Tampa, FL · hip-hop · alt-r&b

Doechii

5 festivals played ↓

Switches cadence mid-bar like she's changing characters — theatrical, technically ferocious rap that never sits still long enough to be filed.

Doechii was born Jaylah Hickmon on August 14, 1998, and raised in Tampa, Florida. Her father, who performed as Snatcha Da Boss, was a rapper, as was an uncle. She grew up doing ballet, tap, cheerleading and gymnastics, and planned on a career as a choral singer until a friend suggested she post her own music online.

She began writing poetry and rap lyrics in high school and posted her first song, "Girls", to SoundCloud in 2016 under the name Iamdoechii. A self-funded 2020 EP, Oh the Places You'll Go, led to the viral single "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake"; "Crazy" followed as she built an audience online, before she signed to Top Dawg Entertainment in 2022 as its first woman rapper.

Her music moves between hard-edged rap, house-tempo dance production and melodic R&B, often within one song, with verses built on sudden shifts in cadence and voice. The 2023 single "What It Is (Block Boy)", featuring Kodak Black, gave her a first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum.

The 2024 mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal reached the top ten of the Billboard 200 and drew wide critical attention, winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and making her the third woman to take that category. Its singles included "Nissan Altima", "Boom Bap" and "Denial Is a River", while the bonus track "Anxiety" became her first Hot 100 top-ten entry and won a Grammy for its music video.

Doechii is also known as a physically demanding live performer, building choreography into her sets. She has appeared on records by Tyler, the Creator and Lady Gaga, and made her acting debut in the 2023 film Earth Mama. Billboard named her a Rising Star in 2023 and its Woman of the Year in 2025.

Read more

hip-hopalt-r&b