By Cammy Thomas
What a meteoric year for the self-proclaimed “Hip Hop Madonna, the trap Grace Jones,” whose undeniable presence within the Hip Hop genre has injected new life and energy into an increasingly formulaic scene, just as a new year breathes renewed energy into people’s goals, Doechii has burst onto the scene with a…” Boom Bap!” and achieved goals I am sure were beyond her wildest dreams, that many artists do not accomplish over the course of their decade’s long careers. Only two years into her musical journey, Doechii secured a feature on another one of my albums of the year, the brilliant ‘Chromakopia’ by Tyler the creator, in which Doechii blew us away with hyperactive and endearing verses on the track ‘Balloon’, she has also been bestowed with three Grammy nominations, and she ended the year with a game changing ‘Tiny Desk Concert’, leaving viewers to conclude a new standard for future performances within the format had been set due to Doechii’s electrifying performance. Everything Doechii touched in 2024 turned to gold, therefore it is a foregone conclusion that everything Doechii touches in 2025 will turn to platinum.
If Alligator bites are purely infused with Doechii’s charisma, wit, wordplay, and versatility, then please, bite us with those beats again, and may we never heal! ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’, is technically not an album, but a mixtape, which remains faithful to the traditional mixtape format, in that each track is less than 3 minutes long, and explores a cavalcade of moods, tones, and topics allowing Doechii to flex her versatility, display her quirky personality, or muse in moments of deep introspection. Opening track ‘Stankapooh’ depicts a humble artist despite her rapid rise, as Doechii recognises where she began “Tik Tok rapper, part time you tube actress…I’d swallow my pride before I choke on my greed.” Elsewhere Doechii is completely comfortable conflating genders as she refers to herself on the bass heavy ‘Bullfrog’ as – “Ms. Ni*ga, tough guy”, to drill down on the fact she is confident leaning into the male and female expression of her art, we’re given an accompanying visual where Doechii is topless (albeit pixilated) in a desert, with phallic symbolism represented by a literal pneumatic drill, which makes for striking imagery depicting masculine and feminine energy.
Doechii showcases hard edged gritty bars against equally hardcore hip hop beats which stand shoulder to shoulder with her peers and male counterparts. Namely ‘Nissan Altima,’ where Doechii importantly flips the script on slurs and criticism often used against dark skinned Black women and proudly declares – “I’m a black b!tch, purple c*nt” and embraces her dark-skinned beauty with no shame attached, or no fcuks given to slurs people aim her way. The ominous warning of ‘Catfish,’ in which she raps with an underlying growl, ‘Boom Bap,’ which is sprinkled with jazz like scatting and onomatopoeia’s aplenty, including blowing raspberries! However, it is ‘Denial Is a River’ where Doechii’s dynamism and creative genius shines, Doechii gives us a story time rap where she takes us back to a situation in 2019. Doechii plays herself in the third person before switching to first person narrative. She also plays the role of her therapist, her delivery is full of character and animation, her cadence is playful and punchy, and we end with an exaggerated breathing meditative session. The track is cartoonish and entertaining as Doechii highlights her ease and wit in her use of characterisation.
The aforementioned tracks make it clear to the listener that Doechii is definitely the Don, a magnate of word play, and bosses any beat. However, it is in the quieter and reflective moments on the mixtape we get to know a complex and fully rounded human being plagued with the same concerns and insecurities as the rest of us. On the lightheaded and breathy ‘Bloom,’ Doechii worries that she is not making enough time for her family, and friends, paying all her bills, as well as chasing her dreams and giving herself enough down time. Enter a wise parental voice to remind our artist in bloom there are 24 hours in a day and advises Doechii tackle each area of her life one step at a time. Doechii delves further into her insecurities on the track ‘Death Roll’ as she again recognises her place within the Hip Hop industry amongst a sea of faces that do not resemble her own in a genre which promotes a particular ‘look’ that Doechii does not objectively embody – “I wonder what the label see in a b!tch this black.” She also contemplates lost friendships, and the relentless grind to achieve her goals. The instrumental is akin to the gentle swoop of the wings of a bird created by soft guitar licks. The track then leads into the raw autobiographical revelations of ‘Profit’, in which Doechii reveals her label do not agree with the direction she is taking her music, she divulges she represents her city even though people from her city hated her, she touches upon the fact that black women often bend over backwards, to fit in and be accepted, and concludes she is not concerned with presenting as polished or modest. These expressions of honestly and clarity give us a glimpse into the woman Jaylah Hickmon is, behind the artist that is Doechii.
If the first segment of the mixtape is a no effs given collection of bombastic, abrasive bars, then the final segment is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum filled with dreamy, hazy, girly, trip hop, soulful raps and straight up R&B, brought to us on chilled songs ‘Huh’, the cruising round with the girls vibe of ‘Slide’, the sultry bedroom settings of ‘Fireflies’ complete with a beautiful and delicately sung outro from Doechii, revealing that she is also a beautiful singer, as well as a bad ass rapper! Doechii again gets to show off her vocals on ‘Beverley Hills’ as she daintily croons on the pop/R&B tinged with soft rock song. Titular song ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’ is actually a mood piece with an amalgamation of instruments to gently stir the senses. The song, led by a strumming acoustic guitar, punctuated with airy ethereal vocals, and Doechii echoing as though she is floating between realms – “Farewell to the sunny days, sashay through the cloudy days, dancing through the summer haze.” The song serves as a pretty pastiche of sounds and tones, reinforcing the fact, Doechii’s singing abilities should not be overlooked.
‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’ is a bold, ballsy, individualistic offering, in which an artist in the midst of her ascension, showcases enormous talent and a solid skill set leaving the listener anticipating what’s in store for 2025…how about a trio of Grammy’s for starters!
photo credits: Cover art and Image 1, John Jay. Image 2, Bang Media.
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