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How many superstar music artists do you know from Michigan? Detroit’s Eminem comes to mind of course but how about one from Pontiac, Michigan? Well get ready to meet DDG, a rising R&B meets Hip-Hop rising star looking to make a name for himself. Signed to Epic Records, DDG has worked with the likes of G Herbo, YBN Nahmir, DC The Don, Young Nudy, Blac Youngsta, YBN Almighty Jay, Queen Naija and Famous Dex already in his young but promising career.
Although starting off as a successful Vine star and holding onto a Youtube channel that has nearly four million subscribers, he’s backed off of content and is really turning his focus to the music. At twenty-two years old he has built quite the resumé for himself and created some more than exceptional tracks with a plethora of artists like the ones listed above.
His massive following, matched with his own humor and amazing music, has done well so far as he’s in the running for XXL’s 2020 Freshmen List and has several hits to his name too. DDG’s music really caught traction with his last project Valedictorian which debuted this past November. The project had tracks such as ARGUMENTS, which hit 33 million plays and showcases a melodic range of slow bass and piano filled love song where DDG empathizes that “them hoes was lying, Here take a tissue don't like you crying” and explains he wasn’t cheating he wants who he’s talking about “in my(his) life.” All along, his harmonious voice and vocal range mesh and blend perfectly with this modern pop-R&b styled instrumental.
HOLD UP ft.Queen Naija almost hit 12 million streams too, another straight R&B song where the two playfully go back and forth with their verses as DDG sees his ex and thinks her pride she’s not expressing what she feels inside. Naija tells him to not call or text and instead “Hold up” when he thinks to. The two’s vocals compliment each other nicely throughout, and the trap enthused R&B melody is the cherry on top of a song that’s blended perfectly for the mainstream.
I recommend you listen to LIL BABY too, a track where DDG goes into detail on a sexual encounter with a girl who “get(s) around,” the chorus being “Lil baby need to listen.” Saying she’s his “addiction” with times “where we both come like we bought tickets for a mission.”
In 2020, we have four instances so far to hear DDG and all happen to be a bit more upbeat than what we’re accustomed to hearing out of him. Red Light, the first of the four, is a DDG feature on DC The Don’s track alongside YBN Almighty Jay. An entirely rap song, DDG has bars at the end including “Said they want some tickets but we out bitch they sold.” Overall, the switch up from his usual R&B landscape to more traditional rap is a nice change of pace for his fans.
Moving on to more new DDG in 2020, Escape has reached nearly a million plays in just over a month and Cotton Mouth has DDG singing “I’m on that gas now, Walk around with Cotton Mouth” that verse gaining him another three million streams.
But the best yet is his latest release entitled Toxic that’s hit over 200K in less than a week. The song is back to his R&B roots, slowed down with heavy bass, that opens with DDG quietly saying “I aint writing this shit cuz im in my fucking feelings,” before taking us on a roller coaster ride of a story as he details a past relationship vivid memory for vivid memory. Sparing no detail no matter how positive or negative. Which is exactly how the tone of the song comes off with a slow guitar to start as DDG says “Loved you / nowadays its fuck you.”
Follow DDG @pontiacmadeddg on instagram and us @engmtcent to keep up with the latest from DDG and the rest of the underground scene on all social media platforms.