Unexpected Arrival

Unexpected Arrival is the debut studio album by American rapper Diggy Simmons. It was released on March 20, 2012, by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions took place from 2010 to 2011, at various locations, while the production on the album was handled by Da Internz, Osinachi Nwaneri, Pop & Oak, Happy Perez, and Soundz, among others.

Unexpected Arrival
An image of a man opening a big white door with light coming out of it.
Studio album by
Diggy Simmons
ReleasedMarch 20, 2012 (2012-03-20)
Recorded2010–11
Various recording locations
Genre
Length43:34
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Diggy Simmons chronology
Unexpected Arrival
(2012)		 Lighten Up
(2018)
Singles from Unexpected Arrival
  1. "Copy, Paste"
    Released: May 29, 2011
  2. "Do It Like You"
    Released: October 24, 2011
  3. "4 Letter Word"
    Released: May 8, 2012

Unexpected Arrival was supported by five singles; including three official ("Copy, Paste", "Do It Like You" and "4 Letter Word") and two promotional singles ("88" and "Two Up").

Upon the release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number 13 on the US Billboard 200. On June 22, 2013, the album has sold 89,750 copies in the United States.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
HipHopDX[3]
XXL[4]

Upon its release, Unexpected Arrival received generally positive reviews from music critics. Christian Mordi of XXL praised the album's production and Diggy's lyrical skills for coming off more like a seasoned veteran saying, "Unlike many young artists, Diggy stays away from a lot of catchy, jingle-esque hooks and songs about trends on this project. Clearly the young MC wants to be taken seriously by casual and hardcore fans alike."[4] AllMusic editor David Jeffries also praised the album for its production and Diggy's accessibility as a rapper concluding that, "Kid-tested and parent-approved, this well-done debut makes hating on Diggy as ridiculous as it sounds."[2] Edwin Ortiz of HipHopDX was mixed about Diggy's talent as an emcee, singling out his age and limited view on the world for the subpar content. He concluded that, "To Diggy's credit, Unexpected Arrival plays to his adolescent strengths without hindering his opportunity to build upon his brand as an adult."[3]

Brandon Soderberg of Spin gave credit to some of the tracks, singling out "Unforgivable Blackness" for being "a sophisticated song that actually tries to confront [Diggy] Simmons’ lack of street cred," but found the rest of the album hollow and generic and followed a formula to market an underdog rapper, saying that, "Unexpected Arrival feels like the end of the rap album. The musical narrative is executed so effectively, hitting all the requisite marks, but it doesn’t matter in the least."[5]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Arrival (Intro)"
D'Mile1:15
2."Hello World"
  • Simmons
  • Brandon Green
  • John "D.O.E." Maultsby
  • M. Jackson
  • Nathan "Happy" Pérez
Happy Perez3:11
3."I Need to Know"
D'Mile3:34
4."88" (featuring Jadakiss)
Da Internz3:05
5."Two Up"
  • Simmons
  • Emile II
  • Coffee, Jr.
  • Izquierdo
  • Maultsby
D'Mile3:30
6."Unforgivable Blackness"
  • Simmons
  • Coffee, Jr.
  • Maultsby
  • Osinachi Nwaneri
Nwaneri4:15
7."Special Occasion" (featuring Tank)
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League3:52
8."Glow in the Dark"
  • Simmons
  • C. Battey
  • S. Battey
  • Emile II
  • Maultsby
D'Mile5:59
9."4 Letter Word"
Soundz3:39
10."Do It Like You" (featuring Jeremih)
Pop & Oak3:53
11."Tom Edison"
  • Simmons
  • Emile II
  • Izquierdo
  • Maultsby
D'Mile3:32
12."The Reign"
  • Simmons
  • Cynthia Biggs
  • Sam Hook
  • Maultsby
  • A. Wansel
  • D. Wansel
  • Felder
Pop & Oak3:59
Total length:43:34
iTunes Store bonus track[6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Copy, Paste"
  • Simmons
  • Felder
  • Maultsby
  • A. Wansel
Pop & Oak2:55
Best Buy bonus tracks[7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Knowing Me, Knowing You"   
14."What's Going On"   
15."MSG"
  • Simmons
  • Maultsby
  • Izquierdo
  • Coby
  • Llewellyn
  • Cohen
  • Soundz
  • The Rockstars
3:45
Sample credits
  • "88" contains a sample from "Dance (A$$)" performed by Big Sean.
  • "Do It Like You" contains a sample from "Theme From the Planets", written and performed by Dexter Wansel.

Personnel

Credits for Unexpected Arrival adapted from AllMusic.[8]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[9] 13
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 3
US Rap Albums (Billboard)[11] 2

Year-end charts
Chart (2012) Position
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] 80

References
  1. Jacobs, Allen (April 25, 2012). "Hip-Hop Album Sales the Week Ending 0422/2012". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  2. Jeffries, David. "Unexpected Arrival – Diggy". AllMusic. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  3. Ortiz, Edwin (March 30, 2012). "Diggy Simmons - Unexpected Arrival". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  4. Mordi, Christian (March 20, 2012). "Diggy, Unexpected Arrival". XXL. Townsquare Media. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  5. Soderberg, Brandon (March 20, 2012). "Diggy Simmons' 'Unexpected Arrival': Could This Be the End of the Rap Album?". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  6. "Unexpected Arrival (Deluxe Edition) by Diggy". iTunes Store (US). Apple. 20 March 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  7. "Unexpected Arrival [Best Buy Exclusive] – Diggy > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  8. "Unexpected Arrival – Diggy > Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  9. "Diggy Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  10. "Diggy Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  11. "Diggy Album & Song Chart History: Rap Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  12. "2012 Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
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