DDG is feeling the heat after his comments about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights activism that provoked the ire of many people on Twitter.

In an interview with the Bootleg Kev Podcast, which premiered on Sept. 22 on YouTube, DDG was asked about his relationship with actress-singer Halle Bailey and the backlash she has received since the announcement that she will play Ariel in the live-action redo of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The 2021 XXL Freshman said that Halle is “laughing off” the haters, but he does feel that they are going a little too hard on his girlfriend.

DDG also added that the wave of hatred for Halle also caught him by surprise.

“I didn’t know people was this racist,” he said. “I didn’t know this was a thing. I thought this shit was gone already. I thought Martin Luther King canceled that shit out. This shit is crazy.”

The clip was shared by The Shade Room, which went viral and sparked a backlash from people who felt that DDG was poking fun at MLK’s legacy. Other folks also wondered if the Michigan rhymer realized that racism is more prevalent today than ever.

DDG slid in the comment section of the post to explain his remark in the Bootleg Kev interview.

“I was valedictorian in highschool,” he wrote. “Obviously mlk ain’t stop racism.. it’s called exaggeration lol see this what’s wrong with our people these days. We attack each other all day everyday & no one else smh.. #BLM [black fist emoji] y’all have a blessed one [heart emoji].”

To prove it, DDG shared his 2015 valedictorian video on his Twitter account. In the video’s description, he wrote, “I may be goofy on camera but I am a very intelligent individual. Please Enjoy and Share My Valedictorian Speech!”

Also, Halle may have also defended her boyfriend on Twitter. “Sometimes i really wish we lived in a less negative world,” she tweeted.

Despite his valedictorian video, people are still giving DDG hell for his MLK comment.

“Bro you keep bringing up this Valedictorian shit every video…nobody gives a fuck that shit was years ago. [cry laughing emoji],” tweeted one person.

“Bro, just let it go and make better commentary going forward,” typed another commenter. “And from a PR perspective, this speech is meaningless because it doesn’t counteract the fact you that something incongruent. In fact, it’s because audiences expected a smarter response that they were so shocked.”

“Y’all have to call a spade a spade,” tweeted a fan. “DDG might not be dumb but them words was pure stupidity and basically a slap in the face of black folks. Knowing damn well MLK ain’t cancel no racism.”

XXL has reached out to DDG’s team for comment.

Watch the Full DDG Interview on The Bootleg Kev Podcast Below

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