he rise of Nottingham’s Jah Digga might look sudden if you’ve only just clocked in, but in reality it’s been a long, patient grind within the Midlands grime circuit, long before Addictionsstarted doing numbers online. To some, he’s a fresh name in today’s streaming-driven landscape; to others, he’s a name already etched into grime’s history books, backed by Sidewinder sets, local clashes and barring on pirate radio. “I grew up around music,” Jah tells RWD. “My mum had reggae and lovers rock playing in the house and I was the youngest of five boys; my older brothers were deep into that golden era of New York hip-hop, and I was always fascinated by bars and flows and how people would put it all together."
Two decades deep in the Midlands grime grind, Nottingham’s Jah Digga has the receipts: Sidewinder sets, pirate radio bars and viral moments to boot. He talks Notts grit, grime’s storytelling revival and chasing longevity over the quick fix.The rise of Nottingham’s Jah Digga might look sudden if you’ve only just clocked in, but in reality it’s been a long, patient grind within the Midlands grime circuit, long before Addictionsstarted doing numbers online. To some, he’s a fresh name in today’s streaming-driven landscape; to others, he’s a name already etched into grime’s history books, backed by Sidewinder sets, local clashes and barring on pirate radio. “I grew up around music,” Jah tells RWD. “My mum had reggae and lovers rock playing in the house and I was the youngest of five boys; my older brothers were deep into that golden era of New York hip-hop, and I was always fascinated by bars and flows and how people would put it all together.”That early musical foundation in Notts ran straight into the harsh realities of the roads, where both worlds collided as he came of age, but music became his saving grace. “At one point, I was knee-deep in the streets,” he says. “I fully believed in that life. But creative writing was what saved me... Grime literally saved my life.” Jah recalls linking with older people who were into garage and MC culture, then grime emerged and began to shift everything. “When Raskit [Dizzee Rascal] came in, he changed the whole sound,” Jah explains. “It felt like reality for us. UK garage was all bubbly, but grime had that
