Digga D is a famous British Rapper, and he is the founder of Black Money Records (BMR) which is managed by Groundworks.
Profile Summary
| Full Name/Stage Name | Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert/Digga D |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | 29 June 2000 (22 years) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | British Rapper and Director |
| Net Worth | $500,000 |
Who Is Digga D?
Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert known professionally as Digga D is a British Rapper and Director. He had multiple singles that have been placed in the UK Singles Chart; his mixtape albums Double Tap Diaries and Made in the Pyrex, reached No. 11 and 3 on the UK Albums Chart, respectively. His third mixtape, Naughty by Nature was released on 15 April 2022, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Early Life of Digga D
Rhys Herbert was born on 29 June 2000 in West London. Herbert’s interest in music initially started at age 12, when he listened to Jamaican reggae and dancehall and subsequently started writing music. Rhys later went on to release his first single, ‘Jumping’, at age 14. He was kicked out of school after on a random police check, he was found with cannabis. This led to his first arrest as a teenager.
Career Journey of Digga D
In 2015, he formed the UK drill group 1011 along with his friends in a local youth club in Ladbroke Grove. The group was named after the W10 and W11 postal codes and includes members Herbert (Digga D), Yonas Girma, Micah Bedeau (Horrid1), Isaac Marshall, and Jordan Bedeau They released several singles in 2016-17, including “Kill Confirmed”, “Play for the Pagans”, “Next Up” and “No Hook”.
On 9 November 2017, Digga D and members of 1011 were arrested in a stop and search in which they were carrying machetes and baseball bats. 1011 claimed they were making a drill music video, but police stated they were planning to attack a rival gang, 12World. Digga and 1011 were convicted of conspiracy to commit violent disorder, sentenced to 1 year in jail, and given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) in 2018. Four of the group’s music videos before the CBO were taken down. However, they were noted to have already amassed over ten million combined views and would soon be uploaded by fans to their channels, where they continued to get more views. The group rebranded as CGM, an acronym for Certified Grove Members.
He did do a freestyle for Mixtape Madness’s Next Up? which was released on 30 November 2017. The freestyle was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry on 18 October 2019, making it the first Mixtape Madness freestyle with a certification. Rap critic Joseph JP Patterson described the release of the freestyle as having “stopped everyone in their tracks. Heads in the music industry began to turn, and they quickly found themselves in ‘next to blow’ conversations.” Ethan Herlock of The Face wrote that the freestyle “demonstrated Digga D’s distinctive flow and chest-puffing energy, heralding him as a standout MC in the increasingly crowded UK drill scene”.
In July 2020, Digga D released the single “Woi”, which gained widespread recognition worldwide. The single was nominated for “Song of the Year” at the MOBO Awards, and the editors at Complex listed it at the top of their list of best songs of 2020. In October 2020, the follow-up single was released titled “Chingy (It’s Whatever)”. On 24 November, BBC Three released the documentary Defending Digga D on BBC iPlayer and had it later broadcast on BBC One on 27 November. On 4 December, “Daily Duppy” was released on GRM Daily.
Most recently, Digga D has appeared on the remix to Frisco’s song featuring INFAMOUSIZAK: “Bad & Clean” alongside Skepta and Skilling. The song is part of Frisco’s Tottenham EP, and in his verse, Digga mentions his time spent in jail.
What is Digga D’s Music Artistry?
Digga D’s musical influences come from the British Caribbean community in West London and incorporate dancehall, bashment, and rap in his style. The Face considered him one of the pioneers of the UK drill scene. GQ called Digga D “the most influential British rapper of our time,” noting his ability to continue rapping about the “harsh, competitive realities of young inner-city life” while also abiding by the rules of his CBO. Digga D said in the interview “I wouldn’t say I’m a pioneer of drill; I would say I’m a pioneer of changing drill. Other people made drill; I just took it to a place it’s never been to before.”
