Doechii

One Liner: Interesting new rapper with Grammy under her belt without a single proper album
Wikipedia Genre: Hip hop
Home: Tampa

Poster Position: Headliner
Day: Saturday
Both Weekends.

American Express Stage at 6:30 (dang, not even headliner space!)

Thoughts: Oh, I had heard a rap song that sampled "Somebody That I Used to Know," but I had no clue it was this person.  I got into an argument with my daughters after we were discussing the winners of the Grammys this year, as when I said "who the heck is dowechy" and they were annoyed that I thought it was silly for a mixtape by an unknown to win over albums by Future, Vince Staples, or Schoolboy Q.  Now, in the light of day, I can see that the offerings were less than stellar in the final five - J. Cole – Might Delete Later; Common & Pete Rock – The Auditorium Vol. 1; Eminem – The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce); Future & Metro Boomin – We Don't Trust You.  Still just came out of left field for me.

Anyway, Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon went viral on TikTok in 2021 leading to a contract with Top Dawg (mentioned before regarding Alemeda, another lady making music for TDE at the end of Kendrick's time there).  She was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, the daughter of rapper Snatcha Da Boss.  Which is an amazing rapper name.  She started making music in high school, releasing her debut song on Soundcloud as Iamdoechii.  The story behind the name is slightly confusing.  She apparently was bullied so badly in junior high that she considered suicide, but then realized: "I'm gonna be the one dead, and look at my taste! Nobody wants that. I don't want that. That's not the life I want to live."  So she "birthed Doechii."  This whole article never once says where that collection of letters came from though.  Annoying.

That being said, I am enjoying her sound.  No real albums yet, despite having several mixtapes and EPs available on Spotify.  2019's Coven Music Session, Vol. 1, 2020's Oh The Places You'll Go, 2021's Bra-less, and 2024's Alligator Bites Never Heal.  She's also on a handful of tracks by other folks - a Weeknd track, a BLACKPINK member named JENNIE, Tyler The Creator, Katy Perry, and Banks.  The early stuff is honestly not nearly as good as the new mixtape - I'm listening to 2021's Bra-less right now and she's just raw and less nuanced.  Her flow on the new mixtape is legit.  Her early hit was "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake," with 60 million streams, but it very much sounds like the first portion is just copying Nicki Minaj.

That is a deeply strange song, with the shift into an R&B song right after she is rapping about getting caught by her mom while masturbating.

There have been people arguing that she is some sort of industry plant - Kanye for one - but I have read several articles arguing both sides.  If this is an unfamiliar term for you, it is a derogatory term for tearing down an artist, claiming that they got their success because the industry created them and worked to make them popular, instead of earning it themselves. "It refers to an artist who is presented to the public as being a self-made, organic success, but who actually has significant backing from a major record label or industry insiders. The implication is that the artist’s popularity and grassroots support are not entirely genuine, but rather manufactured or heavily assisted by the industry."  Think Milli Vanilli or The Monkees from back in the day, but now people accuse artists like Lorde or Dua Lipa of being industry created because they were immediately popular without paying their dues or whatever.  To me, I think I agree with the "no" camp - yes, she quickly rose to fame in 2024 with Top Dawg's backing, but she had been working at it and creating music for years before then.  She signed in 2021 and won a Grammy with a 2024 track, after first releasing music in 2016.  That feels like a normal arc to me.

The top track from the new mixtape is that "Anxiety" one, even though the sample sort of bothers me.  I love that Gotye song.  356.2 million streams.

My wife and I were just talking about anxiety yesterday while driving to dinner.  It is such a weird thing, for someone who does not have much anxiety at all, to understand and empathize with those who do.  Like, when she flies on an airplane, her chest is physically tight with anxiety about the experience.  And while outside stressors can definitely affect me, I just don't have anything like that.  So this song is really not my jam.  I don't want her sampling that song, and I don't want her to sing so much about anxiety.  

Interestingly, that song was not actually part of the original release of this mixtape - it was only added as a bonus track to the Deluxe Edition.  The track was originally released on YouTube in 2019, but then started to gain traction on social media in 2025.  She re-recorded the track, stuck it on her 2024 release, and made a new video for it.  Smart marketing!

BUT, other tracks on this mixtape are tight.  The big track other than "Anxiety" is "DENIAL IS A RIVER" with 337.6 million streams.

That breathing exercise at the end makes me think of Doug E. Fresh's "The Show."  Y'all hear that?  Hearing a lot of callbacks to other artists.  Not just the sampling of Gotye, but also stuff like the WOOHAAH from Bustah Rhymes ("CATFISH" is a grimy track that sounds cool), or "who's that creepin' through my rearview" which sounds like Goodie Mob, or the Ahahahaha! from The Fugees, or "move, bitch, get out the way" from Ludacris.  Kind of fun, but also a cheap way to get some recognition and shine on your project by making people think of hugely successful songs while listening to yours.

I'm honestly on board.  She won me over.  I'd like to formally apologize to my daughters for talking smack about Dowechy after her well-deserved Grammy win.  Don't know if I will see her play, but I like the hustle.

Tiny Desk, baby!  Woohah!