MATT HUGHES

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WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Though ’s streets may not have the same rap cred as New York City and Los Angeles, a local mobile application developer hopes its collaboration with a hip-hop artist will put the city on the recording industry’s radar.

Rashia Fischer, 38, of Newark, N.J., better known by her stage name Rah Digga, will lend her name and talents to a smartphone application, Rah Digga’s Straight Spittin’, being developed by local programming firm Appalachian Apps. Fischer traveled to Wilkes-Barre Friday to finalize her contract with the company.
Fischer, best known for her work with the rap crew Flip Mode Squad, has been rapping for 10 years and has collaborated with artists including Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige. She also appeared in the 2001 feature film Thir13en Ghosts and the 2001 made-for-TV musical MTV’s Hip Hopera: Carmen.
“I am the name and the face of the project,” Fischer said, adding that she believes the application “will revolutionize the way people approach the rap industry… support grassroots hip-hop and… help emerging artists break into the industry.”
The app takes its name from a song that has been featured on several Rah Digga solo and collaborative albums.
“I think I’m up to my third or fourth Straight Spittin’,” Fischer said. “That’s a phrase that people know me for.”
Though not directly affiliated, the app’s release will coincide with the debut of Fischer’s second commercial solo album, Classic, which will hit stores Sept. 14.
Appalachian Apps, at 251 Mundy Street, is keeping tight-lipped about the app’s content, but said they will be ready to demonstrate it in two to three weeks. Representatives of the group said the app will work across all smartphone platforms, including the iPhone, Blackberry and Droid operating systems, and will offer both free and for-cost functions.
“This is going to be worldwide big,” Managing Partner Michael Martinez said. “This is going to put us on the map in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.”
Senior Partner Bob Scocozzo was working on the project even before Appalachian Apps was incorporated in January, and that he hopes his company will see up to $50 million in revenue from the project.