42 Dugg

Every great rapper has a quintessential ad lib, and 42 Dugg’s is...a whistle. Shrill and soaked in Auto-Tune, it’s the rap equivalent of Clint Eastwood riding his horse into town, effortlessly confident, the townies’ mouths agape. Dugg’s earned that bravado. The rapper born Dion Marquise Hayes, in 1994, grew up immersed in Detroit’s rich rap tradition and became a part of it in 2018, warbling over the city’s pummelling instrumentals about the friends he’s lost and the jail time he’s served. In 2019, Lil Baby and Yo Gotti caught wind of his buzz, signing him to a joint deal on their respective labels. It wasn’t until a year later, though, that Dugg had his real breakthrough. His collabs with Lil Baby were undeniable and everywhere—“Grace” a royal stroll, “We Paid” a cold, silky banger (and, of course, the whistle appears on both). Dugg also dropped his first album, 2020’s Young & Turnt 2, a vibrant showcase of his cross-regional range. His voice has evolved into a mix of Detroit rap’s straight-faced edge and the alien crooning coming out of Atlanta, an alchemy that has brought two of rap’s greatest cities and styles closer than they’ve ever been before.