Digga D: 'A lot has changed. Where I'm living, my thought process, everything's changed'

UK rap star Digga D checks in with Dotty on Apple Music 1 for an in depth chat about his new project ‘Back To Square One’. He discusses the project and how it shows his evolution and maturity as an artist. He also discusses his thoughts on the current UK Rap scene and how he dislikes how filtered it’s become, as well as his preference to stay away from industry parties, his dislike for Jollof Rice, why he’s a big romantic, as well as previewing his upcoming show at The Royal Albert Hall in addition to recounting a previous visit there as an eight year old, plus more.

Digga D tells Apple Music about how his life has evolved after releasing four mixtapes in four years….

Digga D: A lot, man. A lot has changed. Where I'm living, my thought process, everything's changed. Nothing's the same except for me, if you know what I'm trying to say. I don't know how to explain.

Digga D compares the difference between the Digga D that dropped ‘Double Tap Diaries Digga’ in 2019, with himself today….

Digga D: I feel like I was an immature child with a good talent, you know what I'm trying to say? Now I feel like I'm growing up and when you first start something, you always have that hunger. I'm just trying to find that hunger again…

Digga D tells Apple Music why his hunger levels to make music have dropped since when he first came on the scene…

Digga D: So it's like when, I don't know, let's just say a grand, when you make your first £1,000, it feels so good. It feels the best feeling ever. And then when you make it again, it's like, "Cool." It don't feel the same, you get me? But I don't know, I'm just trying to get back.

Digga D tells Apple Music how he measures success and what success looks like, two weeks after his new mixtape dropped…

Digga: Success is making my fans happy, my supporters, them reaching out to me and saying, "Yo, this tape is amazing. I can see the growth." That is success for me, success for me is being happy. A number one, can't make me necessarily happy if you know what I'm trying to say? It's other things my supporters telling me, "Oh, this is great. I listen to this song every night before I go to sleep." That's success for me, yeah.

Digga D tells Apple Music about what makes him feel gratitude now…

Digga D: All right, cool. Before for my other mixtapes, I've never done any pop-up shops or none of that stuff. This one I did do pop-up shops. And seeing my supporters come to me queue up outside, some of them come and bring me gifts. I'm like, "Rare, this is crazy." That is crazy for me.

Digga D tells Apple Music about how he feels about the chart success UK rap is having currently…

Digga D: Commercially, it's good, but... Yeah, I look around of course, but commercially it's good but feel like urban streets, we ain't liking the state of UK music right now. We don't feel like that.

Digga D tells Apple Music why he’s not enjoying the UK Rap scene right now…

Digga D: I don't know, man. It's just not raw anymore. It's just not... No one could be their self anymore, you get me? That's what I feel like anyway. Too judgmental that you might say a one thing in a song and everyone's like, "Wow, why did you say that?" And then you've got Americans that Sexyy Red, all these other people saying whatever they want. At the start it's like, "Oh my gosh, you said that." But then you start listening and then everyone starts following and then picking up and it picks up. But the second someone does something out of character here, you get told off for it, man.

Digga D tells Apple Music if he feels like UK Rap is too filtered currently…

Digga D: Yeah, way too filtered. The whole thing, it's not even just rap, it's just social media, it's everything. Living for other people, you've got to live for yourself, man.

Digga D discusses with Apple Music what factors motivate him to keep making music…

Digga D: My supporters. Me and my supporters definitely, I felt like I was... I said, once this mixtape comes out, I'm just going to go and take a year break, just get back to normal, be normal. And then when I saw my supporters pulling up and they're like, "Yo, when you going to do this? When you going to do that?" I'm like, "Yo, I can't take a year break." That's the motivation for me, you get me?

Digga D explains to Apple Music why his newest project is called ‘Back To Square One’ and if it means he’s resetting as an artist…

Digga D: Nah, not necessarily. But that tape, at that time I removed my social media, my Instagram, I wasn't using Snapchat and stuff. And I was just in deep thought, deep thinking, whatever. And I was just listening to rap beats like a lot of old songs and I just said before drill was rap, so let me go back to doing rap and whatever. And it was just like, yeah, a more deep tape.

Digga D tells Apple Music if he would ever want to be mainstream or if he’s already arrived at the point that he wants to get to…

Digga D: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would want to, I would want to. I was thinking of behind the scenes mainstream, what you have to do to be mainstream. Like go to certain parties and speak to certain people and dress a certain way and I don't like doing all of that. I just want to be myself and if I blow up whilst being myself, that's perfect for me, you get me?

Digga D explains to Apple Music why he prefers to avoid going to industry events…

Digga D: Nah, do you know what? It's not necessarily I'd rather not, but it's just fake, man. It's just everything's fake to me. I don't like it, it's just so fake. Not that I can't say it, people don't like being their self, that's what I feel like. I don't want to be around bare people that are just clout chasing and it's too much, I'll end up exploding. I'll shout at them, "Get away from me. I don't want to smile with you. I don't know you. Stop coming over and trying to act like I'm you are my biggest support. Show me my tape. You downloaded my tape? I bet you say no. Move out my face, man." I can't be arsed with all of that. That's not necessarily antisocial though.

Digga D discusses if he would do anything difference looking back over the past six years…

Digga D: No, I don't think I'll do anything differently. Everything's meant to be, innit? Everything's for a reason. When you believe in God, you are starting to understand that everything's for a reason. Nothing should change.

Digga D tells Apple Music why he won’t be swayed from making his own decisions and how it led to the success of ‘No Diet’…

Digga D: My manager said to me, "Don't do No Diet." They told me, "Stop promoting No Diet." That song, you remember that song that I mean? They told me, "Stop doing that. Stop promoting it." I said, "No, I don't care about what you saying right now. I'm still doing what I'm doing." Because I had another song at the time that I was supposed to be promoting. And I said, "Nah, I'm promoting that song, this song's not even out. No Diet weren't even out." And I was like, "I'm promoting it. I'm promoting it." They're telling me, "Stop, stop, stop." I said, "I don't care what you are telling me right now." And they're my music managers. Stuck with my gut and it went off.

Digga D discusses with Apple Music about putting together a romantic experience for his girlfriend’s birthday…

Digga D: We got on a helicopter, ice cream and walked around the island and went back. Got in a hot tub, looked at the view, all of that. I rather go and eat some sweets and watch your favorite movie… but we took a helicopter to a different island. And then we was just walking around the island eating ice cream, looking at the views, taking videos. And they got back on the helicopter, went back to the other island. They dropped us back to the hotel, we were in a hot tub, drinking champagne, looking at the view and stuff.

Digga D tells Apple Music why he prefers Rice & Peas to Jollof Rice…

Digga D: I'm rice and peas. Yeah, Jollof, it's overrated. It don't taste like nothing. Get that off my plate immediately. They're going to kill me.

Digga D discusses his upcoming show at The Royal Albert Hall, and his previous memory performing at the venue as an eight year old…

Digga D: Everyone keeps saying to me, "It's the Royal Albert Hall.” I'm like, "Bro, man." When I was young with my school, they had a rap battle. Rap battles with other schools and that. My school won. I went there to the Royal Albert Hall. I was at the Royal Albert Hall and performed I remember. I even remember my lyrics, it was like a full U-turn. It was about safety. And my verse was about crossing the road…I don't remember all of it, I remember some of it. It's like, "If you want to cross the road, use the Green Cross code. Wait, wait, wait til the green man shows. Stop, look and listen. Keep to the missions.”