Before playing Marquise Lafayette in the Broadway musical
Hamilton (which other people have continuously attempted to convince me is both
good and groundbreaking) or being 1/3 of clipping, Daveed Diggs was a solo act.
Deathbomb Arc Records has reissued his 2012 release on tape for the first time.
This is not what fans of Diggs other work might expect.
“Small Things to a Giant” has a much more standard Bay Area vibe to it.
Although I guess considering the Bay sound is usually in front of most other
rap calling it standard is a bit of an oxymoron. There isn’t any noisy
distortion or loud screeching electronic effects. Even though he does
prophetically mention preparing to win a Tony on “Fresh from the Hood”, he’s
not playing a character.
Fans of Diggs more acclaimed work should look to this as a
document in his evolution. Hamilton fans will probably still enjoy it because
it’s full of various historical references. Clipping fans who know him for his
highly technical, fast delivery might be interested in seeing how Diggs was
able to spit over slower beats. West Coast hip hop fans familiar with the Bay
Area sound won’t need any further context to appreciate the somewhat denser
than usual bars on varying topics over the familiar beats that define it.
Deathbomb appears to be all sold out but you can stream it
below.
Roy Blumenfeld
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