Doechii

Biography

Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon (born August 14, 1998), known professionally as Doechii ( DOH-chee), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actress. After her songs went viral on TikTok in 2021, she signed recording contracts with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records in 2022. Her 2023 single, "What It Is (Block Boy)" (featuring Kodak Black), marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). That same year, she made her acting debut with the drama film Earth Mama.
Doechii's second mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal×Alligator Bites Never Heal30 August 2024 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks1STANKA POOH2:012BULLFROG1:343BOILED PEANUTS2:014DENIAL IS A RIVER2:395CATFISH2:146SKIPP1:407HIDE N SEEK2:298BLOOM2:139WAIT3:0410DEATH ROLL2:1911PROFIT1:3512BOOM BAP2:1013NISSAN ALTIMA2:0614GTFO2:4015HUH!2:1616SLIDE2:5417FIREFLIES4:2518BEVERLY HILLS3:3819ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL2:55 (2024), peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200 and was met with critical acclaim. It won Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards—making her the third woman to win the category—and spawned the singles "Nissan Altima×NISSAN ALTIMA31 July 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1NISSAN ALTIMA2:08", "Boom Bap×BOOM BAP23 August 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1BOOM BAP2:14", and "Denial Is a River×DENIAL IS A RIVER2 January 2025 · OtherSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1DENIAL IS A RIVER2:45". Its bonus single, "Anxiety×Anxiety4 March 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1Anxiety4:092DENIAL IS A RIVER2:40", became her first song to peak within the Billboard Hot 100's top ten; its music video won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video. She also appeared on Tyler, the Creator's song "Balloon" in 2024, the remix of the Weeknd and Playboi Carti's single "Timeless" in 2025, and Lady Gaga's song "Runway" in 2026.
Doechii's accolades include two Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, a BET Award, and nominations for two Soul Train Music Awards. Additionally, Billboard Women in Music named her a Rising Star in 2023 and Woman of the Year in 2025.

Early life

Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon was born on August 14, 1998, in Tampa, Florida, where she was raised. She is the daughter of mother Celesia Moore and father Snatcha Da Boss, a rapper who recorded professionally. Her uncle was also a rapper. She has younger twin sisters. She has described her upbringing as Christian. Doechii attended Howard W. Blake High School and grew up performing ballet, tap dancing, acting, cheerleading, doing gymnastics, and playing soccer. She planned to become a professional choral singer until a friend encouraged her to produce and release her music online as an independent artist. In 2016, she sold hoodies with the phrase "Stay woke. Stay black." in protest of police brutality.

2016–2023: Career beginnings

Doechii started writing poetry and rap lyrics in high school and had started making music by 2014. Doechii released her debut song "Girls×Girls10 July 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Girls5:17" on SoundCloud in 2016 under the name Iamdoechii.
One of Doechii's first projects, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1, was released in 2019, and her debut EP, Oh the Places You'll Go, was self-funded and released in 2020. It was described by Rolling Stone as a mix of pop, dance, and hip hop. "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake×Yucky Blucky Fruitcake23 September 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Yucky Blucky Fruitcake4:36", a single from the EP released in September 2020, was inspired by her reading The Artist's Way and went viral on TikTok in 2021, earning her attention from record labels. Also in 2021, she released her second EP, Bra-Less×Bra-Less3 April 2021 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Pms4:372Truth3:123Shit2:004Girls4:36; she was featured on Isaiah Rashad's song "Wat U Sed×Wat U Sed23 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Wat U Sed2:57" from his album, The House Is Burning, which she performed with Rashad at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards; and was an opening act during SZA's 2021 tour.
In March 2022, Doechii was signed to Capitol Records by Chris Turner and to Top Dawg Entertainment, making her the first female rapper on the latter label. That same month, she released "Persuasive×Persuasive18 March 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Persuasive3:37", her first single published through Top Dawg, and appeared as a featured artist on David Guetta and Afrojack's song "Trampoline", alongside Missy Elliott and Bia. In April 2022, she released the song "Crazy×Crazy8 April 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Crazy2:14" with a music video. Her third EP and her first major label release, She / Her / Black Bitch×she / her / black bitch5 August 2022 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Swamp Bitches3:002Bitch I’m Nice1:273Bitches Be3:244This Bitch Matters1:415Persuasive3:30, was released on August 5, 2022. Her July 2022 performance of her song "Persuasive" was nominated for Push Performance of the Year at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
In April 2023, Doechii performed at Coachella. Also in 2023, she made her acting debut in Earth Mama, a drama film directed by Savanah Leaf. In the same year, she performed as an opening act on Doja Cat's The Scarlet Tour (2023).

