Derrick Carrington Gray (born December 24, 1993), known professionally asDerrick Milano, is an American songwriter, rapper, and singer. Raised inPhiladelphia andDelaware, he moved toFlorida to pursue entertainment studies atFull Sail University.[4] He began his musical career as a recording artist in 2013 before shifting focus to songwriting work in 2019.
Derrick Gray was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, to Virginia and Jeff Gray.[4] Gray first gained experience in music as a member of his church's choir.[6] His family moved toBrandywine Hundred, Delaware, when he was in seventh grade, and he attended Hanby Middle School,Brandywine High School, and Red Lion Christian Academy, before graduating fromConcord High School in 2012. While in high school, Gray would battle rap with friends and was a member of the school choir.[4]
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",[8] which he released onSoundCloud in May 2014.[9] As a result of the single's success, he was invited to open for artists playing shows at Orlando-area venues, including for rappersYoung Thug andFuture.[2] Following this early success, a dispute with his management made releasing and promoting music challenging for Milano.[10]
Milano won a Grammy in 2021 for his work in co-writing "Savage Remix", which is performed by Megan Thee Stallion (first image) and features Beyoncé (second image).
Milano's first writing experience came onKevin Gates' 2019 albumI'm Him.[6][11] In May 2019,Juicy J, who Milano first connected with when he was in high school,[2] invited Milano to help withMegan Thee Stallion's song "Simon Says".[7] This led to an uncredited writing opportunity on "Hot Girl Summer", another song by Megan Thee Stallion, which was released in July 2019.[7]
As of March 2021, Milano was working on his debut album, which will include tracks featuring Juicy J,Ty Dolla Sign, andWiz Khalifa and is scheduled to be released later in 2021.[4]
In 2023, Milano was featured on a remix toCiara's song "Da Girls". It was released on May 12, 2023.[13][14]
