Rah Digga

Ten years after releasing studio debut Dirty Harriet, Flipmode Squad's former first lady, Rah Digga is back with new album Classic. Contending with the over-the-top, new school flows of the likes of Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., Digga's retained her brash, old school cadence and the rowdy rap style usually associated with Busta, et al. Producer Nottz, who's releasing his own solo offering this fall, wraps throwback samples and influences around head-nodding drums, complementing Rah Digga's shout-y, tell-'em-wassup lyrics. In addition to touching on her new position in life as a mom, Digga's also trying to stay current, referencing Taylor Swift's VMA speech in "Who Gonna Check Me Boo" and Twitter and Facebook in "Viral." But while she's still wielding punch lines, it's no longer effortless, or maybe just not relevant. Rah Digga sounds like she's working really hard to stay ahead.