Digga D’s Controversy with the Law
Because of their arrest on 9 November 2017, Digga and 1011 were given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) in 2018 that required the group to have the Metropolitan Police’s permission before releasing any new music, forbade them from using London postcodes, and banning references in lyrics to real-life incidents and people. Four of the group’s music videos before the CBO were taken down. However, they were noted to have amassed over ten million combined views before removal.
The conditions of Digga’s CBO included being fitted with a GPS tracker on his leg and being made to check in with probation every three hours, as well as having to notify the Met police when he uploaded any songs or videos, within 24 hours of upload. Any releases that incited violence, mentioned certain areas of London, or lyrical references to real-life incidents or people in their music would not be permitted. “There’s a list of about 18 to 20 people that Rhys isn’t allowed to associate with, most of whom make up his friends from school or friends from his area or people that the police deemed were part of a gang that he was part of”, explained Digga’s lawyer, Cecilia Goodwin. Moreover, visually, certain things are not allowed to be portrayed Any breach of the CBO would result in a recall to prison.
The CBO ban issued to 1011 was condemned by the campaign group Index on Censorship and widely described as entirely unprecedented. Digga’s lawyer noted that the CBO “gives the police and probation the ability to control and censor his art”. The Metropolitan Police has since denied it was censorship. Det Ch Supt Kevin Southworth said at the time: “When in this instance you see a particular genre of music being used specifically to goad, to incite, to provoke, to inflame, that can only lead to acts of very serious violence being committed, that’s when it becomes a matter for the police. We’re not in the business of killing anyone’s fun, we’re not in the business of killing anyone’s artistic expression – we are in the business of stopping people being killed.”
He has since been back to prison twice, including for breaching the stringent conditions of his CBO. When Digga was recalled to prison in 2019, Digga was stabbed in the eye, causing him to lose the use of the eye. He was stabbed with a blade fashioned from a tuna can, according to an official at the Ministry of Justice who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Goodwin, his lawyer, said that the rapper had been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder after the attack.
In March 2020 Digga D pleaded guilty to violent disorder again and breaches of his CBO. He was sentenced to two years and 6 months for his role in a machete brawl with rival gang members in front of shoppers in West London. Other members of CGM were also charged, including Sav’o, who was sentenced to three years imprisonment after pleading guilty to violent disorder, possession of an offensive weapon, and breaches of a CBO.
He was arrested again in July for inciting violence after attending a Black Lives Matter protest in London and posting about the movement on Instagram. Right after being released from his previous arrest, rumors circulated those police had taken the rapper back into custody, which was later confirmed. “Again, they are on me”, the rapper is heard saying in a video as he is being cuffed. “For what? No reason.”[54] He has since been released, still under the conditions of his CBO. Asked in an interview with The Face if he was treated unfairly, he replied: “Oh, of course, 100 percent, they didn’t ban me from music [at first], only as it started hitting millions and [they] saw me prospering from it.”
In November 2021, it was claimed on social media that Digga D was arrested for stabbing a man in Dubai. He responded to these allegations by saying in an Instagram post, “In [the] future, before you start adding your 2 pence, wait to hear the full story.” He also stated that, while he was arrested, he did not face any charges and was released soon after.
Digga D Net Worth
Digga D is a UK-based rapper, singer, and songwriter who has produced hit songs in his short career and now has a net worth of $500,000.
Conclusion
He gained recognition as part of the UK drill collective 1011 which was later renamed CGM. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of the UK drill scene.
Some of his music videos have garnered attention among law enforcement, resulting in a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) taken against the collective, and he has been in and out of prison during the singles and videos’ releases. Digga D was sent to prison three times before the age of 20.
He released post-CBO-reviewed singles including “No Porkies”, and “Who?”, and had a Mixtape Madness Mad About Bars session with Kenny Allstar. On 17 May 2019, his debut mixtape, Double Tap Diaries was released. The album included the single “No Diet” which peaked at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart. Days after the mixtape release, he confirmed he was still in jail. The corresponding music video garnered 1.6 million views in five days, received a shout-out from rapper Stormzy, and the music was used in an Instagram video post by Zac Efron.
