Who is DDG? All about Halle Bailey's boyfriend Darryl Dwayne Granberry

Darryl Dwayne Granberry, otherwise known as PontiacMadeDDG or DDG, has made headlines for his relationship to Halle Bailey, but prior to meeting his now-girlfriend the 26-year-old rapper had created a name for himself.

DDG's YouTube channels, which have amassed over 7.5 million subscribers, gave him his start into the hip-hop world. Along with a glimpse into his music, the rapper also commonly features Bailey.

On Oct. 17, DDG released his most recent video with the "Little Mermaid" star, titling the 30-minute video, "Annoying My Girlfriend for 24 Hours..."

She's also commonly found on his social media, where he often posts photos of them together on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In on post he wrote, "worried about me so much they forgot to live their own lives," with a black heart emoji, adding, "FOCUS."

Here's what to know about DDG.

DDG is from Michigan

DDG was born in Pontiac, Michigan, in October 1997. While speaking to a graduating class of New York City high schoolers in 2019, he said he wanted to get out of his hometown and "be better," according to BET.com.

“I was born and raised in Pontiac, Michigan, you know, and it’s ghetto,” DDG said. “It’s hard out there. Being around that kind of environment just made me want to be better and get away, and do bigger than what the city expects.”

DDG was valedictorian of his high school graduating class

While in Michigan, DDG graduated as a valedictorian from International Tech Academy, which he called one of his "biggest accomplishments," stressing the importance of education to the group of Brooklyn students, per BET.com.

“[Academics] are very important, because I was really into school. That’s what a lot of people don’t realize,” he said. “Valedictorian is just about being super competitive and being at the top at all times. It displays my competitiveness. I want to be valedictorian of everything — definitely of the rap game.”

DDG named his second album "Valedictorian," which was released in November 2019.

The rapper dropped out of college to pursue his YouTube career

Amid studying broadcast and acting at Central Michigan University, DDG dropped out after about a year and a half when his YouTube channels blew up and he was making up to $20,000 a month, he explained in a 2022 interview.

Before moving to Los Angeles to focus on his hip-hop career and sign with Epic Records, DDG told Nick Cannon in 2019 that he was originally using social media "for fun" and never expected to "blow up" like he did.

"People fell in love with me as a person," DDG said, explaining that his fans likely related to him and his journey. "So I used that platform and those eyeballs and that audience to build my music."

When Cannon asked for the worst piece of advice that he's ever received, DDG joked, "Stay in school."

DDG has released multiple music projects

Nearly every year since 2018, DDG has released a music project, starting with "Take Me Serious." He later followed up three label studio albums: "Valedictorian" in 2019, "It's Not Me It's You" in 2022 and "Maybe It's Me..." in 2023. He also released a mixtape, “Die 4 Respect,” in 2021.

In a 2022 interview, DDG said he realized he wanted to be an artist in high school, releasing his first song on SoundCloud named "Dope," which he called "terrible."

"You could tell though if you listen to the lyrics, you could tell I had potential," he said of his first song.

Halle Bailey and DDG first met on social media

Bailey and DDG's relationship began on social media when the rapper direct messaged her. The "Elon Musk" singer told "The Breakfast Club" in 2022 that Bailey had shared 50 Cent song "Many Men" and he responded with something along the lines of "nice song."

"I had to get in the DMs somehow," he told the radio show.

But Bailey already knew who he was, telling Essence that she'd been a "fan" of him "for years" and watched him on YouTube since 2015. She said she became more interested in him when his career as a rapper started to take off.

“I completely forgot about him,” Halle told the publication in 2022. “But then I saw that he was dropping music, and I really gravitated toward this one song. Coincidentally he messaged me—and the rest is history.”

In another 2022 interview, DDG said he was nervous to meet Bailey in person, revealing that their first date was to get food and see the movie "Dune."

"We're just hella close," he told VLAD TV. "I support her, she supports me — that's just regular s---. That's my best friend, for real."

In her cover interview for Cosmopolitan in September, Bailey said the "Moonwalking in Calabasas" singer is her first real love.

“You know, you have puppy love experiences, you think that’s love,” she said. “But this is my first deep, deep, real love.”

While jokingly referring to Bailey as his "wife," DDG told "The Breakfast Club" that he "eventually" wants to propose to the "The Color Purple" actor. As for Bailey, she told Essence that she has her own personal dreams.

“I want to have like 10 babies and go live on a farm and have a great house,” she said. “I want to grow my own food and have an oasis away from the world, where my family and I go and have a great time.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com