Per terms of Dugg’s release, he can only travel for work — concerts, appearances, etc. — so he’s currently calling Atlanta home. “I been had a house out here but I moved out here when I got out of jail,” he says with a shrug.

Born Dion Marquise Hayes, 42 Dugg grew up on the eastside of Detroit on Wayburn and Whittier. He describes himself as a “popular young nigga” who grew up listening to local rappers like Blade Icewood, Doughboyz Cashout, and Peezy. “I had fun. I used to be at all the high school parties, skating. I was that type of muthafucka, always going staking,” he says through a laugh.

In 2017, Dugg was released at 22 years old and decided to test the waters of hip-hop simply to see where it would take him. “Shiiit, I was just trying something, I was just trying rap,” he says humbly. “I didn’t have no real plan to do it. I didn’t have a step-by-step plan, but when I tried it, it stuck.”

On May 4, 2022, Dugg was taken into custody after flying to Willow Run Airport aboard a private jet. While behind bars Yo Gotti went to social media and offered $2 million to any lawyer that could get Dugg out of jail early. Dugg claims that due to the incarceration, he missed out on more than $6 million in performances and opportunities. But what mattered the most, he says, was not being there for his loved ones.

Away from music, Dugg says he plans to invest in real estate and detach from negative energy. He also wants to get to a point where he’ll be able to go to schools in Detroit, be transparent, and share parts of his life’s journey with the students.