DDG

2KBaby And DDG’s ‘Zack & Cody’ Compares Them To The Iconic Disney Channel Duo

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Pontiac, Michigan rapper DDG keeps his outstanding week going with a new collaboration with 20-year-old Louisville rapper 2KBaby. The two Midwestern artists both recently moved to Hollywood to be closer to the action, so it’s only natural that they’d feel like they’re now living the sweet life — hence the title of their new song, “Zack & Cody,” named for the iconic Disney Channel duo from the 2000s sitcom The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody. Over a simple, melodic beat, the two rappers trade bouncy verses about their parallel rises to stardom.

The new song caps a pair of breakout weeks for DDG, who went from making vlogs on YouTube to pursuing a rap career using the audience he’d built on that platform. His work in that new area culminated in last year’s debut album, Valedictorian, but it was his 2021 collaborative mixtape with producer OG Parker that shot him to the peak of his mainstream exposure so far. The tape’s single “Moonwalking In Calabasas” became his signature hit and prefaced his eventual inclusion in this year’s XXL Freshman Class. Also this week, he participated in the Freshman Cypher and featured on Uproxx’s latest digital cover.

Listen to 2KBaby and DDG’s “Zack & Cody” above and check out its video below.

2KBaby is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

DDG’s Stirring ‘Hood Melody’ Performance On ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Underlines His Impressive Rise

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DDG is having a breakout year/month/week. His recent shift toward music from vlogging can definitely be considered a success after his Die 4 Respect mixtape with OG Parker charted on the Billboard 200 and its single “Moonwalking in Calabasas” was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Those feats were followed up by his selection to the 2021 XXL Freshman class and this week, Uproxx debuted our digital cover story profiling his journey from working at TJ Maxx in Pontiac to making five-figure checks from YouTube to his current hip-hop stardom.

Today, he caps all that off with a performance of his latest Die 4 Respect single “Hood Melody” for UPROXX Sessions, projecting the calm confidence befitting of a burgeoning star. Along with his XXL Cypher, it’s a glimpse at a surprisingly polished performer who is taking the craft seriously, even as he continues to expand his interests into even more areas like acting and amateur boxing.

Watch DDG perform “Hood Melody” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Coi Leray, DDG, Lakeyah, And Morray Kick Off The 2021 ‘XXL’ Freshman Cypher

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Coi Leray, DDG, Lakeyah, and Morray kick off the 2021 XXL Freshman Cyphers for this year’s class, each bringing their own unique style to a beat produced by algorithm master Nick Mira. DDG opens proceedings with a typical West Coast/Michigan swing flow, then cedes the floor to Lakeyah, who undoubtedly delivers the best straight-up rap verse, hunting for the sort of credit that only comes from being an expert technician. Morray splits the balance between his signature crooning and some off-the-dome rhymes bigging up his cohorts.

That leaves Coi Leray, who is quite possibly the most controversial addition to this year’s list. Despite having three years of tried-and-true material including a handful of viral hits to her name, it was her song “No More Parties” that first exposed her to the wider mainstream audience, drawing comparisons to both Dej Loaf and Playboi Carti in the process. It’s also, oddly enough, the song least like the bulk of her output, so it seemed going in that the Cypher would be her chance to lay skeptics’ doubts to rest.

She absolutely does not do that, instead opting for a choppy, Carti-esque delivery on a relatively short verse that does little to allay the concerns about her placement before giving up and resorting to her trademark twerking. It’s an unusual choice for a rapper who is under fire and facing a make-or-break moment with all eyes on her. While it’s pioneering, to be sure (Megan Thee Stallion once pointed out that a female rapper would face a ton of criticism for rapping like Playboi Carti, and for all intents, it appears she was correct), and a boundary has been broken to allow women to branch out more stylistically, I can see Coi taking a lot more fire now — with this verse undermining much of the evidence that supporters could use to defend her.

It’ll be interesting to see how this Cypher will be received on social media as well as how it affects future installments and the ongoing debate about whether the Freshman Class even needs a Cypher anymore.

Watch the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher above.

Best Hip-Hop Guest Verses of 2021 So Far

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Nothing but bars on these solid guest verses this year. Continue reading…

Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2021 So Far

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Certified bangers from Drake, Tyler, The Creator, J. Cole and more. Continue reading…