On Tuesday (June 15), 2021 HipHopDX Rising Star DDG tweeted his followers “new beginnings & new goals” right before he posted a link to what he is claiming to be his last video on YouTube. He’s teased quitting YouTube before.
DDG has been consistent with his music, especially after dropping his explosive single “Moonwalking in Calabasas” back in 2020, which went platinum this year.
The YouTuber-turned-rapper dropped a YouTube video titled: “I retire” to his 2.52 million subscribers on his popular channel PontiacMadeDDG VLOGS, and then reiterated his retirement from the social platform on Twitter with the same message. Quickly after, fans participated in the trending hashtag #DDGQuit, which linked many fans’ memories of his vlogging days, and also some thoughts about his decision to leave YouTube.
The however-old-artist teased quitting YouTube in the past, although he actually continued to create video content and grow his subscribers. He appears to be serious this time around as he went ahead and deleted every single vlog that he made since 2014, when he created his channel.
In a tweet, DDG said, “The Music only gonna get better just believe in me #DDGQuit.” Although DDG’s announcement to quit YouTube may not be so much of a surprise to loyal fans who have heard this before, it did come to shock many as he got rid of his videos that have garnered him millions of views.
In one tweet a fan wrote, “DDG bro u could’ve at least left the old videos up for us bro #DDGquit”
DDG bro u could’ve at least left the old videos up for us bro? #DDGquit pic.twitter.com/bGbfuX8gmo
— ?? (@enricosufi4) June 16, 2021
As DDG’s budding music career is beginning to blossom, it is quite understandable why he may want to put all of his focus in his music. In his 8-minute and 31-second video he gives his reasons this time around as to why he is done for good.
“I feel like I gave so much to this YouTube,” he says in the video. “I have been doing this for six years. It was all my life. I want some type of mystery to my life. You know what I meant. You got to know me for six years We got to know each other. You know my family at this point. You know where I am from, what college I went to. Everything is documented. That’s the good part of you knowing me,” he explained. “But for the new people who discover me, I only want them to know my music. I want to be more closed off. I want to be more mysterious. I want to focus strictly on being an artist.”
Recently winning his Social Gloves’ “TikTokers vs YouTubers” boxing match against Nate Wyatt, DDG followed up his victory with a cryptic message hinting at leaving YouTube. “This boxing thing was like, okay, let me go ahead and do one big thing before I decide to make this leap and stop doing it,” he said on camera. “I went in there and got the win. I did not get the knockout, but I went and got the win. Shut the internet down. I put my whole rap career on the line, that was a gamble. This is a good way to end it off and for people to remember me.”
Towards the end of his video, DDG asked fans to share their favorite YouTube moments of him with the hashtag #DDGQuit on Twitter, and then joked that if his subscriber count gets to 3 million then maybe he will come back.
He also plugged his latest freestyle “iCarly,” which is trending No.7 on YouTube as of publishing time. Watch below.
For fans that were used to getting their DDG-news from their favorite YouTuber himself, you can still stay up-to-date with DDG’s moves by following his 2021 HipHopDX Rising Stars weekly updates.