The 42 Dugg Interview: The Quarantine, Detroit Rap Legends, and Being an XXL Freshman Nominee

“I feel like everything I do is from the heart, I don’t do no clout chasin’,  none of that fake shit. You gon’ get the real with me every time, you know what I’m sayin’?”

By Courtney Fields

Dion Hayes, popularly known as 42 Dugg was essentially “born in conflict.” Being from the Eastside of Detroit, one of the city’s roughest areas, Dugg landed himself into some legal trouble. 

At age 15 he was arrested for carjacking and felony firearms possession, this arrest earned Dugg 4 years in prison but he ended up doing 6 after his sentence was extended for a physical altercation with another inmate.

The rapper was placed into solitary confinement after the altercation, which ended up being the start of his rap career. Writing raps while in solitary confinement is what honed Dugg’s rap skills. In the one hour per day allotted for Dugg to leave confinement, he rapped to his fellow inmates and seemingly gained his first fans. 

Although in Dugg’s eyes, the raps weren’t very good. In an interview on the Stewe Show, Dugg admitted that initially when he “had got to writing music, but it was a bunch of bullshit.” In 2018, Dugg began to acknowledge rap as more of a serious career path. In 2018 at the studio with fellow Detroit rapper 42 Twin, 42 Dugg wrote his first breakout single, “Mama I’m Sorry”. 

The song is an ode to his mother, who was disappointed to find out his jail sentence had been extended for 2 more years. The rapper went on to release more popular singles like: “The Streets” featuring Babyface Ray and “Stfu” featuring Peezy, EWM Kdoe, Bagboy Mel, Cash Kidd, and EWM Buck. 

 “11241 Wayburn” and “11241 Wayburn Pt. 2” were two projects that led to Dugg becoming a roster member of both Yo Gotti’s CMG record label, as well as Lil Baby’s 4PF record company in 2019. The signing then prepared Dugg’s Young And Turnt mixtape release.

 The rapper earned a feature on “Grace” , the fourth track on Lil Baby’s album My Turn. The track was arguably the best track on the album and this feature caused a great buzz for Dugg’s budding name in the industry. 

Despite the fact that 42 Dugg has been rapping for some time now, Young And Turnt seems like a proper introduction to the rapper’s career. I recently got a chance to catch up with Detroit's next star to discuss how he's been handling the quarantine, his hometown of Detroit, and why fans should vote for him as an XXL Freshman. Our conversation, lightly edited for clarity, follows below:

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Courtney Fields, StereoVision (CF): What are you up to during quarantine? You still going out or staying in?

42 Dugg: Shit, chillin’ for real. I just moved out just trying to get everything straight with my new house. 

CF: I feel like right now Detroit having a sort of resurgence in the rap world. You all have a lot of good artists coming up right now... if you had to make a starting five of some Detroit rappers, who would that include? 

42 Dugg: Let’s see… Me, Peezy, Baby Face Ray, Cash Kidd, Big Sean, Dej Loaf, 42 Twin. Haha, I can’t just do five though, Eminem you know? I can’t just do five.

CF: You mention Big Sean, I hear him talk a lot about making sure he reaches out to other Detroit artists, do him or any other artists reach out?

42 Dugg: Big Sean reaches out, I fuck with him. Peezy, Dej Loaf, Cash Kidd too.

CF: You and Yo Gotti are very close, I know he’s a great businessman, do you see yourself following that blueprint maybe in a few years? Or are you already working towards being bigger than just rap?

42 Dugg: Man hell yeah! I’m really trying to follow his model right now. I want to do some different things outside of rap, anything really. I’m really just trying to stay focused with rap right now though, just staying in the studio.

CF: Detroit Rap has a very distinctive sound, all the rappers are very lyrical and don’t really follow any trends that are hot among most rappers. I see that in your music as well, do you think that’s a result of being from Detroit, or are you just a guy who’s always gonna be himself despite the circumstances?

42 Dugg: Shit, both… you know I’m from Detroit but it’s like, I’m still gonna be me regardless at the end of the day.

CF: Any guilty pleasures? Any specific brand or item you can’t stop buying?

42 Dugg: Ha, Amiri’s and white Air Force Ones lows, yeah, I’m obsessed with those two. Moncler, Off-White, I’m obsessed with all that, I gotta have all that. 

CF: Who are some rappers you wish to work with?

