Ever since his 2018 smash hit, “AirForce”, DigDat has established himself as one of the most recognisable figures in UK Drill. The rapper proved he wasn’t a one trick pony by backing up this song with the release of a full-length project, Ei8ht Mile, in 2020. This tape saw a slew of A-List features, including D-Block Europe, Headie One, and K-Trap, whilst DigDat pushed Aitch to his absolute best on the titular track. It would have seemed that the rise of DigDat to drill’s pinnacle was inevitable, yet 2021 proved to be quieter than expected, partly owing to disputes with his previous manager.
The South London man however has put his foot to the pedal to kick off 2022, going back to his drill roots on the new tape, Pain Built. Before you’ve even pressed play on the tape, it’s clear that there’s likely to be a departure from his previous two projects. Comparing the covers alone, it’s clear that he’s moving away from the glitzy ostentatiousness and making a return to darker, more gritty pastures.
The first track of the project, “Intro”, continues to establish the dark, morose undertones, as DigDat raps on the hook, ‘If I dig out your chest, dip dip, come round and ruin the drip.’ The production on the first track, and for the rest of the record, reinforces the severity of DigDat’s bars, adding to the overall atmosphere of the tape. “Dottys Cost Jeans”, produced by R14, uses Asian influences on the production and contrasts with the opening track in terms of tempo, giving the South London rapper more space on the beat, which allows him to express himself further through ad-libs.
DigDat is able to combine lyrics and flows across an array of tempos on this record. With producer credits such as M1OnTheBeat, R14, X10, and Jevon, it is unsurprising that the tape sounds as if it embodies the spirit of UK Drill, yet it is DigDat that brings these beats to life with his impressive bars and wordplay. On “Side of Da 9 Gotta Star”, he raps, ‘Slap that mash on the back road, make a man jerk like Levi Roots’. The self titled “Dig Dat” feels more uptempo and vibrant than a lot of the record in terms of production, while the beat on “Assassin Creed” matches DigDat’s delivery perfectly, producing one of the highlights of the record.
It is rare for an artist of DigDat’s stature to release a full length project with no features, but it is certainly refreshing. Far too often it feels that certain features on albums and mixtape are forced in order to boost streams, rather than considering the impact of the overall song. While a successful collaboration blends musical styles and genres to create a song greater than the sum of its parts, this feels like a rarity in today’s industry, and it is a brave move to choose 10 solo songs for a project. It therefore feels as if DigDat has used his time away from the game to go back and bring out what made him such a rising star of drill in the first place, combining with some of the best producers in the game to create a project that does the genre justice.
With Pain Built, DigDat has been successful in blocking out the noise around him, and creating a project that feels as if it captures the essence of what he is as an artist. With no features and a stellar production cast, the spotlight throughout the tape is firmly on the South London rapper, and there are no signs of him shirking this responsibility. Pain Built feels as if it is a step in the right direction for both DigDat and UK drill.