Exclusive: Meet Detroit Rapper 42 Dugg

Check out our exclusive with 42 Dugg.

Very few artists like Detroit’s 42 Dugg can boast the backing of stars like Lil Baby and legends like Yo Gotti. 42 Dugg signed with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group in 2019 through a joint venture with Lil Baby’s 4PF label. Before achieving mainstream success on Lil Baby’s chart-topper “Grace,” 42 Dugg was creating records like “STFU” featuring Peezy, EWM Kdoe, Bagboy Mel, Cashkidd and EWM Buck garnering over 10 million views. Dugg began writing songs during his fifth year in prison, making the best out of a bad situation and giving himself the tools to follow his dreams, which he quickly turned into a reality once being released. In fact, Dug’s first song to hit a million, “Free Mines” was written while he was incarcerated. Check out what else 42 Dugg had to say about his journey, his upcoming project, and working with Baby and Gotti.

The Knockturnal: In another interview, you mentioned that you didn’t start rapping until your final year in prison, what changed that year that prompted you to start rapping?

42 Dugg: I was more isolated my fifth year than I was any other year I was in the hole. I was by myself a lot and didn’t have nothing else to do. 

The Knockturnal: Had you ever experimented with rapping before that moment? 

42 Dugg: I probably tried, but that was the first time I did a few songs, more than one song.

The Knockturnal: Did you put out any of the music you wrote while in prison?

42 Dugg: Hell Yeah. I still be doing songs from my book. My first song that got a million views was from jail, “Free Mines.”

The Knockturnal: How did you write the rhymes with no beats? 

42 Dugg: I used to say shit with no beat. I had this one little pattern I used to knock on the bed, ‘boom boom,’ that’s how I came up with “Free Mines,” that’s the only little beat I made.

The Knockturnal: When you were first released how did you decide which songs to put out? Did you base any of it on feedback from peers? 

42 Dugg: Yeah I had shared it with my homeboy in jail and he liked it and then when I went to Helluva, he did the beat, he was like this sound gonna get the most traction so I put that one out first. It was “Mama I’m Sorry” some shit I took to my heart.

The Knockturnal: When did you catch Yo Gotti’s attention?

42 Dugg: Probably when he asked to bring me out during a concert.

The Knockturnal: Who introduced Yo Gotti to your music? 

42 Dugg: Lil Baby told me he had played my music for him.

The Knockturnal: Who put Lil Baby on?

42 Dugg: I don’t know who put him on to my music. We was cool from shooting dice then one day I call him and his brother and they said they was listening to one of my songs. 

The Knockturnal: How did Lil Baby react the first time you shared your music with him?

42 Dugg: They were goin crazy, we were in the studio and he told me to play some of my music so I took the aux and played a few songs and they were going crazy.

The Knockturnal: How has signing improved your ability to put out music? 

42 Dugg: My resources have expanded and my drive to make music. I’m more into it. 

The Knockturnal: Can you talk about the experience on filming your music video “Not A Rapper?” 

42 Dugg: We was in Miami and Baby had LIV on Sunday and Moneybag had a little house so he brought us to the house and was like, ‘let’s knock out a few singles’ so we knocked out a few singles and that’s how we did it. We finished it in LIV.

The Knockturnal: What was the chemistry like on set?

42 Dugg: I feel like we had already known each other by then so we just vibing off each other.

The Knockturnal; What’s your favorite video you’ve ever shot?

42 Dugg: My favorite music video was probably “RIP Neff.” We threw a pool party and it was fun as hell. 

The Knocktrunal: Can you talk about your most recent project Young and Turnt 2?

42 Dugg: I had been recording it for almost a year and I think the songs that I narrowed it down to are a good collection.

The Knockturnal: Out of the 14 tracks which are your top three?

42 Dugg: “It Get Deeper,” “Y&T 2” and “World On My Shoulders” 

The Knockturnal: Why those 3?

42 Dugg: In “Y&T 2” I was in my bag and having fun, that sound is what I wanted the whole project to sound like and “It Get Deeper” was some shit I was going through and I felt it in my heart. “World On My Shoulders” that’s about one of my home boy thats dead. 

The Knockturnal: Can you talk about the process of recording “Not A Rapper” and being in the studio with Lil Baby? 

42 Dugg: It was was cool, I was in the studio with Baby. Every time we go to the studio  we vibe, it’s good energy. Me and him made the song and we sent it to Gotti to get it mixed, then Gotti had put a verse on there.

The Knockturnal: What was your initial reaction when he sent it back? 

42 Dugg: He was like I think you should put a hook on here. He did a verse too and I didn’t like the hook like that, but I liked that verse though.

The Knocktunal: What else do you have coming down the pipeline?

42 Dugg: More music with me and Lil Baby coming soon and the video for “Been Turnt” dropping this week.

The Knockturnal: What was it like shooting that video?

42 Dugg: I had shot it in Miami on my birthday, hopped on jetskis and had fun. Shot a few scenes in Baby’s house.

The Knockturnal: Any advice for aspiring rappers? 

42 Dugg: Just be yourself, stay the course and make good music.

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