42 Dugg: I’ll work with anybody, anybody who fuck with me. I’m not really just trying to be picky you know, anyone who rock with my music. 

CF: When you signed with both Yo Gotti and Lil Baby, was it more a shocking feeling, or were you ready to get to work?

42 Dugg: Both, it doesn’t really shock me now cause they’re my guys now. It’s just like being around all the guys. 

CF: Lastly, I know you’re currently in the running to be an XXL Freshman… congrats by the way. Why should fans vote for you?

42 Dugg: Appreciate you... I think fans should vote for me cause I'm turnt... you know what I’m sayin’, I make good music. I feel like everything I do is from the heart, I don’t do no clout chasin’,  none of that fake shit. You gon’ get the real with me every time you know what I’m sayin’?

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42 Dugg Shows Why He’s Detroit’s Next Big Thing on 'Young & Turnt Vol. 2'

By Courtney Fields

Known to the world as 42 Dugg, Dion Hayes was born on the Eastside of Detroit. He attended multiple high schools as a teenager and was known around town as an avid partygoer. At the age of 15 Dugg got arrested and was sentenced to 4 years in prison but ended up doing 6. Around his fifth year, he was put into solitary confinement for 3 months as punishment for getting into a brawl with another inmate. Since there wasn’t much to do in solitary “I had got to writing music, but it was a bunch of bullshit,” Dugg said on The Stewe Show in 2018. 

Once released, Dugg started to take rap more seriously. He did so by attending a studio session with fellow Detroit rapper, 42 Twin and wrote what would be his first breakout single “Mama I’m Sorry”.

“Mama I’m Sorry” is an apology to his mother, who was disappointed when he got his jail sentence extended for 2 more years for fighting. Dugg went on to release many more popular singles, such as “The Streets” featuring Babyface Ray and “Stfu” featuring Peezy, EWM Kdoe, Bagboy Mel, Cash Kidd, and EWM Buck. 

“11241 Wayburn” and “11241 Wayburn Pt. 2” gained Dugg enough traction to sign a joint deal with Yo Gotti’s CMG record label, as well as Lil Baby’s 4PF record company in 2019 in preparation for his Young And Turnt mixtape release. 

In 2020, the rapper was featured on “Grace” the fourth track on Lil Baby’s My Turn. Arguably the best track on the album, Dugg outshines his label’s head honcho. 42 Dugg manages to deliver emotionally charged bars while still maintaining a menacing cadence and flow that surprised a lot of listeners. 

Within a week of the release of Lil Baby’s My Turn, Dugg continued to ride the momentum the feature created and began rolling out his new mixtape Young & Turnt, Vol. 2 with the video for “Palm Angeles in the Sky.”

Young & Turnt, Vol. 2 was released through 4PF and CMG on March 26th, 2020. The mixtape is nearly 30 minutes long and consists of 14 tracks featuring both of his label heads (Yo Gotti & Lil Baby) as well as frequent collaborator and fellow Detroit rapper Babyface Ray.

On Young & Turnt 2 Dugg sounds like he’s ready to thrust into stardom. The project has an unorthodox, mellow, lyrical sound that has become a standard in Detroit. 

What makes Dugg’s sound on this project distinguishable from his other projects is simply his vocal ability. Dugg sounds like a much more confident and polished rapper. He shows his capability to apply unique vocal inflections that you don't see as often throughout his other projects. 

Many times, Trap artists like Dugg don’t get the respect they should as musicians. Their often misogynistic, violent, crude lyrics get deemed as “inappropriate” by critics and are written off. These rappers are even referred to as a detriment to young listeners by some parents. “Young & Turnt 2” is yet again proof that while Dugg lived in conflict for many of his young years, he and many other young Black men like him possess a unique ability as wordsmiths. 

Dugg mourns the loss and imprisonment of many of his childhood friends on tracks like “It Get Deeper” and reflects on how other of his former friends resent his success on “Hard Times.” All the while, still managing to keep listeners hype on songs like “Turnt Bitch” and “Mr. Woody.”

 This type of duality is often overlooked in the world of Trap and should be celebrated.

Favorite Tracks

Hard Times

Turnt Bitch

One Of One (Feat. Babyface Ray)

Rating: 8.5

Listen to Young & Turnt, Vol. 2 here:

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The Sada Baby Interview: Detroit Rap, His Upcoming Debut Album, & Running His Own Basketball League

“A lot of us [in detroit] don’t like each other and we don’t have to like each other for our music to stand out as a whole. Everywhere else besides Chicago and Detroit likes to paint a picture that their whole city fucks with each other and that’s just not true, and here, we know it’s not true.”