2024–present: Alligator Bites Never Heal

In August 2024, she released her second mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal×Alligator Bites Never Heal30 August 2024 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks1STANKA POOH2:012BULLFROG1:343BOILED PEANUTS2:014DENIAL IS A RIVER2:395CATFISH2:146SKIPP1:407HIDE N SEEK2:298BLOOM2:139WAIT3:0410DEATH ROLL2:1911PROFIT1:3512BOOM BAP2:1013NISSAN ALTIMA2:0614GTFO2:4015HUH!2:1616SLIDE2:5417FIREFLIES4:2518BEVERLY HILLS3:3819ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL2:55, to critical acclaim. Pitchfork called it "her most ambitious and musically diverse release" filled with "playful and melodic sides without skimping on hard-hitting hip-hop". The mixtape won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the third woman to win in the category. Shortly after the event finished airing, she released the song "Nosebleeds×Nosebleeds3 February 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Nosebleeds2:15" as a celebration of her win. Throughout 2024, Doechii featured on multiple songs: Katy Perry's "I'm His, He's Mine" (from her album 143), Tyler, the Creator's "Balloon" (from his album Chromakopia), and Banks's "I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend" (from her 2025 album Off with Her Head). Variety named her the 2024 Hitmakers Hip-Hop Disruptor of the Year.
Doechii appeared as a guest judge on a January 2025 episode of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17, with her song "Alter Ego×Alter Ego29 March 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Alter Ego3:24" featured in a lip-sync competition. The song's exposure in the episode resulted in significant chart increases across music streaming platforms. In February 2025, Doechii appeared as a feature on Jennie's song, "ExtraL". Doechii was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance, and won Best Rap Album for the 2025 Grammy Awards. She also received several nominations for the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding New Artist, Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album, and Outstanding Album. In 2025, Doechii became the second female rapper to receive the Billboard Woman of the Year award, following Cardi B in 2020. In March of the same year, she officially released the single "Anxiety×Anxiety4 March 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1Anxiety4:092DENIAL IS A RIVER2:40" to digital streaming platforms, which prominently samples Gotye and Kimbra's 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" and was originally a part of her 2019 self-released mixtape, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1×Coven Music Session, Vol. 115 May 2019 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks160 Seconds0:592Pencil Pouch1:423Bills1:004Doechii 1011:155Spookie Coochie Live (interlude)0:466Body Offer1:027Weekend1:268Mocking Bird3:379Everything You Needed2:17. It had first been sampled by Sleepy Hallow for his eponymous 2023 song before Doechii's original version became popular on TikTok. In May of that year, Doechii was featured on the remix of Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd and fellow rapper Playboi Carti's 2024 song "Timeless". She performed at 2025 edition of music festival Lollapalooza, during which she announced her Live from the Swamp Tour. Tour dates were announced on August 4. On December 30, Doechii surprise-released a single with SZA titled "Girl, Get Up".

In January 2026, Doechii was featured on the song "Robbery" from ASAP Rocky's fourth studio album Don't Be Dumb. In February 2026, Doechii starred in the Levi Strauss & Co. global campaign "Behind Every Original", which premiered during Super Bowl LX; the campaign, directed by Kim Gehrig, featured Doechii alongside Rosé and Questlove and showcased her in a segment choreographed by Robbie Blue. The second trailer of The Devil Wears Prada 2 featured the original Lady Gaga and Doechii song "Runway".
On August 29, 2026, Doechii preformed at the Daisy Chain Fields benefit festival in Irvine, California. It was around a 40 minute set. All profits from the concert were donated to charities focused on women.

Musical style

Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh described Doechii's rap delivery as "animated" and her song narratives as "quirky". Her music has been compared by critics to that of Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, and Missy Elliott. Doechii has described her style of music as alternative hip hop, and credits Busta Rhymes for inspiring her expressive performance approach, stating, "There's so many different emotions that I feel like you don't have to emote in one way. Hip-hop gives you so much room to be animated. I'm a theater kid as well, so I like to create characters."

Doechii has cited Lauryn Hill as her biggest inspiration and referred to her as a hero, stating that she grew up listening to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Hill's 2002 song "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind". Reflecting on Hill's influence, she said, "Listening to her all the time as my influence…I feel like it built this [understanding] that I have about resonating and being vulnerable in my music even though it can still bop. It can still rock". Her early viral track "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake×Yucky Blucky Fruitcake23 September 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Yucky Blucky Fruitcake4:36" has drawn comparisons to the interludes on The Miseducation for its classroom-style introduction, in which a teacher figure prompts Doechii to introduce herself.She has also named Nicki Minaj as a key influence, particularly on her rapping style, stating, "I always adored her and thought she was really incredible". In addition to Minaj, she has cited Kanye West, Tyler, the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, and SZA as her major musical influences, and expressed admiration for artists including Trick Daddy, Beyoncé, Eminem, Grace Jones, Paramore, Madonna, KRS-One, and MF Doom.

Personal life

Doechii lived in New York City before the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she published YouTube vlogs about her daily life. As of 2022, she lives in Los Angeles.
She came out as lesbian in February 2026, having previously identified as bisexual.
She said in a 2024 interview with Joe Budden that she had recently become sober following years of heavy drinking.
At the BET Awards 2025, Doechii condemned US President Donald Trump for "ruthless attacks", referring to military deployment during the June 2025 Los Angeles protests. She also stated her support for Black people, Latino people, trans people and Palestine.