DOECHII on Swamp Rap, Alter Egos and Narcissistic Exes

If you’ve never been to the swamp, you should visit,” the rapper Doechii says in the beginning of her music video for “Alter Ego.” “It’s better than a spa, it’s better than a city. And you can do whatever the fuck you want! It’s no laws!” Soon after, Doechii is shown zooming through the wetlands on an airboat at night, wearing a DSquared2 trucker hat and thigh high wading boots. With her long blonde hair blowing behind her, she taunts her inner saboteur (“na na boo boo, bitch”) over a Eurodance beat, and then shoots an Uzi into the muggy abyss.

fur coat and jacket 032c, shirt and skirt MIU MIU, shoes SPORTMAX, glasses PRADA

The seemingly unlikely fusion of sounds, images, and influences that converge in “Alter Ego” are emblematic both of Doechii and the southern coastal region of the U.S. she calls home. Life in the swamp is hot, wild, weird, lawless, and full of outrageous contradictions. It is a breeding ground for lovers of Oakleys, Duck Dynasty, and far-right populism—and simultaneously, a hot bed of Black culture and hip hop. Doechii is the latest in a series of oddball, game-changing rappers with humid origins, most notably Lil Wayne and many of the other artists signed to Cash Money Records in the early 2000s. The anarchistic, unapologetic, middle-finger-up ethos that shapes Southern attitudes and ways of life pulsates through Doechii's amorphous sound, which ranges from emotive boom bap to chart topping R&B and quirky, internet bops.

Earlier this year, label mate Kendrick Lamar called Doechii the “hardest [rapper] out,” and the Recording Academy seemingly agrees. The Tampa native just received four Grammy nominations for her debut mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal. On the record, she showcases the breadth of her hip hop skill set, which includes speed rapping, beat boxing, singing like a choir angel and effortlessly writing rhymes with double (and sometimes even triple) entendres. “Left right, uppercut, punchlines make 'em duck/ Write hooks, up the cut, platinum hits, fuck is up?” she raps in “Bullfrog.”

The self-proclaimed thespian's tracks often unfold like theatrical productions, with Doechii often playing different people in her life (her mother complaining that she left the chicken in the oven, for example) but also characterizations of different aspects of her consciousness (her higher and lower selves, for example). On the cover of her recent mixtape, Doechii cradles an albino alligator in her lap and stares into the camera with a level of confidence that suggests award winning may simply be inevitable.

This Fall, Doechii kicked off her European tour in Berlin. The morning after her concert, she spoke to Cassidy George in a loft in Kreuzberg.

CASSIDY GEORGE: You’ve mentioned in past interviews that the period in which you made Alligator Bites Never Heal was quite dark for you, and that you were struggling with pressure from your management to make internet friendly music. How do you feel now that it’s out? Are you still swimming upstream?

DOECHII: I actually made the whole thing in a month. If I sit with art for too long, I start to overthink. Then you start over editing. Suddenly you can find yourself with a completely different picture. That’s why I set a hard time limit. I told myself: “Whatever I get done by then is whatever it’s going to be.”

[The release] feels celebratory. Nothing bad happened in vain. I came out with a reward and that reward is connecting with people. It’s clarity and pride in my music. I was finally able to deliver a full-length project and be like, “See? You don’t have to make TikTok music. This is good and it works.” My priority right now is making art that people can feel—and giving them what they need versus what they think they want.

fur coat 032c, skirt DAVID KOMA, shoes ANONYMOUS CLUB

CG: In the song “Denial is a River,” you tell a story about a past relationship. You rap: “My ex crashed my place and destroyed all I owned. [...] One-hundred thousand dollar ‘oops’ made me loopy.” Did your ex-boyfriend actually destroy $100,000 worth of stuff, or is that some kind of metaphor or a form of exaggeration?

D: Yes, that happened. It’s all facts.

CG: Are you taking legal action?

D: I cannot confirm or deny. [Laughs]

CG: I’m curious about the logistics. Did he light your house on fire?

D: No, but you’d be surprised. People are creative. Only someone with no maturity, or actually, no—only a fucking psychopath would try to destroy everything that someone has worked so hard to build. And that’s what happened. Destroying something you can’t afford...that’s just broke man activity. Very broke man activity!

