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New star launches from hip hop household

MTV viewers will know Diggy Simmons as the son of RUN-DMC superstar Joseph Simmons, but these days, the fifteen year old is making a name for himself as a rapping, internet superstar.

Diggy Simmons made headlines in 2009 when he began following in his father’s footsteps and released his first mixtape. The First Flight garnered positive critical reception, proving that he wasn’t just a rich kid with a famous dad, but an actual artist.

The First Flight was followed up by the 2009 mixtape Space Travel: Time Continuum, and in 2010 Simmons gained even more recognition with the Airborne and Past, Presents, Future mixtapes.

With a father who helped pioneer hip hop music, and an uncle that leads one of the top hip hop record labels, Diggy Simmons has the perfect genes for a recording career.

His two sisters, Angela and Vanessa, have become business moguls in their own right with their own line of shoes dubbed Pastry Footwear.

There’s no doubt that Simmons’ family helps get him in the door and in the headlines of the music industry, but once he’s in, he proves his worth as a musician and entertainer.

One of Simmons’ most popular songs, “Great Expectations”, describes the pressure to succeed, as he raps “The skepticism lies heavy / He’s bout to make it ready / He got his fam on his back”. And, in the chorus, “The want me to fall / They want to see if I make it / Got my back against the wall, put my hand to the sky / No, I won’t let them break me”.

While Simmons may have been raised by the first generation of hip hop, he is undoubtedly part of the next generation, as he, like other modern stars, has embraced the internet and blogs and tweets regularly on his website “Life of the Jet Setter”.

Simmons doesn’t only have his hand in music, he is also intricately involved with the fashion industry. He has been rumored to have his own clothing line coming out in the near future, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Pharrell Williams, and one of his role models, Kanye West.

At just fifteen years old, Simmons has already accomplished more and garnered more attention than most musicians, yet, this is just the beginning, as he was signed to Atlantic Records in March of 2010.

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