Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr., known by most as his entertainment name DDG, has become a recognized content creator who built a strong brand and online presence. He got his start on YouTube while in high school and grew his following significantly during his freshman year in college, which catapulted him into stardom.
Despite the fairytale he’s living in today, it wasn’t always easy for the vlogger and his family. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, he didn’t have much growing up. Although his family worked hard, he came from the struggle. Regardless of his family not being financially set, he made a lot of great memories in his hometown. Following his academic success in high school, he went to college at Central Michigan University. He decided to withdraw after he made a name for himself and the income from YouTube became more than enough to live a stable life. The hype surrounding him continued to grow, leading him to become a household internet phenomenon with now three million followers and counting on the platform.
The new father expanded his brand even more when he added recording artist to his resume. Shortly after he began making music as a hobby, it turned into a serious career. As he continues to climb to new heights, he sat down with REVOLT CEO Detavio Samuels to discuss his unique journey. Watch the full episode here.
1. His competitive nature earned him the title of valedictorian in high school
When DDG was in high school he graduated at the top of his class, literally. He was the valedictorian in his senior year. Although he earned the achievement, he shared that the student right behind him was smarter than him. His peers knew his goal was to become the valedictorian and they would tease him that it wouldn’t happen. This was the motivation he needed to stay after school, participate in extracurricular activities, and talk to his teachers more to give him a competitive edge.
“The thing about school for me is I'm very, very smart but even more than smart I’m competitive, so that’s where I excelled in school,” he told Samuels. “I always wanted to be number one, I wanted to be the best. Like I am now, I just want to be the best. I just like to win. It’s like an addiction of mine, winning.”
2. He began his YouTube career in high school
While the “Moonwalking in Calabasas” artist was in high school, he worked at T.J. Maxx. He made about $800 a month, earning about $200 each week. During that time, he started creating content for YouTube. After receiving his first check for $200 from the online video-sharing platform, he wanted to earn more. This was the start of his social media career because he decided to quit his retail job and went all in.
DDG described how he made the decision, “I was a cashier, I put the sensors on clothes and stuff. And I was probably making $200 a week and that was good for a high schooler, back then at least. I was making decent money and then by that time I was doing YouTube at the time and I had got a check for like $200 for the month. YouTube paid once a month. So, I got $200 and I just quit my job completely. I was like I’m just going to focus on YouTube cause if I can make $200, I can make $2,000. It just depends on how hard I work.”
3. He wanted to attend college as a first-generation student for the life experience
His outstanding grades as a high school scholar afforded him the opportunity to go to college. Since none of his family members attended college, he decided to go to Central Michigan University for Broadcasting and acting as his minor. Although he was a first-generation student, he didn’t have plans to graduate because it was something he just wanted to experience in life.
The entertainer expressed, “It was just something that I felt like I really wanted to do, and I graduated valedictorian. What [do] I look like not going to college? And I had a decent scholarship that paid for a portion of it.”
4. He began doing music to survive in Los Angeles
The Detroit native’s music career wasn’t necessarily a goal for him at first because he naturally got into it. After all, he was an influential YouTuber. When he started making music, it was just for fun, nothing serious. His other peers on the platform were making diss tracks so he decided to join the movement. What began as him participating in a fun trend led him to be involved in the music industry. Due to one of the company’s main advertisers being dropped because their ads were “anti-Semitic,” DDG’s income decreased significantly. Worried about his stability living in Los Angeles, he pivoted to music. His approach was strategic since it was tough to be taken seriously as an artist when content creation was his introduction to the public.
DDG explained, “I’m paying crazy just to live, so I’m like, ‘Damn!’ I’m big on adapting early, so I was like, ‘Let me go ahead and get into this music because they love my diss tracks.’ It’s hard to transition from YouTube to music. So, I was like, ‘Let me go about it in a way that makes sense.’ So, then I purchased a feature from Famous Dex for $8,000. So, I got a feature off of him ‘cause at that time he was super hot.”
5. Becoming a father made him work harder
At the beginning of the year, DDG and his girlfriend, singer and actress Halle Bailey, welcomed their son and first child, Halo, according to PEOPLE. He’s been enjoying the ride of fatherhood so far. Something positive that’s happened since the birth of his son is that his determination and work ethic have increased because he’s not just making money for himself, he’s responsible for another human’s well-being. In addition, being a father has given him a new boost of confidence because he wants to set his son up for success and financial stability, so he won’t experience the struggles he did growing up.
“I’m more optimistic in how I can create a business that’s going to benefit my son,” he shared. “I’m working on stuff that’ll involve him so when he grows up he won’t have to want for nothing. He got his own money already. So, thinking about his future and not just mine. Thinking about two futures that automatically causes you to have to work harder. So, I've just been trying to go harder and just do as much as I can.”
6. Happiness is the driving force for the ventures he takes on
As an entrepreneur, choosing his pathways to success is an important task since it needs to align with his desires. When DDG chooses what business ventures he wants to do or explore, it’s something that uplifts his spirit. He also believes that it’s important to be enthusiastic about the project that’s in front of him because if it isn’t fulfilling him to a certain capacity, he shouldn’t do it.
“It's really happiness. That's big. If I'm being selfish and thinking about myself, like, happiness for sure. If I'm not happy, I don't want to do it anymore,” the 27-year-old said.
“Like being around family, being able to create dopamine, travel the world, and do the stuff that makes everything fun,” he added. “Money buys happiness in terms of like if you want to travel the world and do it all that, but it doesn't … making money doesn't make you like a happier person. You can have a bad day and still be rich, you know?”
7. He positioned his family to make their own money
Given that the social media personality got out of his small hometown and changed the trajectory of his future, he wanted to do the same for his family. He moved his mom, sister, brother, and nephew to the West Coast and they are each successful in their own right because he set them up for success.
“I don't like to say it, but I put my family in position to make money for themself in the YouTube space. I built up channels, like I know how to build up channels pretty quickly. I built up channels,” DDG shared. “I gave a 300,000-subscriber channel to my mom, so she can make YouTube money. My brother, we collab all the time…throwing my ideas, he throw[s] me ideas, and now he making lots and lots of money.”
He continued, “My nephew is very, very popular. I mean, he only eight, but he makes his own money. My little sister ... I just put my family in position to make money because I feel like the last thing you want to do is have your own people depend on you, and then that puts stress on yourself. So, I put them in position to make their own money, so I ain't got to do nothing.”