CG: In “Denial is a River,” you also say “let’s take some deep breaths,” and then inhale twice and release. Is that a reference to healing breathwork? It sounds like the same breathing pattern.

D: I know what you’re talking about—the fire breathing! But actually that “uh, uh, uhhh” sound is inspired by Dougie Fresh's beatboxing style. But I love that it sounds like that to you—I think that’s beautiful.

CG: Earlier in your career you were known for this “swampcore” look, which was an alternative take on Southern, country aesthetics. Recently I’ve noticed you’ve been wearing glasses and leaning more into an academia theme. Do you want to be perceived as more studious? More literary?

D: I can see why you might think that but no, that wasn’t my intention. Even though I’m only 26, I’m getting older. My taste is changing. I’m gravitating towards clothes that are a bit more timeless. I was heavily inspired by Jay Z and this period when he switched from wearing jeans and t-shirts to wearing tailored suits with cufflinks and hats. Something about him introducing that look made [rap] feel very luxurious and high class.

full look PRADA, earrings TALENT'S OWN

CG: In the music video for “Bullfrog,” you’re operating a jackhammer naked in the desert. Was that your idea?

D: Yes! I had that concept in my head for so long. I saw a picture of a construction site and thought, “Oh my god, imagine if a woman were to do this.” I knew I wanted to do it, but also to start with a tight shot so you have no idea why my boobs are shaking like that. I just love being naked––I don’t give a shit! I find nudity very artistic.

CG: Is there a record that blew your mind as a teenager that you keep returning to?

D: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. There’s also a song of hers that I gravitate towards all the time that a lot of people don’t know. It’s called “Peace of Mind,” from her last on camera live performance.

CG: Say you have a completely free day—what are you doing?

D: I’m usually eating a bowl of cereal, barefoot in my backyard.

CG: What kind of cereal?

D: Frosted flakes. This is really bad, and people hate this about me, but I put it in the fridge and let it get soggy.

CG: A member of your team across the room just gasped in horror.

D: I know ya’ll are gagged! But whatever, I like it! It makes the milk sweet.

CG: Are you already working on your next project?

D: I’m working on my debut album, which I feel more prepared for now that I’ve dropped the mixtape.

CG: In your mind, what’s the difference in significance between a mixtape and an album?

D: I guess there’s no real difference in significance! They’re both bodies of work, but I do think we have different connotations of what a mixtape and album should sound like. I could have called Alligator Bites Never Heal an album, but I don’t think it really matters at the end of the day. People just want to eat the food and digest it.

LEFT: full look 032c

RIGHT: fur jacket RACER WORLDWIDE, top 032c

CG: I’m going to show you something on my phone to gauge your reaction…

D: Ewwww! Oh my god, how is that video still online? I want to throw your phone across the room!

CG: That’s one of the first things you ever posted to your YouTube account. Many people forget that you were a vlogger before you were a rapper! What motivated you to start creating and sharing videos like this?

D: That was me in 9th grade, I was 13. It was right around the time that people started realizing YouTubers could make money. I was like: “I’m not going to college. I’m going to be a YouTuber and I’m going to be famous!” I think I’ve just always been obsessed with documenting my journey. I’ve kept every journal and diary that I’ve written in since the 5th or 6th grade. I want to turn it into a book one day. I love writing about my life, but I’m a Leo—so I’m a little bit obsessed with myself.

CG: These videos are so intimate. Did you ever hesitate to reveal so much about yourself?

D: No, I didn’t. I grew up online, so that’s just how I communicate with the world. Also, at that time, nobody knew me, so it didn’t matter. I stopped around the time that I got signed. I still fuck with it for the era that it worked for, but I’ve realized that I really need to have some things that are private—things that are just for me. I’m still airing out all my business, but in a different way. People get one big “vlog” when I drop my projects.

CG: I know you did a lot of poetry slam in high school and that you once won a contest. Do you remember what that poem was about?

D: Yes, I did! I was unpacking my first breakup and why he ended things with me. It explored the topic of narcissism and the parts of me that he was trying to control. It was deep for me, especially at that age.

CG: Wait, so now we have both a narcissist and a psychopath?

D: I guess I have a type.

CG: And that type is…evil?

D: Well… [laughs].

fur coat 032c, skirt DAVID KOMA, shoes ANONYMOUS CLUB