We’ve all heard the saying men lie, women lie, numbers don’t — but in Diggy Simmons’ case the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Being featured on XXL magazine’s 2011 Freshman cover and having one of the loudest buzzes a new artist can muster wasn't enough to help the young spitter's debut LP, Unexpected Arrival, live up to the hype. Selling only 21,000 copies its first week and debuting at No. 12 on Billboard charts, the album was received well but still failed to move the needle commercially.

In today's music climate low album sales shouldn’t be counted against the young wordsmith. Without comparing material, other notable MC’s rookie efforts also failed to fly off record store shelves (for example, Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and Nas’s Illmatic). Moving forward and focusing on the good reviews, the “Do It Like You” rapper has a new game plan to be more candid with fans.  

Nominated for Best New Artist and the Young Stars Award at the 2012 BET Awards press conference, Diggy remained calm and collected as he answered questions from the hoard of media. Serving as one of the announcers — which included A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, DJ Khaled, Mindless Behavior and Melanie Fiona — the young wordsmith sat down with BET.com to shed light on his newfound blueprint for success.

With the butterflies and pressures of a debut release well behind him, Diggy says his next album will focus more on his everyday life and his journey in the music industry thus far.

"I’m on the road so much and I’m experiencing so many different things being 17, just growing up," says Diggy. "I’ll have lines in my phone just of different things whether it's female things, whether it’s life, people I deal with on a daily basis, people I don’t connect with so much anymore, that’s what it's about for me."

Already putting his plan into action, his new single, "4 Letter Word," is a prime example of how the 17-year-old lyricist plans to open up to his fan base. Premiering the video on 106 and Park, the second-generation rapper showed a more personal side to his artistry, serenading the ladies with his smooth crooning delivery on the hook. In fact, showing that same depth and personality is what first drew us to the Digster when he entered the spotlight on MTV's reality series Run's House in 2005.

"Being myself, just continuing to do what I want to do, not trying to always follow the times or trying to go over a certain formula somebody else does for me, it’s just about doing me," Diggy said of his future plans.

Diggy now sounds like an MC who's finding his way through the rough rap terrain. With a renewed vigor and the confidence of a vet, the young jetsetter says his next album will definitely connect with his fans and not disappoint.

"I’m always talking about life, the things that I go through, and that’s what music is about. It's about that honesty and giving it to people and that’s how they relate."

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(Photo: John Ricard/BET)