age. It’s definitely heart-breaking, and I give my condolences to his family. He was super young, and he had a full life ahead of him.”

On how he deals with criticism:

“People do test me. Like on social media and twitter, people say things about me. But it’s about picking and choosing your battles, so it’s not really bad for me.”

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[Photos: Dream In Color]

-@Kami2Kute

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