Rising from social media to become a recording artist,
DDG traded comedy for rapping, issuing a series of singles and collaborations in the late 2010s. He started out releasing his own music, but was signed to major label Epic by the time of his 2021 mixtape
Die 4 Respect.
Born Darryl Granberry, Jr. in Pontiac, Michigan,
DDG got his start in 2014, posting videos online as PontiacMadeDDG. As his following grew to over a million subscribers, he continued creating comedic content (parodies, pranks, skits, and challenges) until transitioning to rap. Early singles "Dope" and "Lettuce" with
Famous Dex arrived around 2017. As his audience expanded, he attracted more high-profile collaborators, including
YBN Nahmir,
G Herbo, and
Black Youngsta on "Run It Up" and
Queen Naija on "Hold Up." He issued the mixtape
Take Me Serious in 2018, followed in 2019 by the EP Sorry 4 the Hold Up and his debut studio album, VALEDICTORIAN, both released through Epic/Sony. A string of stand-alone tracks appeared throughout 2020. In 2021,
DDG collaborated with
Quality Control Music producer
OG Parker on the
Die 4 Respect mixtape. The project included appearances from
Blueface,
Lil Yachty,
42 Dugg, and many others, and entered the Top 100 of the U.S. Billboard charts. ~ Neil Z. Yeung