By Spencer Lobdell

Photo By Sam Leviton

Listen to our favorite Sada Baby songs while you read this article with our complementary playlist available on Apple Music and Spotify:

Putting on for Detroit is a responsibility that 26-year-old rapper Sada Baby doesn't take lightly, wisely choosing to stay true to both his unfaltering individuality and the city that made him. 

Born Casada Sorrell, the Michigan native first discovered a penchant for experimenting with wordplay and switching up his flow by perfecting the art of freestyling; an aspect of his craft he now reserves for rare occasions. As a teenager growing up in the mid-2000s, Sada Baby gravitated towards the taste-making output from the Cash Money roster, as well as other acts dominating the burgeoning Atlanta scene, such as Lil Jon, the Yin-Yang Twins, Pastor Troy and Gucci Mane, among others. From expanding his palate to include iconic West Coast influences such as E-40 to taking notes from the versatile, unorthodox ways of expressive artists such as Future and Kodak Black, Sada Baby was quick to realize his strength lies in his authentic eccentricities and aptitude for fearless risk-tasking. 

In 2016, he began cutting his teeth as a featured artist with his first noteworthy collaboration—a guest appearance on Danny Mellz's "Megaman X"—laying the groundwork for what would swiftly evolve into an expansive resume. The following year, he hit the pavement hard, dropping an onslaught of loose singles and working with a variety of other artists from Detroit, such as Tee Grizzley, FMB DZ, Tooda Man, Motown Ty and Oba Rowland, to name a few. In 2017, he released two mixtapes, Skuba Steve and D.O.N.: Dat One Nigga, both of which showcase his eclectic style and increasingly renowned charisma. In the fall of 2017, Sada joined Tee Grizzley on his Ain't It A Blessing tour, an opportunity that allowed him to showcase his natural capacity for high-energy, dance-laden performances.

With a combination of elements starting to bend in his favor, such as his consistent work ethic and willingness to experiment vocally on funky, bass-heavy instrumentals, his presence as a regional leader in the Midwest began to translate to a wider audience with his music videos radiating across WorldStarHipHop and racking up millions of streams. In 2018, his Drego-assisted "Bloxk Party" emerged as a definitive breakout single with the accompanying visual garnering 24M+ views and counting since its release. Soon thereafter, Sada Baby became the first signee to ink a deal in partnership with Tee Grizzley's Grizzley Gang imprint and Asylum Records. He went on to receive a monumental co-sign from E-40, who later featured him on the 2018 Gift of Gab cut "The Pack Attack,” with the collaboration doubling as a motivational full- circle moment to work with someone who influenced his artistry directly. 

In early 2019, Sada Baby released his critically acclaimed mixtape Bartier Bounty, which landed on Billboards “Best Albums of 2019” list for obvious reasons. The high-energy project features Sada at his absolute best, displaying his unmatched charisma through a sharp pen. Bartier Bounty cuts like “Bonnie & Blyde” (which features his cousin Ashley Sorrell) showcases Sads’s promising crossover potential. Skuba Steve starts the only verse with an addicting melodic flow that gradually gets more intense until, before you know it, Sada is locked into his patented yell-flow that could make my docile grandma want to get activated. Sada Baby continued to build momentum through 2019 dropping two more mixtapes for fans on SoundCloud (The Whoop Tape and Brolik), both of which were met with positive reviews.

While you could certainly call 2019 a breakout year for the rising rapper, Sada Baby has no plans on slowing down in 2020. On March 20th, he dropped Skuba Sada 2, a compilation of all his biggest YouTube hits over the past year. Although fans of Sada were already familiar with the tracklist, it’s beyond nice to have menacing cuts like “Aktivated” & “Bully Ball,” as well as hits like “Slide” & “Pressin (Feat. King Von)” on streaming services. With his highly anticipated debut album expected to hit streaming services sometime this year, everything seems to be lining up for 2020 to be the year Sada Baby becomes a household name.

From making obscure cultural references to pushing the boundaries of trap music to holding his own while teaming up with other artists, Sada Baby is here to entertain, inspire and encourage others to balance life's seriousness with moments of much-needed lightheartedness and humor. I had the pleasure of chatting with Skuba Steve earlier this week. Our conversation, lightly edited for content and clarity, follows below:

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Photo by CT FILMS

Spencer Lobdell , StereoVision (SL): What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during quarantine?

