Rapper 42 Dugg Scraps Video With Michigan Republican Candidate After Getting Dragged To Hell & Back

42 Dugg pulled down a video that had Detroit talking within 48 hours of posting it online.

The rapper’s ride-along with Republican gubernatorial candidate John James sparked immediate backlash across social media, forcing him to reconsider his platform’s purpose.

In the footage, the 31-year-old Detroit native asked James what he’d actually deliver for the city if voters put him in office. James responded with his campaign talking points about improving the economy, education, and public safety.

He emphasized his personal connection to Detroit, mentioning his father’s trucking business, which started on the east side in 1971.

“I care about Detroit because I was raised by Detroit,” James said in the clip. “I love my people, and regardless of how we were born or where we ended up, you and me are in the same car right now.”

The collaboration seemed organic at first.

Alyvia Bailey, James’ press secretary, posted on social media calling it the “coolest day of the campaign” and praised Dugg as a “genuine guy trying to make a difference in his community.”

But the internet had other plans. Comments flooded in with criticism, and Dugg decided to delete the post entirely.

When Dugg addressed the deletion on Wednesday, he explained his reasoning directly.

“My page not for that,” he said. “My page is for to motivate, my page is for entertainment, and that post was only to bring awareness to this governor candidacy going on. I’m not into arguing with old bitter ladies.”

He also pushed back against critics who used explicit language in their responses, insisting he hadn’t disrespected anyone with the original post.

According to the Michigan Chronicle, Dugg told reporters in July that he didn’t even have a voting plan and wasn’t aware that formerly incarcerated people could still vote in Michigan.