Dion Marquise Hayes (born November 25, 1995), known professionally as 42 Dugg, is an American rapper. He is jointly signed to rappers

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...

and

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

's respective labels 4 Pockets Full (4PF) and Collective Music Group (CMG), in conjunction with

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

. He is known for his collaborations with Lil Baby, including "

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

" and " We Paid", the latter becoming his first top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second mixtape ''Young & Turnt 2'' garnered acclaim and marked his debut on the ''Billboard'' 200. His fourth mixtape, ''

Free Dem Boyz ''Free Dem Boyz'' is the fourth mixtape by American rapper 42 Dugg. It was released on May 21, 2021, by 4 Pockets Full (4PF), Collective Music Group (CMG) and Interscope Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Roddy Ricch, Future, ...

'', was released in 2021, peaking at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Early life

Hayes was born on November 25, 1995, and raised on the East Side of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan near Whittier Avenue & Wayburn Street. The numbers "42" in Dugg's name is a numerical reference to a local

Crips The Crips is an alliance of street gangs that is based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips were initially a single alliance ...

LC set known as the Hustle Boys. At age 15 he was arrested and sentenced to 4 years in prison for carjacking, though a fight with an inmate while incarcerated extended his prison time to a total of 6 years. He spent a month in solitary confinement on two occasions. During these times he practiced his lyric writing and he was released at age 22. He met fellow rapper

in 2017. He grew up listening to

and Jeezy. 42 Dugg is 5 foot 1 inches.

Career

Hayes first gained traction for tracks "The Streets" and "STFU". After writing

slam poetry A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery. ...

with

, he signed to Lil Baby's 4 Pockets Full (4PF) and

's Collective Music Group (CMG), in conjunction with

. 42 Dugg received national attention when he was featured on Lil Baby's February 2020 track "

", peaking at number 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He was also featured on Lil Baby's track " We Paid" in May 2020, peaking at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. This boosted sales of his mixtape ''Young & Turnt 2'', peaking at number 58 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number six on ''Billboard''s Independent Albums chart. Hayes followed this success by doing guest features on songs for other artists such as

Marshmello Christopher Comstock (born May 19, 1992), known professionally as Marshmello, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. His songs "Silence", "Wolves", "Friends", " Happier", and " Alone" have been certified multi-platinum in several ...

Lil Keed Raqhid Jevon Render (March 16, 1998 – May 13, 2022), known professionally as Lil Keed, was an American rapper and songwriter. He was signed to Young Thug's record label YSL Records, as well as 300 Entertainment. His song " Nameless" rea ...

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

, Blac Youngsta,

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

, T.I.,

Kaash Paige D'Kyla Paige Woolen (born January 8, 2001), known professionally as Kaash Paige (a backronym for Kill All Arrogance, Stop Hatred), is an American singer and songwriter from Dallas, Texas. She is signed to Se Lavi Productions and Def Jam Recordin ...

Tory Lanez Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and convicted felon. He received initial recognition from the mixtape ''Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story'', rel ...

and

Latto Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), professionally known as Latto or Big Latto (formerly known as Mulatto), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She first appeared on American rapper Jermaine Dupri's reality television s ...

. On February 21, 2021, a shooting occurred at

Roddy Ricch Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2018 with his single, " Die Young", which peaked at number 98 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ...

and 42 Dugg's music video shoot, which left three people injured in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

OMB Peezy LeParis Dade, known professionally as OMB Peezy, is an American rapper based in Sacramento, California. He is originally from Mobile, Alabama. Background and career OMB Peezy was born to a musical family in Mobile, Alabama and later raised in ...

was later charged with the shooting with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. All three injured survived. In May 2021, ''Billboard'' named 42 Dugg the "R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month". That same week, on May 21, 2021, Dugg released the 19-track mixtape, titled ''Free Dem Boyz'', a dedication to all of his incarcerated friends. The project features the "standout" single, " 4 da Gang" featuring Roddy Ricch; as well as other guest features from

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...

Rowdy Rebel Chad Marshall (born November 24, 1991), known professionally as Rowdy Rebel, is an American rapper from Brooklyn who is signed to GS9 and Epic Records. He is a member of the Brooklyn-based GS9 crew alongside rapper Bobby Shmurda. Rowdy Rebel ap ...

, and

Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...

. Also in 2021, he was featured on the annual ''XXL'' Freshman Class.

Musical style

42 Dugg usually employs a slurred vocal style with

auto-tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

into his music. His whistle has been noted as his signature sound that also kicks off nearly every song on his 2020 mixtape ''Young and Turnt Vol 2''.

Legal issues

In 2019, Hayes was seen firing a gun in an Atlanta gun range, which he was prohibited from doing due to a prior

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

conviction. He was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $90,000 fine. On June 5, 2020, Hayes fled from a traffic stop in a rented SUV after running through a stop sign and spent two months as a

fugitive A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

. Authorities worked with the rental company to try to catch Hayes. Police captured Hayes on August 4, 2020, and charged him with a third-degree felony for fleeing from police. He was released on a $20,000 bond. Having violated the terms of his release for the gun range incident, he was sentenced to six months in a federal prison camp. On May 5, 2022, Hayes was arrested in Michigan at

Willow Run Airport Willow Run Airport is an airport in Van Buren Charter Township and Ypsilanti Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation. Due to its very close proximity to Detroit Metropolitan Ai ...

after failing to report to serve his prison sentence. In April of the same year, he tried to avoid incarceration by filing a court document in which he claimed to be a

sovereign citizen ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

immune from federal laws.

Discography

Compilation albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Guest appearances

Notes

References

{{reflist 1995 births Interscope Records artists Rappers from Detroit 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers Songwriters from Michigan Living people Gangsta rappers American male songwriters Midwest hip hop musicians