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Rah Digga - Dirty Harriet

Three and a half stars

While Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim have based their careers on their own good looks and sexuality, New Jersey-born rapper Rah Digga has built her's on a foundation of impressive rapping.

A member - along with Busta Rhymes - of the Flipmode Squad, Rah Digga's debut album Dirty Harriet is a surprising slice of inventive hip-hop. Quite an impressive work for the former electrical engineering student, the album bodes well for her musical future.

Rah Digga's voice is a far cry from the kittenish purr of the aforementioned "glamour" rappers. She is gruff and aggressive, and displays a prodigious lyrical talent, layering metaphors in each track.

The cameos that have become a staple of every hip-hop album actually work to good effect on this album, with "Imperial," featuring Busta Rhymes, as a particular high point. Elsewhere, Eve and Sonja Blade make perfectly capable appearances on the single "Do the Ladies Run This ·" and the Flipmode Squad appears on "Just for You."

The beats on the album are surprisingly fresh, alternately menacing and playful. Excellent production work by Pete Rock, DJ Premier and Nottz keep the proceedings diverse and hard-hitting, while never obscuring Digga's vocals.

While not an indispensable document, Digga's debut is a promising start. The hip-hop field is crowded with interchangeable, talentless MCs who have somehow found commercial success; Digga's talent and ambition come as a breath of fresh air.