Diggy Wins NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist

Diggy’s debut album, Unexpected Arrival, is set to drop March 20, but that isn’t keeping young Simmons from already wining awards.

Diggy recently earned the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist.

Rev. Run’s middle son was rocking Best Buy’s Theater when his The Life of the Jetsetter Tour landed in New York Friday night (Feb. 17). That same day, the 16-year-old, who was the only rapper nominated, got news that he beat out the group Committed, singer Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., boy band Mindless Behavior and singer Wynter Gordon for the Outstanding New Artist award. He did not wait long before humbly thanking his Jetsetters fan base and the NAACP for recognizing him, either.

“Only the beginning for us,” Diggy tweeted the following day on Saturday (Feb. 18). “Our First award #JetSettters!! Thank u @NAACPimageaward.”

The award just adds to his list of achievements. In 2011, he was named one of XXL’s Freshmen and was nominated for BET’s Young Star Award.

All his success comes despite many constantly associating him with his father, Run DMC legend Rev. Run, and uncle, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, as well as first being seen in MTV’s reality show, Run’s House. To boot, The Jetsetter has put out multiple mixtapes, is on his third tour with his debut LP set to drop in less than a month. —Christopher Minaya