NEW YORK, USA — On a cold afternoon in Midtown Manhattan, Doechii moved quickly through the lobby of her hotel, balancing a tight schedule with the growing demands of international attention.
The Florida-born rapper, who recently won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album on Sunday, February 2, 2025, has entered a new phase of her career marked by heightened visibility, critical recognition, and expanding creative ambitions.
She had begun the day with a radio appearance on “The Breakfast Club” and was preparing to return to Los Angeles within hours, fitting in a brief coffee stop at Masseria Caffè & Bakery before departing.
Viral Performances and Industry Recognition
In the weeks surrounding the interview, Doechii drew widespread attention through several high-profile performances. She appeared on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” delivering a choreographed five-minute medley from her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal alongside two dancers connected by interwoven braids.
Soon after, her appearance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” series circulated widely online. The set featured a jazz-influenced arrangement of “Nissan Altima” performed by an all-Black, all-femme band.
She also received public praise from prominent artists. Kendrick Lamar referred to her as “the hardest out,” while Tyler, the Creator said, “She’s really sick. Like, super-duper-duper-duper good.”
At the Grammy Awards, Doechii won Best Rap Album and noted in her acceptance speech that only three women had received the honour: “THREE women have won! Lauryn Hill, Cardi B, and Doechii!”
She followed the ceremony with a performance of “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River,” supported by a group of dancers in Thom Browne designs, and later released a celebratory single, “Nosebleeds.”
From Early Breakthrough to Artistic Independence
Doechii’s rise began with her 2020 single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” a song reflecting on her childhood and inspired by Barbara Park’s Junie B. Jones series.
Since then, she has resisted pressure from her record label and fans to pursue conventional hits. “I don’t like making music just for a moment,” she said. “I like to make music for therapy, for an inner experience, an inner purpose, and not just for an algorithm.”
Tyler, the Creator later collaborated with her on “Balloon,” from his album Chromakopia. “She was not going to let it just be whatever,” he said. “She held her own.”
Roots in Florida and Personal History
Born Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon in Florida, Doechii grew up in Tampa, where she says her surroundings continue to shape her creative identity. She credits the state with influencing her “Swamp Princess” persona and the reptilian imagery in her work.
Her father writes rap lyrics in his spare time, and her mother, whom she described as more analytical, primarily raised her.
She recalled family gatherings at her grandmother’s home near railway tracks, where relatives would race barefoot on concrete. “That’s the most Florida shit,” she said.
In sixth grade, she said she wrote down the phrase “I am Doechii” after a religious experience. She later linked that moment to overcoming severe bullying. “I was getting bullied so bad that I was thinking about killing myself,” she said. “And then I was like, Fuck that!”
Creative Direction and Sobriety
Alligator Bites Never Heal combines elements of 1990s hip-hop, spoken word, pop culture references, and internet humour. Doechii described the project as intended for “the girls and the gays that have a passion inside of them and are sassy, independent, strong, but they need an extra push.”
She said the mixtape’s title came to her through divine inspiration. “God told me to do it, and I did it,” she said.
Songs such as “Nissan Altima” and “Denial Is a River” explore identity, sexuality, and mental health. In the latter, she openly addresses substance use and emotional struggles.
To record the project, she isolated herself for a month, working primarily with her sound engineer, Jayda Love.
She attributed much of the album’s retro sound to her decision to adopt sobriety in the summer preceding its release, saying it helped her “remember things.”
Influences and Vulnerability
Doechii cited The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as the first album she listened to in full and as a continuing influence on her work.
She also drew inspiration from artists including Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, and Missy Elliott, whom she said balanced sexual freedom with emotional openness.
“The feeling that I have when I listen to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the same feeling I want some other Black little girl to have when she listens to me,” she said.
Her commitment to honesty extends beyond music. “In my music, I have to be raw and explicit or else it’ll make me uncomfortable,” she said. “I don’t like secrets.”
Public Image and Online Scrutiny
Outside the studio, Doechii has addressed public commentary about her appearance and career. After fans urged her on TikTok to avoid cosmetic procedures, she disclosed that she had already undergone some treatments.
“People make comments to me like, ‘Oh my God, please never touch your face,’” she said. “They have no idea that I have Botox and filler and whatever.”
She has also responded to online speculation that she is an “industry plant,” despite years of posting music and personal videos online. As a teenager, she shared content about school life and a small food business supported by her mother.
“When people aren’t familiar with the history of an artist these days, they get suspicious,” she said. “Once you get any conspiracies around your career, that’s just confirmation that I’m going somewhere.”
As her profile continues to rise, Doechii remains focused on maintaining creative control while navigating the demands of a rapidly expanding career.
