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When I think about my childhood in New Jersey, one of the things I think about is the great Hip Hop coming out of our state! I mean we’re talking about the Garden State……the state that brought you Lords of the Underground, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Naughty by Nature, Redman, and many others. One of the best to come out of New Jersey is the legend herself, Rah Digga. Digga has made a name for herself by destroying microphones for years. Yes, she’s dropped albums. Yes, she’s been on television. What makes her legendary is her rhyming ability. She’s been blessing mics for over two decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Don’t believe me? Check out her latest joint titled, Thinkin’ Out Loud, and that should show you that she still got it! Did I mention that she writes her own rhymes?

Digga, let me start off by saying thank you for taking time out to do this interview with the 7th Boro.

Stroy: Where did your love for hip hop come from? Was there a monumental moment when you were like, “This is what I’m going to do!”?

Rah Digga: My love for music comes from my parents. I was taught at an early age to appreciate music and to pay close attention to the words. They were very militant people so analyzing music messages was quintessential. Seeing Queen Latifah, also a Jersey native do it made me feel like it was an attainable goal…not just something for New Yorkers lol.

Who/What influenced you to start rhyming?

Roxanne Shante was the first rapper to make me pick up a pen. She taught me how to go off on dudes without geting the “she’s ok for a girl” pass.

How did growing up in the Bricks influence you as an MC?

Lots and lots of rappers to battle. We the Outsidaz were pluckin them off one by one too..

You dropped a lot of music this summer. One of my favorites is “Storm Comin”. You say a line ” They told me sex sells, I took the red pill, I chose to stay street, let the culture prevail”. (Powerful line by the way.) Do you feel like lyrics have taken a back seat to sex appeal when it comes to today’s female MCs?

Absolutely. Artists were usually signed according to their talents and then later groomed for the masses. Nowadays artists are getting signed according to their looks and THEN the talent is being created in an office meeting.

When you said a storm was comin’…..was that a hint that we might see a new Rah Digga album in the near future?

I’m always prone to drop something. Even if it’s just a single here and there. That aforementioned Storm however would be the tensions that are rising due to Hip Hop culture being exploited for everyone’s monetary gain. Meanwhile the DJ/artist community that are still marching to the piper are acting like they don’t see it. Also the media make up the craziest headlines to deflect from the real issues folks are trying to address. It’s happening everywhere in the world unfortunately, not just in music.

You have a healthy catalog of music out now….which track are you most proud of and why?

Right now…I would have to say Angela Davis. That is probably my most honest, introspective record to date.

You’ve recorded with many talented MCs over the years. Are there any other artists (any genre) that you would like to work with?

I wish I would’ve had the pleasure to work with Amy Winehouse. We skyped quite a bit. I can’t believe that never happened. Nas is my favorite emcee. Perhaps one day that will come to fruition. I would even love to fiddle around on a house track with Azelia Banks. House is everything to me. I really think I would like to try my hand at producing an artist. I’ve whipped quite a few of them into Hip Hop ready form lol.

If you could create your own New Jersey Fab 5 (MCs and Producers), who would you include?

My Jersey Fab 5 would be myself ha!! Lauryn Hill, Redman, Wise Intelligent & Mark the 45 king on production. Gotta put Young Zee in there as well.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with your fans?

Follow me on twitter @therealrahdigga …I’m quite vocal about things lol. And stay tuned to my Soundcloud. Don’t think because you don’t here me in the mainstream that I’m not making music. Thank you all for supporting for so long. These barz are here forever!!! #CultureOverEverything

Thank you again!

Once again I’d like to thank Rah Digga for doing this interview and for slaughtering mics all these years. You can check out her latest releases on her soundcloud page. Bless, Stroydnaire.