D.I.T.C. Drops “Diggin Number”

There are precious few crews with more history than D.I.T.C. The original lineup is a who's-who of influential figures in New York's underground scene, and their broader aesthetic--the sample loops, the pointed vocals, the classicist boom-bap--is one that captures the imagination of many artists who weren't yet conceived when Big L was still alive. Now, as D.I.T.C. Studios prepares a compilation of the collective's material, fans receive some entirely new music--and it sounds more current and vital than many would imagine.

"Diggin Number" comes courtesy of the following line-up: AG, OC and Fat Joe, with a production assist from J Clyde. The song toes the line between returning to an aesthetic that saw its commercial peak a decade and a half ago, without succumbing to the need for conservatism or revivalism.

Fat Joe is undoubtedly the member of the trio who enjoys the biggest national profile in 2016; he was slated to drop a new solo album last year, his first after a half-decade absence, but the record has yet to make it to stores. He recently revealed that the biggest regret he has in his career is failing to sign Eminem when he had the chance to do so. Joe is known to many as the artist who gave Big Pun the break he needed to make Capital Punishment.

See 40 Hip-Hop Albums Turning 20 in 2016