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Image Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
DDG is a rapper originally from Michigan
He and Halle Bailey have been dating since 2022
DDG started off as a YouTuber, but has transitioned into producing music full-time
Halle Bailey is the talk of the town thanks to her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, which debuts in theaters on May 26. And while Disney enthusiasts are thrilled to see the live-action remake of the classic film, Halle is also being supported by her boyfriend, rapper DDG. “I’m very proud of her. And I’m just happy to see it,” the 25-year-old artist told PEOPLE in Oct. 2022. “I feel like sometimes I’m even more excited than anybody else. Just seeing it and seeing everything that she dreamed of coming to life, it’s really dope.”
Halle, 23, and DDG (whose real name is Darryl Granberry) first sparked romance rumors in Jan. 2022 when they were spotted at Usher‘s Las Vegas residency. Since then, they have walked red carpets together and raved about their romance in various interviews. “I’ve never been with nobody that’s like really motivated me like [Bailey] do. I’m seeing different s***,” the Michigan native gushed on The Breakfast Club in Nov. 2022. “I ain’t really been around this type of s*** before, so it’s like, she’s bringing me around s*** that I ain’t really — you know what I’m saying? ‘Oh, this is crazy. This is dope.’ You know what I mean?”
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DDG and Halle Bailey pose at the 2023 ‘Vanity Fair’ Oscar Party (Photo: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock)
So, who is DDG? Read on to learn about Halle Bailey’s boyfriend of more than a year.
DDG Gained Fame On YouTube
DDG began his YouTube journey in 2014 when he started vlogging about his life. “I just blogged my life, basically. Show my lifestyle, my family, you know, my vibe,” he explained on The Breakfast Club. Although he admitted to showing some “corny” things on his channel, he doesn’t mind because he was focused on “making good content, getting the views, [and] making the money”.
DDG recalled that his first check from YouTube was $200, but over the summer between his freshman and sophomore years at Central Michigan University, he started making thousands of dollars per month. His healthy financial outlook influenced him to drop out of college and move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in content creation. He has amassed a whopping 2.69 million subscribers on YouTube and moved into the rapping space.
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DDG Was His Class Valedictorian
Although he dropped out of Central Michigan University, that doesn’t mean DDG does not take education seriously. In fact, he was his class valedictorian at International Tech Academy. “[Academics] are very important, because I was really into school. That’s what a lot of people don’t realize,” he told BET during a 2019 interview. “Valedictorian is just about being super competitive and being at the top at all times. It displays my competitiveness. I want to be valedictorian of everything — definitely of the rap game.” DDG’s debut album, released in 2019, was named Valedictorian.
DDG is not only smart in school, but a savvy businessman, as he owns all his masters (Photo: Carlo Scarpato/Shutterstock)
“I was the class clown, but at the same time I always did my work — so that’s where the good grades came from,” the home-grown rapper further recalled in a 2021 interview with Billboard. “I think the good grades came from me being competitive. If I feel like somebody’s trying to compete with me, I go even harder.”
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DDG Made Music Before His YouTube Fame
DDG said he always knew he wanted to pursue music and even got to create songs growing up because his father was a music engineer in their hometown of Pontiac, Mich. “We had our own little home studio. Me and my brothers used to make, like, songs together,” he recalled on The Breakfast Club. The “I’m Geekin’” hitmaker said that once his earlier work got some attention, he decided to take his music hobby seriously.
“I’m in a space now where I want people to get rid of the stigma that I’m a YouTuber,” he explained to PEOPLE during their 2019 chat. “I’m really just tryna shake that image and that stigma. Even though I am a YouTuber, I feel like it automatically comes with people not wanting to press play on the music or believing in the music. Or being harder on it. People are harder on me than other artists.” Luckily, he is supported by Halle, who starred in his 2022 “If I Want You” music video, in which they locked lips.
DDG was signed to Epic Records in 2018, but just two years later founded his own record label, Zooted Music. Zooted “scouts, develops, and grows artists using its tremendous leverage in the digital and music space and produces culturally relevant, super talented artists,” according to its website.
DDG Has Won A Celebrity Boxing Match
.@PontiacMadeDDG scores the win but @itsNateWyatt goes the distance 😳
Order PPV Livestream now: https://t.co/v8vhimCs9I#SocialGloves @HardRockStadium pic.twitter.com/ztSSaQSYni
— LiveOne (@liveone) June 13, 2021
DDG is a man of many talents, clearly. In June 2021, he won a celebrity boxing match against musician Nate Wyatt. After his win, DDG gloated that he didn’t even train for the fight. “I left the strip club last night, I wasn’t even training for this fight,” he smiled. Despite his win, he said Nate put up a good fight and said he has “a lot of respect” for him. He also said fans should not expect to see him fight ever again.
DDG Has Endless Confidence
“I’m just a really big fan of myself. It might sound conceited,” the “This Summer” rapper admitted when asked by Billboard how he always exudes confidence. “If I see myself from a third person point of view, I’m like, ‘I see why these kids love me so much.’ I like to reassure myself like, ‘Man, you got this. You’re doing that, you work hard, you came all the way from this.’ I remind myself every day that I’m doing great. Also, spiritually I’m confident. I feel like God invested in me. I haven’t lost in a long time. Even if I lose, I get it right back — and it’s been like that since I’ve been young.”
He seemingly carried the same confidence when making his first deal with a record label. After meeting with numerous labels, he told Billboard he got everything he wanted in his contract including the rights to his masters. “I met with every single label you can think of, and I knew what I brought to the table. I came with a good fanbase already, I came with good music and a hit already. I came with everything already,” he noted.
“So to not get what I wanted from a label would just be shooting myself in the foot. It was never about the money,” DDG further explained. “Before I signed, I already had the money. It’s just good to have a machine behind you and the whole building trying to take you to the next level. I just knew what I brought to the table. I knew what type of deal I wanted and that it should work in my favor.”
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