88

Album: Unexpected Arrival (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Diggy teams with New York Hip-Hop artist Jadakiss on this track for a rap free-for-all. The teenage rapper explained to The Boombox the meaning behind his lyric, "I'm only two years in and a couple of months/ Yeah, the road was Bobby Brown, it had a couple of bumps." "I wasn't referring to Bobby Brown's life," he said. "More so, something that people from the '80s would know what I'm talking about. I was talking about how my life is bumpy. Something that Bobby Brown was about."
  • Diggy is rapping about the year 1988 on this track, but the number 88 has a lot of musical significance: not only is it the number of keys on a piano, but it's in the title of what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considers the first Rock song: "Rocket 88." That song is about a car, the Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which Little Richard namechecked in his song "Rip It Up," singing, "got me a date and I can't be late, picked her up in my 88."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Jello Biafra

Jello BiafraSongwriter Interviews

The former Dead Kennedys frontman on the past, present and future of the band, what music makes us "pliant and stupid," and what he learned from Alice Cooper.