Derrick Carrington Gray (born December 24, 1993), known professionally as Derrick Milano, is an American songwriter, rapper, and singer. Raised in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, he moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

to pursue entertainment studies at Full Sail University. He began his musical career as a recording artist in 2013 before shifting focus to songwriting work in 2019. Milano has written songs for artists including

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

Pop Smoke Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 – February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, he rose to fame with the release of his 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party (P ...

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

, and

Megan Thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Megan initially gained recognition when videos of her freestyling began to circulate widely on social me ...

. In 2021, he won Best Rap Song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing the single " Savage Remix" by Megan Thee Stallion featuring

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

Early life and education

Derrick Gray was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, to Virginia and Jeff Gray. Gray first gained experience in music as a member of his church's choir. His family moved to

Brandywine Hundred, Delaware Brandywine Hundred (also known as North Wilmington) is an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located to the north and northeast of the city of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington. Hundred (division), Hundre ...

, when he was in seventh grade, and he attended Hanby Middle School, Brandywine High School, and Red Lion Christian Academy, before graduating from Concord High School in 2012. While in high school, Gray would battle rap with friends and was a member of the school choir. After graduating from high school, Gray attended college in Florida, including at Valencia College and Full Sail University, where he was involved in Business Professionals of America.

Career

Early career (20132018)

Milano began his music career while in college, where he distributed mixtapes for his music. His breakout success came with the release of the "trap-happy" single "#ThatAintYaBitch", which he released on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

in May 2014. As a result of the single's success, he was invited to open for artists playing shows at Orlando-area venues, including for rappers Young Thug and

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

. Following this early success, a dispute with his management made releasing and promoting music challenging for Milano.

Writing and Grammy (2019present)

Milano's first writing experience came on Kevin Gates' 2019 album '' I'm Him''. In May 2019,

Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...

, who Milano first connected with when he was in high school, invited Milano to help with

's song " Simon Says". This led to an uncredited writing opportunity on " Hot Girl Summer", another song by Megan Thee Stallion, which was released in July 2019. Milano continued to work with Megan Thee Stallion, co-writing " Savage Remix", which features

and was released in April 2020. In March 2021, Milano won the

Grammy Award for Best Rap Song The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...

at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for his work as a co-writer on "Savage Remix". As of March 2021, Milano was working on his debut album, which will include tracks featuring Juicy J,

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

, and

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

and is scheduled to be released later in 2021. In 2023, Milano was featured on a remix to

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...

's song " Da Girls". It was released on May 12, 2023.

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milano, Derrick 1993 births Living people Rappers from Philadelphia Rappers from Florida African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers African-American songwriters Songwriters from Delaware Musicians from Philadelphia East Coast hip-hop musicians American male songwriters