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Oh You Didn't Know: J-Diggs

Welcome back Maniacs! Entry number 4 in my "Oh You Didn't Know Series." Links to the others are below:

The Jacka:

http://www.mmamania.com/2016/5/27/11803052/oh-you-didnt-know-hip-hop-artist-the-jacka

Andre Nickatina:

http://www.mmamania.com/2016/6/6/11873048/oh-you-didnt-know-andre-nickatina

Dubee:

http://www.mmamania.com/2016/6/17/11964674/oh-you-didnt-know-dubee-aka-sugawolf-pimp

This week we are looking at Bay Area street and rap legend, J-Diggs.

J-Diggs is the 2nd rapper on the list we are looking at hailing from the Country Club Crest in Vallejo. He is a certified g, known as a member of the infamous romper room gang. He is also a pimp, a hustler, and nowadays an entrepreneur. But let’s not get a head of ourselves, let’s go back to the beginning.

The Romper Room Gang was what J-Diggs, Mac Dre and Kilo Curt called themselves. There are other members but for the purpose of this story I will leave them out. The Romper Room Gang were the talk of the town when Mac Dre released his first single in 1988 called "2 Hard For the Fuckin Radio." The single was a sensation on the underground level but didn’t provide the steady stream of money or notoriety the crew had hoped for. They soon after turned to hitting licks on pizza parlors for cash. They would then head to Reno for the night to rinse their money. The police had suspected the Crest based crew but didn’t have any solid leads. Kilo Curt, real name Simon Curtis Nelson, was even later recorded bragging about how the cops didn’t have clue and only knew their rap names. Throughout this time period, Mac Dre released a song called "Punk Police," which in it he references the harassment from the Police and also taunts them a little bit (Despite all members of the crew saying he never was involved in any robberies and that he was the artist of the group). This would be the downfall of the Romper Room Gang. This lit a fire under the ass of the police. They were able to get an informant on the crew and finally bring the gang to justice in 1992. Jamal Diggs was sentenced to 10 years. Released in 1999 for good behavior, Jamal Diggs was released, hyped up as J-Diggs and immediately put out his first album "Both Sides of the Gate."

The standout track from the album in my opinion, is called "One On One" and it is a soulful old school gangster. In it, Diggs raps about finding out that he has a 10 year old son he never knew about. My favorite thing about the track is that Diggs addresses the fatherly concerns: What colors his kid likes, his shoe size, the fact that he looks just like him, and how he might struggle to understand that he is his father.

As for your momma, well I can’t lie, I’m filled with anger/

Because of her me and my first son is damn near strangers

She evicted me, I’m not trying to make her my enemy

But she robbed me of my baby boys childhood memories

DeVante, the truth is, it’s hard to swallow

Im your father, never even see you hold your bottle

I missed your first steps, must have been a sight to see

Plus you got my nose and you pideon toed just like me

How you know? I did my homework to prepare for this day

How I get my nickname? From that song: Oh Dooda day


One on One

Other standout tracks from the album include Man In Me and Way of the Street. Overall I thought the album was a great one and it certainly got me hooked on J-Diggs and provided inside and thought into the mind of a real G. Being that he was a man of the streets, it would be another 6 years before J-Diggs released his next album. The bay area landscape had changed as Mac Dre had influenced the whole fuckin world it seemed like with the Hyphy movement and the sound and look of Diggs’ next album reflect that. It was a Mac Dre produced album and a sequel to an album from Dre’s earlier days. It was called "California Livin Part 2."

This album is a certified fucking banger and if you’re from the Bay, Northern Cali or just like underground gangster rap, you need to cop it. My favorite track off the album is "Rappers Island" and it still holds up to this day. Not to mention it contains a posthumously released Mac Dre verse that might be one of his dopest ever. "Really Not a Rapper" is a track in which he discusses just that, how he’s not a rapper. He’s brags and boasts about how he really runs the west coast and he’s a real gangster. He also heavily pushes his "boss of the bay" persona and several videos he has released show that he really doesn’t give a fuck and will do what he wants. Check him out in Ghost Ridin his whip mid day. "Dirty Girls" is about his bitches and oddly enough, I went to high school with 2 girls that ended up as his bitches (They were 2 girls that both grew up rich and went to private school but he lured em in somehow). "Romp In peace" is a eulogy of sorts to Mac Dre. Those who don’t listen to Dre, Diggs or the bay might not understand it or like it. BUT if you grew up with any sort of ties to the bay, or are a fan of Diggs or Dre and haven’t listened, check it out. It allows you to hear how deep the bond they shared was and how much he and the crew are struggling without him. They were friends since the old days and Diggs took it hard.

In 2009 J-Diggs released Da Good, Da Bad, and Da Ugly. They were released all at once as 3 separate albums but as part of a group. He also released Jdiggs.com. To be honest, I’m going to skip reviewing these albums, not because I didn’t enjoy them, but for me they had no staying power. Feel free to check them out if you have the time though. In 2011 he released "IZM101." This album is about pimping, sending bitches, blowing money in strip clubs and living the life of a Mack. I listened to this album a lot during my last year of college and it always helped to get the party hyped. Singles off the album include: Make It Work, Rats and Roaches, and Rep Yo Code

His best release in recent years in my opinion is "All Gas No Breaks." It highlights the typical J-Diggs sound along with high quality production of the new bay area sound. His gangster raps are on point and he still reps Mac Dre and the bay…. Something many of the fakes that claimed him after he passed, only for fame, no longer do. In fast food bitch, he talks about the various bitches he had that would break him off cash, food and even video games ha! Recently, J-Diggs has had run-ins with the law for attempted drug trafficking, attempted kidnapping, attempted homicide and a few other smaller cases. None of this has slowed him down however. Currently he can be seen on his Instagram page frequenting Waikiki where he owns a condo. Or he might be asking fans and cannabis enthusiasts where they want him to show up and drop off some of his "OG Diggs THC Syrup." He lost his son, the one he shared the song with, do an overdose of syrup. Since then, he has sworn off the stuff and pushes his THC syrup as a safer alternative that produces essentially the same effect.

More importantly, he is still keeping things Vallejo, Bay Area, underground and gangster. He is still reppin’ Mac Dre and still throwing up his T. He still smashes through the crest when he’s in the bay. He still rides with his old school folks. He is still a boss of the bay!

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