The album contains some of his previous singles – “VV”, “Assassin’s Creed”, and “How High” – which were released in anticipation for Pain Built. The album has endured a slow start on the streaming charts thusfar, with the highest non-single track reaching 58k hits on Spotify in just over two days. However, the albums looking to be a sleeper hit, with numerous tracks having the potential to go big as Sounds on TikTok, now a vehicle for drill music these days, for better or worse.

After two years since his last project, DigDat sounds much more laid back than last time we heard him; on “Dottys Cost Jeans”, he spits fast bars but with a casual tone, not needing to spit with the same violence or urgency on previous tracks. He hops on a beat like its too natural, not having too use any vocal gimmicks or shock value, but let his fluency do the talking. Far from the maximalist sound of “Air Force” or “New Dior”, Pain Built has a markedly sparse feel, alternating between melancholy and cold-heartnedness. The album is largely devoid of joy, perhaps relfecting the album title, apart from the track “DigDat” whose beautifully bouncy beat is matched only by the artists bravado.

Even surrounding the albums release, DigDat has kept a low profile; no big interviews, features, or public appearances bar the odd Instagram post. Despite the backing of a big label, and boasting numerous highly popular tracks, DigDat is lacking the public presence of his peers.

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As you can see, there are no features yet disclosed on the tracklist. It is unclear whether or not the feature list will be revealed closer to the time of release, or on release, or whether DigDat is ambitiously pursuing the path of no features. Typically, when UK artists rise to prominence, they recruit big-name features to promote a leading single from an album. Stormzy has been the feature artist of choice, featuring on Loski’s, Headie One’s, Dave’s and Ghetts’ recent albums in the last year or so.

On DigDat’s last album, Ei8ht Mile he was not without the help of other notable UK artists, including Aitch, Headie One, K-Trap and D-Block Europe. In fact, there were only 5 songs on the thirteen-track album wherein DigDat appeared unaccompanied, including the Intro and Outro tracks on the album. Dropping a drill album with no features would be a welcome yet ambitious departure from what fans have become accustomed to with DigDat and the genre at large.

Dropped in 2020, Ei8ht Mile was a massive success, with each track generating over a million in streams, and one track, the eponymous ‘Ei8th Mile’ featuring Manchester-born rapper Aitch, nearing the dizzy heights of his biggest single ‘Air Force’. Far from a one-hit wonder, DigDat has established himself as a major player in the genre. Consistently releasing singles and projects for the last four year, he has kept up his workrate to a high level. Releasing four singles and an album in 2020 wouldn’t sound that impressive if his tracks weren’t consistently making waves; one should expect Pain Built to maintain this impact he has on the scene.

DigDat’s lyrics frequently mention his time in jail; some of the most recognisable lyrics from his hit single ‘Air Force’ include “I just got back from a stretch, they didn’t miss me when I was gone” and “What you know about sitting in jail, and you feel like the pillow’s giving you spots?”. Having been imprisoned for five years at the age of 13, he has clearly been through a lot in his life, perhaps dealing with some trauma from having his formative years being spent without freedom. Pain Built will no doubt unpack some of this trauma, given the title.