Sada Baby (SB): Playing video games and smoking weed. Three to Five grams of cookie in an original backwood.

SL: In 2018 you signed with Tee Grizzley’s imprint label, Grizzly gang. I understand you aren’t working with them anymore. What happened and what’s your relationship with Tee like now?

SB: Just bad business that’s all. We didn’t share a common interest. Basically, they were shelving me, without me knowing what being shelved felt like or what it meant. Me and Tee don’t have a relationship. We don't talk, I wish him the best though.

SL: Your newest release Skubba Sada 2 is a compilation tape made up of the best songs you’ve dropped on YouTube over the past year. What do you like about frequently dropping music on YouTube opposed to a more traditional DSP drop?

SB: I feel like I’m the only person that does it because I’m the only one who has the ability to do it without my music getting watered down. When talking about my music you don’t hear someone say shit like “I only liked one of the last ten songs he dropped,” like no, that’s not possible hahaha. I like to think you’ll never hear a Sada Baby song that sounds like the last one you heard.

SL: What can you tell me about your debut album rumored to be dropping this year?

SB: Not shit hahaha. The virus has obviously thrown our timeline off a little but it’s coming and it's got Yachty on it, Skilla Baby on it, and FMB DZ on it for sure. Chris Brown might be on it and G Herbo might be there as well.

SL: Who’s an artist you’ve always dreamed about collaborating?

SB: Probably Bad Bunny. I don’t recall a lot of rappers collaborating with him and I know a large portion of my fan base is hispanic and mexican. Also, he’s fucking bad bunny, even if you’ve never heard his music or know who he is, you've seen him somewhere important. Ya, a song with Bad Bunny would be fire.

SL: I read that before winning a rap contest you were planning on going to culinary school. Do you consider yourself a chef?

SB: For sure. I don’t have a signature dish cause I can make anything. Whatever I want to taste, I drop in the pot. I used to cook on Instagram a lot, steak, lobster, pasta all that. Ideally, I’d like to open my own restaurant while I’m still rapping. Get locations all over the US, one in LA, one in Atlanta, one in Detroit, and one in Chicago.

SL: From “2K20” & “Driple Double” to being featured on Damian Lillard’s latest release, it seems obvious that basketball has impacted you in some way? Do you play?

SB: Yup I used to play in high school. I had scholarships and all of that but went to jail my senior year. I still play frequently though, my game’s like Melo, no defense, all offense, deadly shooter. I’ve done some basketball camps over the past couple years, one with Kyle Kuzma. I played in the bleacher report all star game and a few of my family members play/played professionally. I actually have my own basketball league too, it’s called the P-League. Unfortunately the gym we use just got shut down because of the virus.

Check out some Sada Baby highlights here:

SL: What do you think your Pistons need to do to get back into the playoff  picture?

SB: Man, I’m a Pistons fan by heart and blood and I’ll tell you we need to fire the entire front office. That Andre Drummond move was terrible. I understand he’s going to be a free agent next year, but I know Andre personally and I know he wanted to stay here and would’ve stayed here. They even told him they weren’t gonna trade him then they went and gave him away for a bunch of nothing. It doesn’t help that we don’t know how to draft either. 

SL: What makes the Detroit rap scene different from anywhere else in the world?

SB: A lot of us don’t like each other and we don’t have to like each other for our music to stand out as a whole. Everywhere else besides Chicago and Detroit likes to paint a picture that their whole city fucks with each other and that’s just not true, and here, we know it’s not true. There’s for sure separate factions too. Like the motherfuckers that are with me like DZ [FMB DZ], Skilla [Skilla Baby], & John Boy, we fuck with Big Sean where as a lot of the other motherfucks lean towards fucking with Eminem even though Em don’t acknowledge no one from Detroit.

SL: Who are some low key Detroit rappers who could make a big splash in 2020?

SB: Obviously there’s the guys in my camp who go crazy. FMB DZ and Skilla Baby are poppin in the city but aren’t nation wide yet. As far as guys who aren’t under me, Nook is super cool, Baby Smoove could pop off this year, Veeze is fire, and this young cat Lil Buddy. He has a singing joint on his last tape that was scary good.

SL: Is there anything else you want StereoVision readers to know about Sada Baby?

SB: Man, just tell them I’m the best rapper they don’t know.

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