Diggy Simmons is back. Following a six-year hiatus from music, the now 23-year-old rapper returns with his uplifting new single “It Is What It Is.”
Over stripped-down violins, Diggy wrestles with his own demons. “Was in my head around the clock / I had to tell the devil stop,” he raps. “Go and give it what you got / What you got is a lot.”
Rev Run’s son also fers some inspiring words (“It is what it is, go head do it big”) and keeps his faith (“We puttin’ God over dollar signs”).
The accompanying visual, directed by Emmanuel Afolabi, takes place inside a Harlem church. As Diggy raps, he is surrounded by a choir and a diverse group women. Diggy also maintains his role heartthrob, posing shirtless on a farm.
“I’m finally able to take a step back and say, ‘It is what it is. I’m happy with this. Here I am,’” explained Diggy. “A lot people go through those ups and downs and sometimes you just need to let it be. The song really sets the tone for what is to come.”
Taking to Instagram, he also addressed his hiatus from music. “I haven’t released a music project in 6 years. All due to overthinking my ideas, my OCD, being too invested in the unknown and the fear an uncertain outcome,” he said. “For years, I let my irrationalities and the negative perceptions others overcome what I perceived myself. … Although this is still a learning process (a strenuous one, that is definitely not linear), I am accepting that it’s cool if I fuck up and not everything has to be perfect. It is what it is!!!”
“It Is What It Is” is the first single from Diggy’s upcoming album, his first since his 2012 debut Unexpected Arrival.